Fiona Gibson, Lucky Girl

Lucky Girl

Fiona Gibson

Red Dress, October 2006, $13.95

ISBN: 0373896069

Paul Street Primary music teacher Stella Moon feels her world is collapsing when her boyfriend Alex dumps her and her dad Frankie the chef, once the star of TV show Frankie's Favorites has become a tabloid favorite for his embarrassing behavior. Even Robert stands her up on a lunch date. Although she feels like hiding, Stella's new neighbors Diane and her two young daughters Midge and JoJo who eat sugar on sugar for breakfast will not allow that, as they assault her yard and house at almost any hour.

As the girls need Stella, she begins to feel wanted. However, the stranger that seems to show up all the time frightens her, not because he will harm her physically, but because she is attracted to this Ed. This quartet encourages Stella to dive into life with the euphoria and chaos she had as a child, when Frankie was renowned and famous instead of a clown, even as she reassesses her father who wants to give her stability at the cost of his needs.

Though Stella's sadness can become overwhelming at times, her self deprecating humor makes for an overall terrific character study of an introvert encouraged to come out of the dark by precocious people who care about her. Stella is the story as her neighbors will not allow her to hide from them, and the stranger demands much more of her, which leads to her realizing how much her father has tried to protect her out of love for her. LUCKY GIRL is a fine English chick lit coming of age tale.