Book Review: I Am Lucky Bird by Fleur Philips & Giveaway (US only)

I Am Lucky Bird is the gripping debut novel of Fleur Philips.  It will tug at your heart and you may shed a tear or two but you will also be left with a feeling of hope and new beginnings.  I really enjoyed this novel and I find I am still haunted by Lucky Bird’s story which I found I couldn’t put down once I started it.  It is a coming of age story of a young girl who has to battle from a young age to try and find her way.

Lucky has grown up believing she was found in a trash bin and brought home to live with AnnMarie who she called her mother and Marian, her grandmother.  Life has never been easy  for Lucky but while AnnMarie is there it is at least bearable. Lucky and AnnMarie share a love of books and the cottonwood trees, often taking off together for hours at a time.  Marian though has always been an unpredictable one and not one to show any affection whatsoever to either Lucky or her own daughter.  When AnnMarie goes missing Lucky’s life is never the same.  Marian has an extremely volatile personality and has no remorse over using it against Lucky.  While she provides the necessities of life for Lucky, just as she did with AnnMarie, this does not in any way include any kind of affection.  Truthfully Lucky has never really experienced a hug or cuddle like a normal kid even from AnnMarie who I don’t believe knew how to give affection since she herself never got any.  In addition to trying to avoid Marian at all costs there is also Marian’s boyfriend Tom who poses a threat to Lucky.  He had always made AnnMarie uncomfortable and Lucky feels the same.

Ultimately events happen that make it impossible for Lucky to remain in Marian’s house and at fifteen she runs away with her friend Rika.  Lucky has suffered though in her short life and she understandably has issues dealing with it all.  She has dreams that seem real and every where she turns she thinks she sees AnnMarie or Marian.  When she is introduced to drugs at a party she finds that this offers her something she has never had before and that’s peace of mind.  This leads her down a path better not taken and if not for a young man out for a walk on a cold evening Lucky wouldn’t have been around to see her future.  However to go forward and move on in her life she has to confront her past and for Lucky this uncovers many deep and dark secrets.

I Am Lucky Bird is a really good novel even while being difficult to read in some parts.  It realistically portrays how generations are affected by the actions of those that came before them.  Marian didn’t have a good childhood and therefore didn’t find it necessary to ensure that her daughter or granddaughter had one either.  It also shows how troubled teens can be so easily led into the lifestyle of drugs and the wrong people while on the opposite side showing us that there are still good people out there willing to help those that have been shot down in life.  Lucky lives up to her name.  She may have been kicked and hit the lowest points possible but she had the will and courage to survive and move on.  I Am Lucky Bird is a novel well worth reading and you can purchase your own copy on Amazon or Amazon Canada.  You can connect with Fleur on her website as well as Facebook and Twitter.

There were many quotes I loved as the writing is quite beautiful in this novel but I especially liked this one so I’ll end with it and the book trailer…

“Every event that happens in life, happens for a reason,” she’d said.  “Every person you meet, every tragedy that unfolds, every small bit of good that’s bestowed upon you.  There’s a reason for it.” (ARC ecopy, final edited copy may differ)

GIVEAWAY DETAILS (US only)

I have one copy of I Am Lucky Bird by Fleur Philips to share with my US readers.  To enter…

• For 1 entry leave me a comment entering the giveaway.
• For 2 entries, follow my blog.  If you already do let me know so I can pass the entry on to you as well.
• For 3 entries, blog or tweet this giveaway.

This giveaway is open to US residents only and I will draw for the winner on Saturday, December 15/12.  Good luck!

Source: Review copy provided by BookSparks via NetGalley. No compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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