Lottery

Full of character. A person really gets an eye for some of the people and places. I was worried about the main character's well-being for much of it. Like my own writing, as I was reading, it felt a little rushed or simplistic. But don't let that detract from the story as a whole. The protagonist and his perspective are realistically depicted very well. It's actually amazing how consistent his inner thoughts are throughout. I could see my own grandmother in this story, so personally, I had a good time reading a lot of it. Plus I've never been to Washington State, so it felt like a nice visit.

Lottery was recommended to me by a novelist for whom I have utmost respect, and Kathryn did not disappoint. Perry L. Crandall is an unforgettable character beautifully developed by Patricia Wood because he learns the true meaning of happiness.He initially lives with Gram, a feisty, uneducated but brilliant woman, who drills no-nonsense life lessons into Perry L. Crandall's head, along with vocabulary words, list making and work ethics. You see, Perry L. Crandall is slow, but he takes an IQ test twice and scores 76, one point above the cutoff point for mental retardation. Lottery is not cluttered with political correctness; a person is mentally retarded, slow or normal, whatever "normal" is. The one point difference in the IQ score is immensely important to Perry when he is mercilessly teased as a child for being a "retard", so much so that Gram pulls him out of school at 13 and teaches him her kind of education at home.Perry works at a small marine supply store in Everett, Washington, for Gary, a good soul. His best friend is Keith, a Vietnam vet who has PTSD and owns a small sailboat and a beat up truck he calls, "Yo." Why Yo? Simple! Those are the two remaining letters of Toyota! Perry's other friend is Cherry, who works at the marina convenience store.When Gram dies, Perry's mother, two brothers and their wives swoop in like vultures, strip the modest house and sell it for a substantial price, giving Perry a whopping $500 as his share and abandoning him. Within a few paragraphs, I despise these people to the point at which I start talking out loud, using the salty words that would have caused Gram to wash my mouth with Fels Naptha.Gary lets Perry stay in a small apartment above the marina. By now, Perry is an adult, who despite being slow, remembers all of Gram's lessons. He and Gram had bought a lottery ticket each week, and he buys tickets from Cherry to continue the tradition. To his utter disbelief and that of his friends, he wins $12M!Remember the relatives who walked away with barely a goodbye? They put vultures to shame, as they try every underhanded trick to steal Perry's winnings, assuming that he is too retarded to catch on. Between Gram's warnings about the skanky relatives and the wisdom of his friends, Perry L. Crandall thwarts one scheme after another. Again, I realized that I was cheering for Perry and even saying little prayers out loud!Lottery touched me in so many ways. Perry's boss, Gary, began to ask Perry for advice about expanding his business and was a little surprised when Perry's ideas paid off. Perry, Keith, Cherry, Gary and Gary's family became Perry's family. He was finally treated as an equal by this disparate group of people, who all loved each other. The story, with its gamut of emotions, tore at the heartstrings of this often cynical reader. I will not soon forget a smart, good man named Perry L. Crandall. Thank you, Patricia Wood, for letting me know him.

Perry L. Crandall has an IQ of 76. He is not retarded. In his own words, "You have to have an IQ number less than 75 to be retarded." But, Perry is a slow learner. He lives with his Gram, who had provided him with excellent coping skills. Perry works at Holsted's Marine Supply, and spends time with his friend Keith. All in all, it is a good life.Then Gram dies. Unsure what to do, Perry continues to follow his regular routine - including buying lottery tickets. He hits the jackpot, winning twelve million dollars in the Washington State Lottery.This is where the trouble starts. His brothers, who sold his home out from under him when Gram died, attempt to have him sign over his money. His mother, who has little to do with him, calls requesting money. Total strangers write letters addressed to "Lottery Winner" in an effort to score a few bucks.In the end, Perry manages to live his life on his own terms. His decisions may not make sense to the rest of us, but for Perry L. Crandall they make all the sense in the world.I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Perry. As a special education teacher, his actions and behaviors ring true. From his obsession with the dictionary to his insistence that he is "not retarded," Perry is a believable and intriguing personality.The characters that surround Perry are all too real in their selfishness. Who hasn't heard stories of `relatives' coming out of the woodwork when a lottery winner's name is announced? Although these characters get their `just desserts' in the end, I waited throughout the story for someone to finally stand up to them.I was slightly disappointed in the ending. While satisfying, it seemed too neat and well-packaged. I would have liked a little more detail when dealing with the brothers' downfall.All things considered, I found this to be a very enjoyable novel. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

