Born Under a Lucky Moon

Great summer read.

**Originally reviewed for [...]** Reviewed by Lauren Kirk Born Under a Lucky Moon is a pleasant novel that acts as a hilarious reminder of how important family is, even if they are crazy and full of mischief! The beginning of the story was a bit slow, as it seemed Dana Precious was giving readers the time to absorb the mini family history before them. The chapters switched between past and present, which I found enjoyable. The notations at the top of each chapter really allowed for the story to remain intact and focused, and not at all choppy. Jeannie Thompson is a colorful, put together, and successful film executive who lives in Los Angeles, yet hails from a tiny town in Michigan. In spite of leaving her small town roots behind her, the Thompson family is never far from Jeannies mind or life. Jeannies job and life are hectic, and it is obvious from the start of the book that her life will never be anything resembling normal. When her boyfriend Aidan proposes, Jeannie immediately freezes and tells him she has to think about it, as she is unsure of how he will feel about her family. Suspense ensues while a fun tale of antics, love, and sheer absurdity comes pouring out little by little. The chapters are broken up between Jeannies tales of her past and the events unfolding in the present. I really liked this method of telling a story within a story, and found myself enjoying the parts about the Thompson family more than those dealing with Jeannies present. Jeannie is likeable, dry, and humorous. The entire Thompson clan is impossible to pin down with a few words - they are definitely interesting! While most of the events Jeannie describes are highly far fetched, the story is so fun, that it doesnt even matter if any of these events could ever happen or not. Born Under a Lucky Moon is light, humorous and heartfelt, even if it is a bit lengthy for this type of fiction, at just over 415 pages. Dana Precious leaves no loose ends. The end of the novel is easily the best part - there are no unnecessary characters or overly descriptive passages. The book has a terrific flow and the end result is well worth the slow start. Jeannie is a triumphant character and the sense of family and the levels of love (and fun) the Thompson family has for each other seeps off the page.

Jeannie Thompsons life has never been boring. Her family is filled with colorful, and often embarrassing, relatives who seem to be the victims of some of the oddest things; making them the talk of the little Michigan town where they live. It is 2006, and Jeannies longtime boyfriend is thinking of taking their relationship to the next level. Shes not sure they should rock the boat. Not only are they both busy in the entertainment industry, she knows how other boyfriends have felt about her less than normal family, and shes not sure Aidan will be any better. As Jeannies past and present collide, she must reconsider her life growing up near the Great Lakes of Michigan, and the career she carved out that has alienated her from her family. Debut author Dana Precious pulls together a stellar plot, quirky characters, the love/hate relationship we can have with our family/stomping grounds, and a romance to come up with a major winner. I loved everything about this book. Once I started it, I couldnt put it down. I read it in one day. Born Under A Lucky Moon is filled with laughs and tears, unexpected twists, family, and down home charm. Its about the Thompson family, but it could be about any family. Born Under A Lucky Moon is the perfect book to choose if you want a great read that is funny, yet moving.

I could not put this entirely readable, charming story of worlds and lifestyles intersecting down. Precious writes with a keen eye and a sense of humor that gives her characters humility and humor. If you want a multi-generational love story with all of the trimmings including self-discovery, mystery and Hollywood... this is it. The book is... Precious.

I wanted to become a part of this wonderfully crazy family. With all the twists and turns this is truly a journey you wont soon forget! It is a book that you will pick up and not put down until you have exhaled your last laugh, and cried your eyes dry.

I am half way through Born Under a Lucky Moon. I cant wait each evening to get my kids to bed and get back to this funny, unpredictable and poignant tale of family drama. I cant wait to see how it ends. Then again, I dont want it to end because Im having so much fun reading Born Under a Lucky Moon.

Im in love with North Muskegon Michigan, and Ive never even been there. Reading this book makes the place seem like the coolest little lakeside town ever. The way this author weaves the fabric of life there is masterful. With the touch of a true Michigander, she plants us in the world of the solid midwestern citizen--the kind whose deadpan fortitude provides hilarious contrast to the main character, Jeannie, and her close but craziness-prone family.You can smell the damp, hot summer air and feel worn wood of the dock beneath your feet as you read about Jeannies summer at the shore back at home with her family, who are both her biggest problem and her greatest asset. The antics that surround them are so appallingly entertaining, they remind us to appreciate family life for all its ridiculous and beautiful imperfections. Worth the read for the Grandma scene alone.

Right off the bat, I want you all to know I loved this book. I loved the setting, the characters, the story. I love that Ms. Precious kicked it old school and set half the story in 1986. I love that it centered around a family, specifically sisters. I loved that I laughed out loud so many times, in public, on the train crowded with people giving me odd looks. I loved the title of the novel. I loved that it was about love. From the beginning, Ms. Precious lets us know where were going. I have to admit she had me at this: Like every relationship in every family, this story doesnt reside in the black and white of right and wrong. It resides in the gray area called love. Yeah, I was hooked. I dived into the story of Jeannie and her sisters head first. I loved the wacky Thompson family adventures. From unintentional fires to a grandmother with devious intentions to the exasperated police officer, Marv who puts up with them, this story had everything. It bounces seamlessly from 2006 to 1986 without missing a step. I enjoyed how Ms. Precious revealed the past to explain the future. Truth be told, it was done so well the stories could have been told separately, one without the other would have made a great novel. There was so many nuggets of goodness in this novel. I loved Evans Milwaukee metaphor. Youll have to read that one for yourself. However I will leave you this from Rose Thompson, Jeannies mom, about family and love... One thing I do know for certain is that no matter how much you kids complain about each other, you all drop everything to be there when someone in the family is in trouble. I think a family is measured by how it shows its love. Some people think that love is like a pie, that the more people you have to serve, the smaller everyones piece is. But thats not the way it is. The more love you give, the more you create. My parents and your fathers parents poured their love into us. We poured that love into you. Elizabeth will pour that love into her baby and so on. Everyone has human weaknesses, and problems, but those will come and go during life. Love goes on nonstop forever. Born Under a Lucky Moon is the kind of novel I will go back to: to read again, to laugh with the Thomspons, to fall in love, to appreciate family in all their crazy looniness, even mine.

Wonderfully written. A family anyone can relate to. I called my three sisters and told them they must read it!!

Born Under a Lucky Moon by Dana Precious - a Goodreads First Read free giveaway book won on February 2nd, received on February 15th and previously made-aware-of through promotions on sheknows.com and womansday.com Born Under a Lucky Moon is a novel told in the first-person in a back and forth, then-and-now prose of the teenage and middle-age life of Jeannie Thompson. The main theme of the book is her boyfriend, Aidans, attempt to marry Jeannie and be introduced to her Midwestern, dysfunctional but very loving family (a bit like the Hepburns or the Marchs from Little Women, but somewhat more off-kilter) and is told in the style of Jeannie telling Aidan stories of her family to keep him at bay from the onslaught that is Them. The action and plot moves much in the style of the Thompson family - quickly and crisply. It had ended a little over the top, but given the context, it was to be expected and fairly apt. What I loved best were the aside/long-story-short stories about a family incident or a persons background, such as Jeannies great-grandparents. I also really connected with the familiar quips about Midwest life: regional product brands, the Michigan map as being the palm of your hand, radio stations, squirrels, wedding traditions, and outdoor recreation. As Tom, a Thompson family friend, quips, family is like a warm and comforting curse. And, in looking at this book, its a real and unabashed account of how careerwomen regard their families through memories both bitter and dear - no matter how you excuse or cope it away, your family is both the maker and cruelest judge of character.