Lucky, Jane Smiley
Lucky, Jane Smiley
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Lucky

Author: Jane Smiley

Narrator: Stina Nielsen

Unabridged: 14 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 04/23/2024


Synopsis

From the best-selling writer, a soaring, soulful novel about a folk musician who rises to fame across our changing times

Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky—and the roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her
extended family, and then—through a combination of hard work and serendipity—she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles and back again.

Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage, and on tour, and tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels as if something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is she looking for what she already has?

Rich with the atmosphere of a rapidly changing cultural landscape, shot through with longing and exuberance, romance and rock ’n’ roll, Lucky is a story of chance and grit and the glitter of real talent, a colorful portrait of one woman’s journey in search of herself.

About Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley is the author of many novels, works of nonfiction, and books for young adults, including A Thousand Acres and the Last Hundred Years trilogy, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.


Reviews

Goodreads review by BEATRICE on August 26, 2021

Such an amazing story! Ed Jackson has a mind like no other and a heart of gold. I’m so pleased he was willing to share his personal journey with the general public. Saying that he doesn’t regret the accident was a very powerful message to pass on.......more

Goodreads review by Conrad on May 13, 2025

Moved me to tears......more

Goodreads review by Karen on October 11, 2021

In this book Ed Jackson shares an astonishingly powerful message and I'm in total awe of him and the impact of the positive mental attitude that has helped him come to terms with his accident and not let it stop him! The bravery and determination he shows throughout is inspiring! As he looks back ove......more

Goodreads review by Nicola on November 25, 2022

I knew nothing about Ed Jackson till I read this book & the event that shaped Eds life & for the change in circumstances has a knock on effect on changing the lives of others through determination and perseverance & with that support of others,Eds triumph over a spinal injury and his enduring desire......more

Goodreads review by Chanté on November 12, 2023

I don't usually read autobiographies, but picked this one up due to the cover, and only realised when I got home it was an autobiography. But let me tell you, I think that's the good thing about it, I think I needed to read this, needed to get motivated, needed to read about reality that can seem so......more