Review
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Title: Lucky Change
Author: Susan law Corpany
Publisher: Cedar Fort
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2010
Number of Pages: 231
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-59955-392-4
Price: $15.99

Reviewed by Jaymie Reynolds for the Association for Mormon Letters

Picture this: A Mormon walks into a salad bar....

While this joke is not actually featured in Susan Law Corpany's book, it does sum up the feel of this storyline. Karen Donaldson is very nearly everything that her neighbors are not. She is overweight, frumpy to the point of being rather unkempt, and blissfully (and purposefully) ignorant of the judgments that her neighbors are passing. Karen does have three little nagging worries, though. Her son has reached, and passed, the age where most young men of the LDS faith become full-time missionaries. There are no indications that he intends to join his peers any time soon. Her daughter became a mother when she was still a child herself. This jolly grandmother worries about both her daughter and her granddaughter, but Karen continues to plow forward. Her third worry is a bit overwhelming.... How on earth should she go about spending the money she has just won in a very large lottery?

Karen's good fortune holds as we find out that her Bishop is not only a patient, long-suffering man, but a lawyer as well. When Karen explains that she is carrying the winning ticket around in her shoe, he suffers a momentary pang of concern. Fortunately, he recovers quickly. He and his law firm begin to help Karen spend the money in a manner that is in keeping with her heart's desire. They establish a charity that will allow Karen to help others fulfill her heart's desires.

In "Lucky Change," readers will come to know Karen and her family. They will also be introduced to very nearly every stereotype there is about Utah Mormons. This book is a light read that will appeal to many readers. Because there is such a focus on stereotype, it may appeal most to either members of the LDS faith or others who are familiar with the quirks, both real and implied, of Utah culture. This book is free from foul language or more mature issues, so most parents will not have qualms about their teenagers reading it.

Susan Law Corpany has a delightful writing style. She writes smoothly and allows her words to paint a picture that readers can easily get wrapped up in. This book is billed as a comedy, and it certainly has plenty of comical moments. There are times, however, when readers can get a bit bogged down in the heaviness of the characters' idiosyncrasies. The stereotypes are, perhaps, just a touch too biting. One wonders if the reason that the comedy of this book is so big may be to mask the unkindness exposed in the harsh picture of these people. Most of us have met the people in this book. They are all out there. In this story though, there is no human element to temper the rough edges. I would like to see future works from this author that include perhaps a softened perspective.

Overall, this book will carry the reader from page to page. It is a light-hearted way to spend one's leisure time. Even the most jaded of readers can find pleasure in Karen's whole-hearted way of living, spending, and giving.