St. Martin's, April 2003, 24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN 0312288489
She loves her mother but budding actress Stacey Reiser really wishes that she would get a life. Stacy is tired of her mother's frequent phone calls, unsolicited advice and suggestions on how to hold on to a man. Even though there is not a man in her life at present, she is getting roles in movies and televisions shows instead of commercials. When Helen Reiser sells her home in Cleveland and moves close to her daughter in L.A. Stacey goes into shock.
Stacey becomes persona no grata in movieland when Jack Rawlings of Good Morning Hollywood trashes her part in a movie. Through a quirky set of circumstances Helen becomes the star in a series of tuna fish commercials, which leads to her to becoming a Hollywood icon. Stacey is happy for her mother even though she has to take a sales job to pay the bills. She becomes very concerned when her mother falls for a man with a shady reputation. Stacey, with the help of Jack (the pair are now an item), try to dig up some evidence against him because her mother won't have her daughter dissing her boyfriend.
LUCKY STARS is a first class dramatic comedy starring two strong-willed women who are experiencing role reversal. Readers will find themselves chuckling out loud at some of the conversations these two women exchange. The romance between the actress and the film critic adds another layer of complexity to the plot, as does Stacey's antipathy of her mother's beau. Jane Heller is a talented writer whose latest work crosses genre lines with this lush witty melodrama.
"Struggling Actress, Stacey Reiser, loves her mother, Helen, but she wishes that her mother would stop trying to control her life. Helen constantly criticizes Stacey, disapproves of her career, and pressures her daughter to get married and start a family. Stacey is horrified when her mother moves out to Hollywood the be near her. One day, while making a tuna sandwich Helen discovers a bone in her can of tuna. She drags Stacey to come with her to see the president of the tuna company to complain. The next thing Stacey realizes, her mother has been "discovered", and overnight she becomes the voice of consumer america. But with Helen's new fame comes a new boyfriend, Victor, a wealthy entrepeneur with a shadey past. Stacey is suspicious of Victor but the start, but Helen thinks that she's just jealous. So Stacey, her boyfriend, Jack, and her best friend Maura decide to investigate Victor. As they learn about his illegal business dealings and blackmail tactics, they stumble onto the fact that Victor may have already murdered one wife. With her mother's wedding to Victor drawing closer, Stacey must find a way to save her.
"
fran laniado, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Lucky Stars
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Life of a profession:
- actor
Family, loving relations
Yes
Special relationship with
- mother
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Lover is
- a criminal (possibly)
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- actor/actress/producer
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
- 60's-90's
Profession/status:
- wealthy
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
