GOOD KARMA

This is a very long review, apologies. I really enjoyed this novel. Please read as far as you like.Christina Kelly’s Good Karma is a warm hearted and wise narrative that might be labeled a coming of age novel or bildungsroman for the (almost) geriatric set. It is funny, gentle, and insightful. It is Good Karma. Its characters evoke empathy and affection. There are a couple of them that I wish lived in my neighborhood. The main protagonists, Catherine and Fred (aptly named Wolfe, although he proves a gentle, sensitive, and insightful example of the breed) have both experienced losses. Fred’s loss is fairly recent; his wife of fifty years, Lissa has succumbed to cancer nine months before the narrative begins. Catherine’s loss is more protracted, more painful, and more dangerous. Her husband, Ralph began to drift farther and farther into the impenetrable (for Catherine) forest of his career, the vast wildernesses of golf courses, and smoke filled caverns of poker games. Most recently, since the novel’s inception, he has entered the labyrinths of flirtation, with Audrey the real estate agent, who has a cash register for a heart. Fred and Catherine have a “meet cute” moment fairly early in the narrative, at which Fred’s gallant female harlequin Great Dane recognizes Catherine as a new member of her and Fred’s family. As the novel progresses, Karma, Catherine’s Boston Terrier, slips comfortably into the nest being feathered by Fred and Catherine, woven from their memories, regrets and hopes. The rest, as they say is history. The audience follows these two empathetic characters through the minefields and missteps of rediscovering what matters in life and exploring the brave new world of their reawakening to each other and happiness. It’s no spoiler to tell you what happens next and how the novel ends. Reading Good Karma is not about surprise endings, but about enjoying the journey thither and its accompanying companions. The companions are remarkable. The positive characters are unique and appealing. Even the “villains,” Audrey Cunningham and Ralph have their comedy to recommend them. However, let us “accentuate the positive,” as Bing Crosby advised. First, among the empathetic is Ida Blue Childs, the self proclaimed pet psychic, who discovers (with Lissa’s help) that she does indeed posses the power. She builds her new life and prosperity on her connections to the animal world, her innate ability to nurture Karma and Sequoia who are drawn to her open garage as shelter from the storm. She saves Audrey, Ralph, Leona, Audrey’s spoiled, manic Shi Tzu, and the predatory Mr. Peabody with the expert markspersonship she learned as a child in the rural south. Mr. Peabody is the resident alligator, who is ironically nurtured in the safety net of Seven Oaks secure, gated community. There is also Amity, the grieving divorcee, teacher of impeccable English, and self-proclaimed “creeper” who discovers that it as blessed to give as to receive nurturing. Her first recipient is Catherine, whom she initiates into the fine art of “creeping,” visiting temporarily uninhabited houses to live vicariously through their absent owners’ possessions. Ultimately, she is brought to a shopping center where an ungrammatical sign (of Sign) leads her to a new relationship with a sleepy puppy, who still needs all his shots. There is Martha, Catherine’s more adventurous sister, who plays in a bocce league (Team Boccelism and Barack Obocce) and is gifted with venereal disease by one of her lovers. There are Danielle and Tommy, Rusty the security guard, and McSweeney Houdini, all of whom add charm and depth to the narrative. Most important though is Lissa, Fred’s recently deceased wife, a free spirit while alive and the spirit guide of the novel after her passing. Lissa brings Ida Blue encouragement and purpose that start Ida Blue on her road to a career and financial stability, if not fortune. Lissa and Fred have a running conversation that helps guide Fred though the minefields of his new relationship and the pitfalls of parenting their daughter and grand-parenting Tommy, their grandson. Although, truth be told, Fred has some very good instincts about what Catherine needs and is very good at acting on them, and he seems to find a natural fit as grandpa. Lissa is a hovering, redheaded (think fairy tales and sorcery) presence throughout the novel, an agent of the Fate that guides us all on the path to happiness and fulfillment. She is the ultimate Good Karma of the novel. She has the wisdom to know when her task is complete, and the narrative has her exit with images of grace and beauty. There is much more to say about the novel: its connections to fairy tales, movies, and literature, its playfulness with language, its light touch with profundity and wisdom, its ironies and cosmic/comic touches (think black holes and tectonic plates), but the reader will discover these for himself/herself once she/he opens the book and begins the journey. Are there flaws? Well, if there are any, readers can discover them on their own.

