Born Under A Lucky Moon by Dana Precious

Born Under A Lucky Moon
Author: Dana Precious
ISBN: 978-0-06-182687-5
Pages: 432
Release Date: February 8, 2011
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Women's Fiction; Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.0 out of 5

Publisher summary: Born Under a Lucky Moon is the tale of two very important (but distant) years in the lives of Jeannie Thompson and her (embarrassing, crazy) colorful family members to whom "things" just seem to happen. From the Great Lakes of Michigan to Los Angeles and back again, it is a story of surprise marriages, a renegade granny, a sprinkler system cursed by the gods, and myriad other factors Jeannie blames for her full-tilt, out-of-control existence. But it's also about good surprises—like an unexpected proposal that might just open Jeannie's eyes to her real place among the people she loves most in the world . . . the same ones she ran far away from to begin with.

My Thoughts: Born Under A Lucky Moon is a heartwarming, smart and entertaining novel about Jeannie Thompson and her sweet, nutty, loving family. Jeannie has a booming career in Hollywood, owns her own home and is head-over-heels in love with Aidan. But countless concerns keep her awake late into the night and early morning. Her chief worry, next to her stressful job creating movie trailers, is protecting Aidan from her well-intentioned but crazy family members. She refuses to allow the two to cross paths. As a result, after dating Aidan for two years, Jeannie's four sisters, one brother and her mom and dad are beginning to wonder if he actually exists! Jeannie is close to the end of her rope trying to balance family demands on her time with her career and seeing Aidan. And then, suddenly, Aidan proposes!

Dana Precious displays a wonderful talent for creating realistic, enjoyable characters such as main character and narrator, Jeannie Thompson a lovable perfectionist, control-freak and worrier who many of us will instantly recognize from our own lives. Growing-up in the small town of Muskegon, Michigan, Jeannie was the sibling her mother could count on to help patch up any problem, run interference in any crisis, keep everyone’s secrets and offer a consoling shoulder to anyone needing a good cry. Jeannie, as the youngest member of the chaotic Thompson clan, did her best to remain under the drama radar and kept her problems quiet feeling that her mom and dad had more than enough to manage coping with the rest of her siblings. There was always a drama to deal with, a crisis to fix or a fire to put out with one of her sisters and their spouses. So when she moved to Los Angeles and started her career, Jeannie focused on her own life and saw less and less of her family, missing many family event and gatherings.

We begin to understand Jeannie's need to escape her family when, in an effort to make Aidan understand her reluctance to marry, she relates six months in the life of her family from June 1986 to the end of that year. Anything and everything that could happen in life happened to one or another of the Thompson clan, grandma and Buddy, the dog, included, during those months. Ms. Precious prevents the story from becoming bogged down under it own weight by keeping the pace brisk and peppering the story with light, amusing dialogue even during the serious scenes. As in real life, good and bad things happen to the Thompson family who, like most of us, cope with it all by supporting and loving each other and then moving on to the next adventure.

The premise of Born Under A Lucky Moon is a bit of a stretch but after reading several chapters we're able to understand and empathize with Jeannie's fear that Aidan might be scared away by her warm but over-whelming family: Elizabeth, Sammie, Lucy, Evan, their respective spouses and children, as well as her mom and dad. Fortunately, like Jeannie, who eventually realizes what is most important in life, we're reminded that, though they ask a lot of us sometimes, nobody loves us like our families. Ms. Precious' debut is a charming, thoughtful and enjoyable book that will encourage you to remember enjoyable and funny times with your own family while laughing at the antics and drama of the Thompson family and admiring the bond between Jeannie and her family. My hope is that we will see more of this lovable family in Ms. Precious' future books.

I received a copy of Born Under A Lucky Moon from the publisher via TLC Book Tours.