A road trip yields surprises and secrets in a poignant and exhilarating novel about mothers, daughters, and sisters by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.
India Redding is juggling a web design career, a long-distance romance, and an exasperating promise she made to her late father: keep an eye on her vivacious mother, Eldora. A former Las Vegas showgirl, the flamboyant sixtysomething bombshell never lacks for curveballs. Her latest idea is that she and India hightail it out of Colorado Springs and hit the road for Sin City in her turquoise ’57 Thunderbird.
Eldora can revisit the neon strips of her youth, and together they can track down India’s twin sister, Gypsy, a haunted vagabond artist prone to disappearing. As mother and daughter sail down Route 66—the Mother Road of souvenir shops, outlying motels, and roadside diners—a flood of memories returns for Eldora. So do the secrets of her past that she could never bring herself to share, until now.
But India has her own secrets, too. Maybe she and her mother are getting to know each other, truly, for the first time. Whatever bumps lie ahead, it’s going to be a life-changing ride to remember.
Revised edition: This edition of Lady Luck’s Map of Vegas includes editorial revisions.
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"I love anything Barbara writes, but this is the best of hers that I've read so far.The setting is a character, and the rich story unfolds in layers as mother and daughter travel old Route 66 in search of their Schizophrenic sister/daughter. Uplifting and wonderful. "
— Laura (5 out of 5 stars)
“Lady Luck's Map of Vegas is my favorite kind of novel–a fun, fabulous, fast-paced story that takes me right to the heart of what it means to be a family. A magical road trip . . . a pair of unforgettable women on a quest to understand their own lives . . . and a drop-dead gorgeous man looking for love. What more could a reader want? This is a complex, beautiful, and moving story that will resonate with you until long after you’ve finished the final pages.
— Kristin Hannah" I really enjoyed reading this book - good family dynamincs and lots of plot revelations. The character of the mom (Eudora)examines Las Vegas from the eyes of one who had been involved in the heyday of the Rat Pack. This is a good summer read. "
— Patty, 1/16/2014" It was a pretty good book, a story of a girl in her mom driving cross country and learning stories about her mom she never knew. "
— Nela, 1/6/2014" Fun but quirkly little book. Mother/ Daughter road trip to hell. This is where you learn there is only so much you want to know about your Mother's love life. "
— Patan, 12/20/2013" This book was good, but nothing spectacular. I waffled between three and four stars for this one because it's not that it was bad or that I disliked the story because that is definitely not the case. It just lacked a certain... hook. It was missing something that would have made me love it. "
— Courtney, 12/20/2013" Very richly developed characters. Barbara Samuel has a gift for description. It was fun to read more about my state too as their journey took them through much of northern New Mexico. "
— Tif, 10/30/2013" I like the characters that Barbara creates. The seem real, not a pretend person with all 100% good or bad. In this book, I really care about Eldora, India, and Gypsy. "
— Tonya, 10/28/2013" This is about a woman and her mother connecting on a road trip searching for themselves and a lost sister/daughter. Very much worth reading "
— Kim, 8/3/2013" Nothing to special. Pretty predictable, easy, light reading. "
— Amber, 5/20/2013" Any story that can make me miss and love and appreciate my baby boy and husband even more than I already do must touch upon some deep truths and true notes. I enjoyed the stories and characters reasonably well. It's not a masterpiece and I'm not in love with the tale, but it was a good read. "
— Virginia, 10/27/2012" Loved the mother daughter relationship, prickly and loving like real ones are. "
— Megrarian, 7/13/2012" Maybe even 4.5, but it is not as good as Madame Mirabou's School of Love. "
— Karate1kid, 5/25/2012" Would not recommend when there are so many good books to read - just so, so - "
— Jan, 5/10/2012" Again I am so drawn into the books of Barbara Samuel. I can't even begin to speak about how much this story, this family moved me. The characters are so real and the story is so good. They will stay with me forever. "
— Melissa, 4/11/2012" I finished this book a couple nights ago. It was good. A nice heartwarming story about a mom and daughter. Life cleansing and what not from the mother and the daughter has her own issues. Pretty good. "
— Elizabeth, 1/9/2012" I hated the writing style of this book, it was too sloppy and inconsistent for my taste. "
— Michael, 10/28/2011" This my favorite of Barbara Samuel/Barbara O'Neal books - loved, loved, loved it!! It's also on my list of all-time favorite reads! "
— Kathy, 1/14/2011" Any story that can make me miss and love and appreciate my baby boy and husband even more than I already do must touch upon some deep truths and true notes. I enjoyed the stories and characters reasonably well. It's not a masterpiece and I'm not in love with the tale, but it was a good read. "
— Virginia, 6/7/2010" I like the characters that Barbara creates. The seem real, not a pretend person with all 100% good or bad. In this book, I really care about Eldora, India, and Gypsy. "
— Tonya, 5/2/2010" Would not recommend when there are so many good books to read - just so, so - "
— Jan, 3/28/2010" Fun but quirkly little book. Mother/ Daughter road trip to hell. This is where you learn there is only so much you want to know about your Mother's love life. "
— Patan, 10/10/2009" It was a pretty good book, a story of a girl in her mom driving cross country and learning stories about her mom she never knew. "
— Nela, 7/9/2009" I really like this woman's writing. Something about the way she does it just draws me in, from the very beginning right to the very end. <br/> <br/>Unfortunately I have read all of the ones of hers that are at the library. Guess I will have to get them some other way! "
— Jeffrey, 4/3/2009" Very richly developed characters. Barbara Samuel has a gift for description. It was fun to read more about my state too as their journey took them through much of northern New Mexico. "
— Tif, 3/26/2009" This is about a woman and her mother connecting on a road trip searching for themselves and a lost sister/daughter. Very much worth reading "
— Kim, 8/10/2008" I finished this book a couple nights ago. It was good. A nice heartwarming story about a mom and daughter. Life cleansing and what not from the mother and the daughter has her own issues. Pretty good. "
— Elizabeth, 6/26/2008Barbara O’Neal is the author of novels of general fiction, mystery, and romance novels, also published under the names Barbara Samuel and Ruth Wind. She has won a plethora of awards, including two Colorado Book Awards and six prestigious RITAs, including one for The Lost Recipe for Happiness. Her novels have been widely published in Europe and Australia, and she travels all over the world and presenting workshops.
Coleen Marlo is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator who has been nominated for an Audie Award twice, winning in 2011. She has been awarded three Listen-Up Awards from Publishers Weekly, an AudioFile Audiobook of the Year Award in 2011, and was named Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2010 by Publishers Weekly. She is a member of the prestigious Actors Studio and taught acting for ten years at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Marlo is a proud founding member of Deyan Institute of Voice Artistry and Technology.
Teri Schnaubelt is a Chicago-based stage, on-camera, and voice actor as well as oil painter and photographer. An Earphones Award–winning narrator, she has voiced over a hundred books for New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors, in addition to helping independent authors get their stories heard.