LUCKY US by Amy Bloom

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.

When Eva turns 12, her mother unceremoniously dumps her at her father's house. Eva has understood for years that she and her mother are her father's second family.  When her father's wife dies, Eva's mother takes the opportunity to start a new life.  Eva moves into her father's home and meets her older half-sister Iris for the first time. Iris has big dreams of becoming a star and escapes to Hollywood as soon as she can with her little sister in tow. The family's fortunes ebb and flow over the 1940s as the girls are eventually reunited with their deadbeat father and attempt to make a life for themselves as a family.  Each of them is a flawed individual so consumed by their own dreams that they can't seem to come together as a family. The book is mostly told from Eva's perspective and follows the family throughout the 1930s and 1940s.

Although I think Bloom has some interesting things to say about success,failure, redemption, and family, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. Although they were all plucky and worked hard to achieve their individual dreams, they were not particularly likeable.  While some describe the book as humorous, I did not find that to be true at all.  I thought it was pretty heart-breaking. It made me sad to see how selfish the individual family members were and how often Eva bore the brunt of that selfishness. The book was interesting and well-written but not particularly enjoyable.

BOTTOM LINE: Recommended for some readers. Bloom fans will find much to like here. Her characters and settings are definitely vivid and interesting.  The people just aren't particularly likeable.