This book was very readable, and I had sympathy for the "slow" first person who wrote the book in his character.Most of the characters portrayed were rather nasty, particularly the lottery winner's family, but where he was concerned decency prevailed. I think the reader was meant to like the character, Keith, who befriended "Per" the writer, but he was pretty gross and an out-and-out user bad language. However, Keith was well described and a mental picture was formed of the character - the type of man most people meet once or twice in a lifetime.

I have read all the shortlisted books for the 2008 Orange Prize for Fiction, and enjoyed some more than others. "Lottery" was the one I enjoyed the most. The book addresses a broad range of themes, society's values and prejudice, and the power of unconditional love, narrated from the unreliable point of view, of thirty-two year old Perry, whose IQ is 76. He is cognitively-challenged, NOT retarded. "You have to have an IQ of less than 75 to be retarded. "The story centres on what happens to him, how he is perceived by others and the decisions he makes, after the key catalysts that trigger the action-packed story: his Gram dies and he wins twelve million dollars in the State Lottery. It's funny, it's sad, serious and easy reading. But don't let that fool you into thinking it's insubstantial. The more you delve into the relationships between the characters and Perry's perception of them and theirs of him, you are forced to examine your own prejudices and values. The relationships are all beautifully crafted, authentic and serve to make us question: What weighting to we give to intelligence, beauty and wealth? What do we value in life? What makes a family?The language is very carefully selected and used to enhance our understanding of the characters, reveal prejudices or make the reader laugh."My name is Perry L. Crandall and I am not retarded. Gram always told me the L stood for lucky." At first, the use of the "r" word might make you feel awkward. Later you see how it is used by various people in authority, his schoolmates and what language is used by those trying to be sensitive to his position 'on the boundary' between the labels that IQ numbers assign. Author Patricia Woods' academic and hands-on teaching experience of people in these groups is apparant in her authentic but sensitive writing. That word makes Perry angry but he always keeps in control. Perry sees the world as it is for him. Sometimes we need to remember that he is not meant to be a 100% factually accurate narrator. He narrates his own story, as he sees it. The short sentences allow us to see his thought patterns develop, the connections he makes, and his sometimes highly sensitive and accurate perception of people. We get to see inside his thoughts, hope with him, dream with him and share in his contentedness. Perry is a man who is not sidetracked by some of the worldly distractions in the everyday world, and keeps his focus on doing his best at his work, helping people and simply being himself, no matter how other people see him.In today's economy, it is wonderfully heartwarming to have the opportunity to meet Perry, and have him remind us, what the real world is like and what really matters, from such a grounded point of view. And to have the opportunity to laugh whilst examining our own values, is a bonus. This book's story lingers with me as a reader. Read it slowly, as Per would, to appreciate it fully. You'll be sad to get to the end. And immensely happy. As Gram would say, "This is better than chocolate bars!"

This book was recommended as the best summer read, shortlisted for book award, etc... I will never trust this magazine again.. From all the books I took on my holiday, this was the worst. I couldn't believe how similar it is to Forest Gump. Really disappointed.

Lovely book. Have bought copies for friends and family - life-affirming and optimistic Everyone has their own talents even if not intelligent in a conventional way.

Fantastic read - happy and sad parts and very humbling - would recommend everyone to read it - you will not be disappointd

'Lottery' was absolutely brilliant read and you could almost feel the writer was that person. I have past it on to family to read who all thought the same. I recommend it.