GOOD LUCK
How would eighty-seven million dollars change your life? For Lucy Parker, the answer wasn’t so easy. She won the lottery just when her luck was running out, finding herself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Hours before she knew she had the winning ticket, she lost her job, caught her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and watched helplessly as her car died a slow death in traffic. But when she deposits her winnings—with a check so big the teller thinks it’s a joke—reporters dredge up the scandal that got her fired. Then her ex goes on the talk-show circuit,
How would eighty-seven million dollars change your life? For Lucy Parker, the answer wasn’t so easy. She won the lottery just when her luck was running out, finding herself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Hours before she knew she had the winning ticket, she lost her job, caught her boyfriend in bed with another woman, and watched helplessly as her car died a slow death in traffic. But when she deposits her winnings—with a check so big the teller thinks it’s a joke—reporters dredge up the scandal that got her fired. Then her ex goes on the talk-show circuit, convincing the public that Lucy wronged him. Turning to her wealthy college roommate, Lucy reinvents herself, with a new name, a new look, and a closet full of designer clothes from the chicest boutiques in Palm Beach. But even with two great new men fighting over her in a tropical paradise, she wonders how much it’s costing her to hide the truth about who she really is. Little does she know, she’s not the only one with a secret … and when the truth is revealed, the results will be priceless.
Packed with delicious surprises and exhilarating turns of fate, Good Luck celebrates the heart of every woman’s true net worth.
- Bantam Discovery
- Paperback
- November 2008
- 400 Pages
- 9780553384345
Buy the Book
$12.00
About Whitney Gaskell
Whitney Gaskell grew up in Syracuse, New York. A graduate of Tulane Law School, she worked for several years as a reluctant lawyer before writing her first novel, Pushing 30, followed by True Love (and Other Lies); She, Myself & I; Testing Kate, and Mommy Tracked. She lives in Stuart, Florida, with her husband and son.
Praise
“Gaskell has crafted an emotional roller coaster of a novel. The highs are funny and furious, and the lows will tug at readers’ heartstrings as they relish this superb tale of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” —Booklist
Discussion Questions
Despite the disasters she experienced at the beginning of the novel, what was good about Lucy’s life before she won the lottery? What were the best and worst changes that took place after she deposited the check?
How did Lucy’s parents influence her future? What explains the big difference in the way Lucy and Emma handle money?
Do you think Lucy would have stayed with Elliott if she hadn’t caught him with Naomi? How did her breakup, and her newfound wealth, change the way she thought about men?
How did your opinion of Mal and Drew shift throughout the novel? How do they affect Lucy in different ways?
What sustains Maisie and Lucy’s friendship? How does it compare to Hayden and Lucy’s friendship? What gives Maisie the strength to turn down Lucy’s money?
How does Lucy handle the secrecy of her new identity? Did she make the right choice in going underground? When are secrets helpful, and when are they harmful?
In the end, both Hayden and Emma realize how deeply they have hurt Lucy. What did it take for them to have a change of heart?
Discuss the novel’s title. How much of the success portrayed in Good Luck comes from sheer luck? How much of it depends on good choices? Which one—luck or choice—plays the bigger part in having a happy life?
Several of the novel’s characters, including Lucy’s mother, want to spend their resources easing the suffering of others. What determines whether someone will do charitable things with wealth, versus those who use it to serve their appetites for power?
What makes Whitney Gaskell’s heroines unique? How does Good Luck, along with the author’s other novels, capture the tragicomic truth about the demands of modern womanhood?