What readers think of The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors, plus links to write your own review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were unique and interesting. The storyline held my attention. I also liked the way the author mixed in the facts about lightning.

The only criticism I have is that every once in a while I got confused about some of the lesser known characters. Other than that it was a very enjoyable read!

Young-Stone uses spare prose to tell the stories of her characters, which seems appropriate for telling the lives of Becca and Buckley, who do not have much magnanimity in their lives. Unfortunately, I did not find them very likable in spite of my empathy for their suffering. At times (as adults), they seem to contribute to their own victimhood. But Becca and Buckley’s methods of artistic and emotional expression, along with a few twists of fate, are what ultimately bring them together. Buckley’s Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors contains sobering information and an underlying thread of pain that echoes his experiences. Becca’s expression takes the form of her many paintings of fish, for which she uses dead “models” purchased at the local market. The decision of these two off-kilter people to make their pain visible brings about their meeting, and ultimately leads to some necessary closure for both of them.

There were a lot of coincidences between the characters, places and times in this story that were almost too coincidental for belief. I chose to go with the flow of the story and not over-think the coincidences and ended up really liking the book. I liked the way the story was told with 'facts' about lightning / lightning strikes combined with various stages of the characters lives. The characters are all flawed in one way or another and there wasn't a whole lot of depth to some of them but you want to know what happens to them. Enjoyed the ending wrap-up.

Somehow it seems that this book was a lightning strike survivor. The characters live, die and survive only to face the wildness of nature, human and non. Compassion is not often seen, yet seems to arrive in the heart of strangers. There is a wildness in the text that makes one yearn for peace.

From the last lightning strike to the electrifying climax, Michele Young-Stone’s debut novel The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors captures the reader and refuses to release its hold. Young-Stone deftly weaves two parallel stories, interspersing them with anecdotes and advice from The Handbook itself. Although aware that the two stories must intersect at some point, the climax surprises the reader and fulfills the promise of the beginning. This novel is an excellent read and a great choice for book clubs.

For the record, I am not a lightning strike survivor, but I still enjoyed reading the book; it was simply amazing. I learned many facts about lightning that I never knew before. I thought the "Where are they now?" segment was a nice touch. Overall, a very well written story.

Remember as a child you had that one favorite fairy tale that you had your mom read to you over and over again??? This book is in that class.
I loved this book. It flowed from the first sentence to the very last word. The two main characters, Buckley and Becca, are not only captivating characters, they are real people that you can relate to. I like that the good guys always stayed good guys and the bad guys got their own in the end, just like fairy tales are supposed to be.

The two main characters really captured my imagination, they were well drawn and interesting. However the HandBook inserts got tiring after a while and the repetition of the lightning strikes did stretch my credulity; I wanted the author to have me work a bit more versus spelling everything out.