The Lucky Ones (Hardcover)

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Review
'Cusk is a highly interesting, original writer and, more unusually, she is a joy to read.' Helen Dunmore 'Goodness she can write. It takes the breath away.' Claudia FitzHerbert, Daily Telegraph Praise for The Lucky Ones: 'The Lucky Ones has a theme equal to its author's wit, intelligence and genius for observation. This novel is not a particularly comfortable place to be, partly because it's so much like life and partly because Rachel Cusk is brilliant at depicting unattractive characters. But anyone who has ever lived in a family will relish it.' Cressida Connolly, Daily Telegraph 'Her prose is measured and poised. She share's Virginia Woolf's interest in making art out of the minutiae of women's inner monologues.' Stephanie Merritt, Observer Praise for The Country Life: "In this, her third novel, Rachel Cusk writes with the fastidiousness and delightful grace we have come to expect... Stella is a splendidly memorable creation." Sue Gaisford, Independent on Sunday "This book is a delight... The Country Life is remarkable for two things; its humour and its menace... Its mixture of P.G.Wodehouse, Cold Comfort Farm and Jane Austen is a pleasure to read" Tibor Fischer, Sunday Express "I was addicted. The detail is breathtaking and Cusk's descriptions of a heatwave in the countryside almost had me dripping sweat and scratching the nettle stings. It is also hysterically funny." Lisa Jewell

Authors sometimes begin their books with a quote from a better-known writer, perhaps hoping to invite some kind comparison with reviewers. Often this conceit (in both senses) is misguided, serving only to point up the differences between the illustrious and the ordinary. Here, Cusk has chosen a quote by Katherine Mansfield, and it must be said that if there were ever a young British writer capable of holding a torch to Mansfield, it would be Cusk. Two of her three previous novels have won awards and The Lucky Ones, structured as a series of interlinked and overlapping short stories, is well up to standard, with the beautifully observed vignettes of everyday life and the precision of language that are Cusk's hallmarks. The book begins with a birth, traumatic and unwelcome. The birth in question is an event to be delayed as soon as possible because the young mother, in prison for a murder she did not commit, knows that the moment the baby is born and ceases to be part of her they will be separated. The campaigning lawyer who was seeking to win her a place in an oversubscribed mother-and-baby unit has become ill, and the child will now be placed with foster parents. This ambivalence over birth and motherhood continues the theme, of course, of the author's recent non-fiction book, A Life's Work, which dealt with her own feelings about becoming a mother for the first time. Babies and motherhood are recurring themes through the rest of the stories: an overbearing mother has mixed feelings about her bohemian daughter's attitude to her baby; a young father leaves his wife and young child to go skiing with friends; the campaigning lawyer in the background of the first story moves to the country with his wife, a newspaper columnist, and she strikes up an unusual friendship with a local woman. Unlike the many writers who stick to a familiar setting, Rachel Cusk seems equally sensitive to the realities of life on a sink estate to those of an impoverished middle-class mother in an abusive relationship, trying to keep up appearances to her village neighbours, and her sympathetic portraits mean that you really care what happens to her finely drawn characters. (Kirkus UK)

Time Out
'Cusk's is a unique voice ... she has a way of making you care about her characters ... an intelligent read.'

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4 Reviews 5 star:  (1) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 3.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing, 22 Aug 2003 By  Laura (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews I have read all of Cusk's previous work, and I must preface this review by admitting that I am a fan. Except for Saving Agnes, I have found all her novels and short stories to be mesmerizing. Two particular favorites were The Temporary and The Country Life. I would say this book is a departure, but it has been my experience that every new work by Cusk is a departure. That is why she is so readable: she will constantly surprise you with each effort. I don't know if "The Lucky Ones" will be ranked among my favorites, but I wouldn't have missed it. For the masterpiece that is the chapter entitled "Mrs. Daley's Daughter", it is not to be missed. Mrs. Daley is an instantly recognizable monster, who serves herself up to the reader with chilling self-justification. The final section was also very moving, and drew me in completely, although I felt the storyline blundered slightly into both sentimentality and shock/horror in the final pages. (it sounds impossible to have both, but read it and you will see what I mean). But whatever you might say about this book, you could never call it predictable or mundane. It is like all of Rachel Cusk's work: it pulls back the curtain on things we could only guess at before. Her psychological insights are always worth the cost of her books. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   17 of 23 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars utterly dreary, 2 Jun 2003 By A Customer Having quite enjoyed A Life's Work and The Country Life, I thought this might be better given the hype over her making the Granta BOYB list. It isn't. In fact, it's one of the dreariest novels I've read for some time. Five characters are linked by knowing a human rights laweyer, and by parenthood - which they all seem to have found as depressing and unrewarding as Cusk herself. The characters range from a stupid young woman pregnant in prison to a woman journalist who moves to the country. None of the characters are remotely believeable, sympathethic or interesting. I don't like being as negative as this about a novel, but Cusk is old enough and experienced enough by now to know better. She can write interestingly, but style alone isn't good enough for those who have forked out £15.99. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   2 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 2.0 out of 5 stars The Lucky Ones, 3 Jan 2006 By  Ann Wright (Nottingham, UK United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: The Lucky Ones (Paperback) Boring.... it was a very dreary read, characters unbelievable, situations ditto. Book did not flow. I think Rachel used this book as a vehicle to practise her literary style, which admittedly is good, but not good enough to sustain interest. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 4 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars I was won over The first story in The Lucky Ones left me ambivalent, but I'm very glad I continued, because the book became more compelling as it went on. Read more Published on 2 Nov 2006 by Cleo Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 4 customer reviews...

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