Lottery - Patricia Wood

"Lottery" is Patricia Woods debut novel about 32 year old Perry L. Crandall who only has an IQ of 76 - meaning that he is not deemed retarded, just slow. Perry lives a simple and happy life, working in the marine supply shop for a good boss and with his great friend Keith and living with his Gram who provides him with all the education he will ever need. When Perry's Gran dies, Perry is at a loss as to how to carry on without her guidance and support, his cousin-brothers soon turn up and manage to persuade Perry to sell his Grams house, but only giving him $500 of it and leaving him no place to live. When he wins 12 million in the lottery, he finds that ...  Read the complete review

Pat Wood has not created a character with Perry, she has created a person, someone you would really like to get to know, and, if you cared to listen carefully, could learn something from. The comparisons made between Lottery and Forrest Gump is that the main character is 'slow,' and there the similarity ends. Perry's journey is real, we can all relate to his relationships, and somewhere along life's journey, have met a 'Perry.' This book makes you wonder if you should have stopped and taken more notice. His lottery win however is something most of us cannot equate with - however much we wish - but what it does allow the author is to bring out the shallow nature ...  Read the complete review

I read this book after reading a review on another site and I was very gald that I did as it is a touching well written book. The central character is Perry a thirty something man who lives with his grandmother after the rest of his family have turned their backs on him, he is not very bright when it comes to exams and education but he has a nice life working in a marine supplies shop and learning from his beloved grandmother however his life is turned upside down when his Gran dies and his family then get him to sell her house and rip him off for the money. However he then wins £12m on the lottery and suddenly his family are back in his life as are many other ...  Read the complete review

Perry L "Lucky" Crandall is not retarded. Both his IQ number (76) and his beloved Gram tell him so, even if some others would choose to disagree. In this book of contrasts the apparently poor Perry is shown actually to be rich (in friends as well as money): And the serene and slow (but not retarded) Perry appears far smarter than his fast but stupid, bickering family. The book might make you laugh out loud and could make you cry too; alternately heartening and frustrating, funny and sad, there are times when you are reading it that you'll want to hug a stranger and times you'll want to kick the cat. This book is peopled with three-dimensional, ...  Read the complete review