Review of Lucky Charms: Memories of a Charmed Life
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[i][Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Lucky Charms: Memories of a Charmed Life" by dineene OConnor.][/i] [rwc=id484009-125]3 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]Lucky Charms: Memories of a Charmed Life by D.N. O’Connor is a unique nonfiction book about the author’s life. She was contacted by a distant relative asking for family history and it made her think about her own children and grandchildren. They may want more information about her one day, so she decided to write a book describing important events in her life. What makes the book unique is that each event described is identified by a charm on her charm bracelet. If the event was significant enough to deserve a charm on her bracelet, she included a short story about it in this book.
The short stories cover a wide variety of topics. Each story is told honestly and emotionally. In “My Past Was Not Prologue; The Best Was Yet to Come,” she details an abusive relationship in which she was raped and had an abortion. The author’s ability to describe these experiences in such an open way is admirable. Her story may help other women suffering through similar experiences. This story is represented by the pennant charm describing the early years during and immediately after high school. O’Connor writes with an optimistic and positive tone. Even when discussing her son’s divorce in “Fate Knew He Would Forever Be My Always,” she is grateful he stayed married long enough to give her grandchildren. The charm for this story was given to her by her daughter-in-law when she married into the family. This story focuses on the author’s husband being attacked in a parking lot in an incident that occurred before she met him. He almost died from his injuries and she wonders what her life would have been like without her “Prince Charming.”
I enjoyed reading this book. The short stories cover many different topics with a depth and complexity that I appreciated. O’Connor described deeply personal and painful experiences with honesty. She also conveys the love and joy she feels for her family and her life. What I liked most about this book was the unique format. Many people have charm bracelets identifying significant experiences in their lives or places they’ve visited. So, I think many people can relate to this format. As I look at my charm bracelet, it reminds me of significant experiences in my life. Some experiences are happy, and some are sad. O’Connor captures both in a beautiful way.
What I disliked about this book was very minor. The stories were not in chronological order. This is a minor issue because they are all short stories that can be read independent of one another. However, when reading one right after another, it would have been nice if it followed a chronological order. For example, the story about her college charm came before the story about her high school charm. Also, the story that included her father’s death came before other stories that included her father.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the unique format and the author’s writing style. However, there were more than ten errors in the book, so I don’t believe it was professionally edited. With additional editing, it would be deserving of a perfect score. Since the author describes her abusive relationship and rape, I would recommend the book to adult readers. I would also recommend this book to readers that enjoy nonfiction stories about life and the struggles and joys experienced by real people. ****** [i]Lucky Charms: Memories of a Charmed Life [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=484009]on Bookshelves[/url] | on Amazon
The short stories cover a wide variety of topics. Each story is told honestly and emotionally. In “My Past Was Not Prologue; The Best Was Yet to Come,” she details an abusive relationship in which she was raped and had an abortion. The author’s ability to describe these experiences in such an open way is admirable. Her story may help other women suffering through similar experiences. This story is represented by the pennant charm describing the early years during and immediately after high school. O’Connor writes with an optimistic and positive tone. Even when discussing her son’s divorce in “Fate Knew He Would Forever Be My Always,” she is grateful he stayed married long enough to give her grandchildren. The charm for this story was given to her by her daughter-in-law when she married into the family. This story focuses on the author’s husband being attacked in a parking lot in an incident that occurred before she met him. He almost died from his injuries and she wonders what her life would have been like without her “Prince Charming.”
I enjoyed reading this book. The short stories cover many different topics with a depth and complexity that I appreciated. O’Connor described deeply personal and painful experiences with honesty. She also conveys the love and joy she feels for her family and her life. What I liked most about this book was the unique format. Many people have charm bracelets identifying significant experiences in their lives or places they’ve visited. So, I think many people can relate to this format. As I look at my charm bracelet, it reminds me of significant experiences in my life. Some experiences are happy, and some are sad. O’Connor captures both in a beautiful way.
What I disliked about this book was very minor. The stories were not in chronological order. This is a minor issue because they are all short stories that can be read independent of one another. However, when reading one right after another, it would have been nice if it followed a chronological order. For example, the story about her college charm came before the story about her high school charm. Also, the story that included her father’s death came before other stories that included her father.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the unique format and the author’s writing style. However, there were more than ten errors in the book, so I don’t believe it was professionally edited. With additional editing, it would be deserving of a perfect score. Since the author describes her abusive relationship and rape, I would recommend the book to adult readers. I would also recommend this book to readers that enjoy nonfiction stories about life and the struggles and joys experienced by real people. ****** [i]Lucky Charms: Memories of a Charmed Life [/i] View: [url=http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelves/book.php?id=484009]on Bookshelves[/url] | on Amazon
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