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Thursday, August 27, 2015

Lola's Money by Rosanna Rae : A Review




BOOK DETAILS:
Book Title Lola's Money by Rosanna Rae
Category:  Adult fiction, 236 pages
Genre:  Contemporary women's fiction with romance
Publisher:  CreateSpace
Release date:  February 18, 2015

BOOK DESCRIPTION:
          Lola French is stunned when she wins millions on the Lottery, and she is sure all her dreams are about to come true. However, right from the start, before she even claims her winnings, things begin to change and she separates abruptly and acrimoniously from the man she has been living with.
          Lola’s colleagues are initially pleased for her, but eventually begin to resent her new status. One of them, Tom, whom she really likes, asks her out; but he does it on the day that news of her win spreads through the office and she sadly turns him down. She decides to leave her job as a Financial Adviser in Edinburgh and explore the limitless possibilities of her new lifestyle.
          When Lola and her mother excitedly set off on a Mediterranean cruise, it’s not long before they both meet men they are interested in. However, their holiday of a lifetime catapults them into a life-changing sequence of dramatic and terrifying events that neither of them will ever forget. When she has to return to reality, Lola unexpectedly finds herself involved with Tom again! But the storm clouds are looming overhead, and as the recent past catches up with her and forces her to confront violence and danger once more, Lola risks losing Tom forever.
REVIEW:
          Lola’s Money – the other side of the coin.
          That sums up the one word description I wanted to give about this book. Usually, most people think winning the lottery would be the ultimate luck and imagine the countless opportunities it would provide. But the reality is a tad different. Lola’s money is a unique take on what really happens after you actually win the lottery – once the hullabaloo surrounding the winning is over. It deals with problems like resentful colleagues, people fishing for money, opportunist people suddenly becoming friends and the whole hassle of not having even a moment of peace and quiet.
          But, the upside is having a lot of money that could be spent in unimaginable ways. Lola’s Money shows both sides of the whole lottery game. The actual process of money transfer is not shown clearly (It isn’t necessary to the plot) but the finer aspects of the lead character’s life are portrayed in great detail. Lola, an unassuming woman in her late twenties wins the lottery. Her first reaction is disbelief then shock. Once she gets over all that, she does a few things she had been waiting to do even before the money came. She plans to have a happy, relaxed life. But what Lola doesn’t count on are the resentful people around her who initially seem happy but are slowly getting antsy.
          Very soon, Lola faces problems wherever she goes. A planned cruise goes horribly wrong and everything she loves is put at stake. How Lola comes out of that and whether or not she keeps the money she has won forms the rest of the story. The plotline has a one word description that slowly spirals in different depths. There is kidnapping, manhunt, failed or turned down romances, office spite, mad exes trying to ruin the money and an estranged father in the plot.
          The author has managed to thankfully paint each and every character clearly, if not deeply. Sometimes you can get so frustrated with the lead character that you feel yourself wanting to shout at her and ask her to see sense. But Lola manages to see her problems through to the end. The supporting characters mostly steal the show with Betty, Lola’s mother, being a top favourite and Tom, her office love interest, being a close second.
          The story has a linear progression and is a clear glass from start to finish. The language is simple and save a few typos and obvious proofreading errors, the overall book reading experience is pleasant. Thanks to the author for bringing out the other end of winning a lottery.      
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  

          Rosanna Rae is married with three grown-up sons and lives in Livingston, Scotland. She has a B.A. (Open) in Social Science subjects and also took a writing course with The Writers Bureau some years ago. She spent 16 years at home raising her family and then returned to full-time secretarial employment in Edinburgh.
          Rosanna has wanted to write fiction since she was ten years of age, after reading an abridged version of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. She is delighted to be now fulfilling that early ambition.
          'Lola's Money' is the author's fifth novel; she is currently writing her sixth book.
PRICE: $9.50 for paperback.


1 comment:

  1. Thanks, Dhivya, for your mostly positive points. I will bear in mind that it wouldn't do any harm to employ the services of a proofreader!

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