book review - A Pocketful of $20s by Madelaine Lawrence

 

Lynn and Alan have been together for some time, but their relationship is not good. Alan is critical of many things Lynn does and rarely considers her. One of the bug-bears is a Christmas tradition Lynn's mother Dorothy started, giving five strangers who needed help twenty dollars at Christmas. Dorothy is a frail old lady unable to give out the money herself, and Lynn wants to carry on the tradition for her. Despite the couple having well-paid jobs, Alan thinks this is a waste of money and makes Lynn unhappy by telling her his feelings. 

Lynn feels very down when she sets out on her quest but soon gets a smile on her face as she starts helping people. How does Lynn help a young student on his way home from college for Christmas? How does she help Theresa put a smile on David's face? Who does Lynn help to leave an abusive marriage? Moreover, how do Stan and Peter, the men she goes to lunch with, fit into Lynn's life? Read A pocketful of $20 by Madelaine Lawrence to find out the answers to these questions and more.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Pocketful of $20s by Madelaine Lawrence. The story has been well thought out and planned, and Lawrence handles some weighty subjects sensitively. I liked that Lynn is a nurse in the Emergency Department of her local hospital, which makes her much more in tune with people and their problems, particularly in the story about the abused wife. Furthermore, I enjoyed the way Madelaine Lawrence uses the plights of the people Lynn helps to lead into telling us more about Lynn's own life. Lawrence builds the characters throughout the book, and I enjoyed learning more about their lives, the type of people they are, and their outlooks on life. 

The only parts of A Pocketful of $20 that I disliked were the proofreading and editing errors. For instance, there is a chapter in the book where the Emergency Department has several patients from a road traffic accident, and Lynn is one of the nurses on duty. Theresa, one of the ladies she has given a twenty dollar bill to, arrives and wants to know how her husband is. Theresa does not give her husband's name, and Lynn does not ask for it, but she can explain Theresa's husband's injuries. This section needs rewriting so that it makes sense. There are also a lot of grammar and spelling errors.

I recommend A pocketful of $20s by Madelaine Lawrence to adults who enjoy well-written human interest stories, particularly those with a Christmas theme, a touch of romance, and much heart. There are no swearing or sexual scenes in the book, but it covers some weighty subjects, such as manslaughter and abuse, which would not be appropriate for a younger audience.

I want to give A pocketful of $20s by Madelaine Lawrence 4 out of 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I have reduced my score by one star because it needs more proofreading and editing.