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Lucky: A Novel
What would your life be like if you didn’t have to worry about money? What would your reality be like if you could do anything you ever wanted?
Lucky is a story unlike any other… a fairytale of modern times.
Inspired by 2020 Album of the Year, folklore, Lucky explores the ever-growing importance of story telling, folklore and the American Dream, and a mystical number that could be the key to understanding the universe. Lucky weaves together the stories of two powerful women: Rebekah Harkness— notorious, scandalous heiress of the Standard Oil Fortune; and Rae Harmonía— America’s favorite pop-star. Both women become rich beyond their wildest dreams… but soon come to a harrowing realization. Only the pursuit of happiness is fun. Once the dream comes true, it becomes a nightmare.
How strange reality becomes when you have everything you’ve always wanted.
Lucky is a story unlike any other… a fairytale of modern times.
Inspired by 2020 Album of the Year, folklore, Lucky explores the ever-growing importance of story telling, folklore and the American Dream, and a mystical number that could be the key to understanding the universe. Lucky weaves together the stories of two powerful women: Rebekah Harkness— notorious, scandalous heiress of the Standard Oil Fortune; and Rae Harmonía— America’s favorite pop-star. Both women become rich beyond their wildest dreams… but soon come to a harrowing realization. Only the pursuit of happiness is fun. Once the dream comes true, it becomes a nightmare.
How strange reality becomes when you have everything you’ve always wanted.
380 pages, Paperback
Published June 10, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 7, 2022
Lucky: A Novel sounds like a really interesting concept at the start. A dual timeline historical/pop culture fiction piece that critiques the American Dream and the myth that fame and success lead to happiness. Hearing Kristina talk about this book, I was sold on the concept and happily picked up a copy. Reading the prologue, where the author talks about her own personal journey writing this book and leaving her day job that was no longer making her happy gave me hope for the novel. Unfortunately, the story itself left me disappointed. This review will cover several of the primary issues I had with the novel.
The Dual Timeline
The dual timeline – the telling of the stories of both Rebekah Harkness and Rhea Harmonia (whose story is very close to the story of Taylor Swift with some additions from other places) – felt like too much for the space of the novel. It felt like the author wanted to tell three different stories: the story of Rebekah Harkness, the story of Taylor Swift, and her own personal story. Add in the other elements of the story that Parro includes – economics, mythology, popular culture – and the story quickly becomes overwhelmed with too many pieces for the reader to grasp. This novel felt like it blended three different genres (historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and autobiography) into one and they didn’t quite come together in a way that felt good to me. This is only added to when you look at the overall goal of the novel.
The goal of the novel was to demonstrate how Harkness’s and Harmonia’s lives overlapped and how they weren’t so different. That didn’t really come through and the overlap felt forced. The big secret that is alluded to, the overlap of these two boils down to them both living in the same house and the number phi. There was a lot of buildup to the overlap and I wanted there to be more to it. I was let down when the connection between the two was a number that anyone could know about, whether they believe in what that number represents or not. The goal was to demonstrate that success does not lead to happiness. And it would have worked if we hadn’t been slapped with it every single time that it could be mentioned. Kristina does a lot of telling where she could and should do a lot of showing. She tells us how unhappy both characters were rather than painting scenes that show us exactly how unhappy each character was.
Misplaced References and Information
The next big challenge I had with this novel boiled down to the allusions, the connecting stories, and the footnotes. Throughout the novel, the author includes footnotes that provide supplementary information that is not strictly necessary to the development of the novel, but might be good for the reader to know about to provide some background context. Some of these footnotes are quite lengthy, taking up as much if not more space on a page than the actual story that is being told. It’s clear that Kristina has done her research and knows a lot about the topics that she includes in Lucky, but the length of the footnotes left me feeling like it was important to know how much the author knew; it would have been nice to see some of the footnotes edited down, or excluded completely and that information (where relevant) built into the story. Especially in a novel, where footnotes are not a common trend to see, it felt odd having to stop in the middle of the story to keep reading about exterior information. The information was interesting, but felt out of place.
Along that vein of having out of place information, my next point actually hurts me a little. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love mythology. I’m here for the classics and their retellings. But I wasn’t here for the pauses in this story to retell various myths that had loose connections to what was happening. I believe the goal was to continue the demonstration that the world is connected and that what one is experiencing isn’t necessarily a solitary experience. But it was often difficult to find the connection between the mythological story being told and the events/emotions/etc. of the novel as it was developing. Especially when Kristina often tells multiple chronological myths to reach the myth she wanted to tell. Or telling the entire myth of Rhea and Kronos to explain the origin of Rhea Harmonia’s name. These stories are interesting, but I felt like they were often out of place where they were put.