After a bit of a slow start, I really began to enjoy the characters and their internal dialog about aging, marriage, and romance. There is a mystery woven throughout the story that I enjoyed quite a bit. This book was also error free! As a past book editor, I find word and content errors very distracting, and they can be common in Kindle books. It was refreshing to just enjoy the writing and the story without errors.

This upbeat novel contains plenty of fascinating characters, including Ida Blue (fake pet psychic who has a kind heart), Lissa (Fred’s loved deceased wife who still loves him and talks to him and guides him gently to move forward), and Amity (who sneaks into people’s homes when they are out and tries on their lives). The setting is a gated senior community on an island near Savannah, Georgia. Fred is 75 and a widower and Catherine is 65 and has a dreadful husband who may be cheating on her. Fred and Catherine become friends as they meet because of their dogs, Fred’s Great Dane Sequoia and Catherine’s Boston Terrier, Karma. Catherine and Fred are lonely; will they end up together? Read the novel to find out. I enjoyed every page of this novel, the first by Kelly.

In GOOD KARMA, a zany ensemble cast wrestles with retirement, loss, loneliness and love, not at an exotic (Marigold) hotel but at a gated golf community in Savannah. The fun begins early on at the community's dog park and lasts until the final pages of this novel, rich in hilarity and heart.As New Jersey transplants Catherine and Ralph settle into retirement, their childless marriage grows more colorless with every round of golf he plays and every wink he gives their brassy blonde realtor. Catherine soon discovers that what she wants is to matter—to someone other than Karma, her Boston terrier. Meanwhile, a few streets over, newly widowed Fred can't seem to get on with his life. He senses his wife's spirit everywhere, and his Great Dane, Sequoia, forever waiting at the sliding glass door, does too.Real life. Real people. But these characters have a comic edge. Catherine dresses her "baby," Karma, in colorful hats. Nostalgic Fred bemoans life with the "interweb." And there are totally outrageous characters too: Ida Blue Childs, a hefty pet psychic who wears a flowing caftan and Lady Danger lipstick even when sitting at home with Dr. Phil; Amity, a lonely woman who breaks into houses to "live other people's lives"; and Mr. Peabody, an alligator who is always lurking in one of the community's lagoons.It's Karma and Sequoia who bring disillusioned Catherine and romantic Fred together to see if love can really be lovelier the second time around. And it's GOOD KARMA—tender, hilarious and big-hearted—that will make Christina Kelly an author to remember and to thank for a sharp, sparkling read.

Good Karma was a delightful surprise from start to finish. I loved it! The characters of Catherine and Fred are fresh and original but wonderfully relatable to anyone with experience with a retirement community. Ralph, Catherine's husband who is passionate about golf but not his wife, has no idea that love the second time around may be playing out in front of his nose. Catherine, trying to decide what is next in this stage of her life, meets Fred, a recent widower, and both are surprised when sparks fly. They connect with a cast of quirky characters: Ida Blue, a pet physic, who helps find the adorable lost dogs of Fred and Catherine and Amity, a troubled but sweet woman who haunts peoples house to ease her loneliness. But author Christina Kelly doesn't just stop with a quick, fast paced plot. There is true compassion and poignancy as we get to know Fred and Catherine and find ourselves rooting for them. A wonderful book from a new and very talented writer, Christina Kelly.

What I Loved About Good Karma:1) Multiple story lines include dogs;2) Characters are of or near retirement aged -- refreshing perspective!3) The "A Note From The Author" was a lovely and satisfying "P.S." to a book I hated to see end;4) The ghostly appearances and conversations threading the various story lines together provided a wonderful Karmic touch, and although I would have enjoyed more of it, the apparition's resolution ended in a satisfying manner;Favorite line: "I like to live other people's lives." (A writer's mantra if there ever was one.)Weaker Parts of the Book:1) A certain huallabaloo involving an alligator, a small dog, and various characters, some of whom I couldn't quite understand their role in the scene (McSweeny Houdini? Where was the security guard?)2) The first (perhaps only, now that I think about it) sex scene didn't feel right to me. It was actually painful to read parts of it. Are 50+ year olds typically this hormonally-charged? I wanted to love watching these two get together, but it was a surprisingly unconvincing connection.3) Including a "Reading Group Guide" at the end of the book seemed a bit of a stretch. I mean, I would love to be in a chick lit book club to discuss books like this. But would we need discussion questions spelled out for us?All in all, this book is an entertaining, refreshing read, full of cute dogs and eccentric characters along with some more down-to-earth ones, and at least one not-on-earth one! Highly recommend.