Finally, in terms of references, there are the popular culture references that are fun if you don’t think about how they’re used. Unfortunately that becomes extremely difficult. This scene in particular hit me hard and drove me out of the story because I was thinking too much about the movie this came from. For context, this scene is set in the 1920s, where Rebekah’s most recent boyfriend, Potsy, is breaking up with her.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Legally Blonde. I recognized this quote immediately. And it felt so wrong being so out of place. I couldn’t stop thinking about how it makes no sense that Potsy is saying this because the scene happens decades before the movie and context for that quote would exist. There are also moments and quotes from other popular movies and shows (one of the big ones being Hamilton). In each case outside of the chapter epigraphs, these quotes are treated as though they are the author’s and that they are statements the characters would make. And maybe they would, considering Rhea Harmonia, at a fairly young age, is grappling with deep, difficult philosophical concepts.
The Style
This is one place I can praise this book. I love the work that has gone into the illustrations and the binding of the book. It felt nice to hold, the book under the dustjacket looks nice and felt nice to hold, and I personally really enjoyed the illustrations that occurred at the beginning of each chapter. They really helped me keep a visual on what each character looked like and helped to provide the scenery that I otherwise felt like I had a hard time visualizing. I almost wanted a little more to help supplement the details that the author skipped over for the sake of the references, allusions, and footnotes. I also enjoyed Kristina's overall writing style albeit wanting a little more focus on the story.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I wanted to like Lucky: A Novel. It sounded up my alley and seemed like it was going to be an interesting critique of United States culture and the idea of the American Dream. And it had a lot of potential to be that if we hadn’t just kept getting slapped with “American Dream bad” every time something went wrong as the characters experienced the negative repercussions of “achieving” the dream. With a little focus, and maybe a more rigorous editing process (I was personally hurt seeing the “Pittsburg Pirates” as a Pittsburgh born and raised boy), this novel had a lot of potential to accomplish the goals that the author set out to achieve. As is, I feel like the goals got lost because the author was trying to achieve too many goals in the space of one novel.
The Dual Timeline
The dual timeline – the telling of the stories of both Rebekah Harkness and Rhea Harmonia (whose story is very close to the story of Taylor Swift with some additions from other places) – felt like too much for the space of the novel. It felt like the author wanted to tell three different stories: the story of Rebekah Harkness, the story of Taylor Swift, and her own personal story. Add in the other elements of the story that Parro includes – economics, mythology, popular culture – and the story quickly becomes overwhelmed with too many pieces for the reader to grasp. This novel felt like it blended three different genres (historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and autobiography) into one and they didn’t quite come together in a way that felt good to me. This is only added to when you look at the overall goal of the novel.
The goal of the novel was to demonstrate how Harkness’s and Harmonia’s lives overlapped and how they weren’t so different. That didn’t really come through and the overlap felt forced. The big secret that is alluded to, the overlap of these two boils down to them both living in the same house and the number phi. There was a lot of buildup to the overlap and I wanted there to be more to it. I was let down when the connection between the two was a number that anyone could know about, whether they believe in what that number represents or not. The goal was to demonstrate that success does not lead to happiness. And it would have worked if we hadn’t been slapped with it every single time that it could be mentioned. Kristina does a lot of telling where she could and should do a lot of showing. She tells us how unhappy both characters were rather than painting scenes that show us exactly how unhappy each character was.
Misplaced References and Information
The next big challenge I had with this novel boiled down to the allusions, the connecting stories, and the footnotes. Throughout the novel, the author includes footnotes that provide supplementary information that is not strictly necessary to the development of the novel, but might be good for the reader to know about to provide some background context. Some of these footnotes are quite lengthy, taking up as much if not more space on a page than the actual story that is being told. It’s clear that Kristina has done her research and knows a lot about the topics that she includes in Lucky, but the length of the footnotes left me feeling like it was important to know how much the author knew; it would have been nice to see some of the footnotes edited down, or excluded completely and that information (where relevant) built into the story. Especially in a novel, where footnotes are not a common trend to see, it felt odd having to stop in the middle of the story to keep reading about exterior information. The information was interesting, but felt out of place.
Along that vein of having out of place information, my next point actually hurts me a little. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love mythology. I’m here for the classics and their retellings. But I wasn’t here for the pauses in this story to retell various myths that had loose connections to what was happening. I believe the goal was to continue the demonstration that the world is connected and that what one is experiencing isn’t necessarily a solitary experience. But it was often difficult to find the connection between the mythological story being told and the events/emotions/etc. of the novel as it was developing. Especially when Kristina often tells multiple chronological myths to reach the myth she wanted to tell. Or telling the entire myth of Rhea and Kronos to explain the origin of Rhea Harmonia’s name. These stories are interesting, but I felt like they were often out of place where they were put.
Finally, in terms of references, there are the popular culture references that are fun if you don’t think about how they’re used. Unfortunately that becomes extremely difficult. This scene in particular hit me hard and drove me out of the story because I was thinking too much about the movie this came from. For context, this scene is set in the 1920s, where Rebekah’s most recent boyfriend, Potsy, is breaking up with her.
The two young lovers sat on a bench looking out at the Mississippi. Betty scooted closer to him and hoped he would put his arm around her. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Potsy cleared his throat.
“You know how much I like you, Betty…” he started, “but I have to start thinking more about my future. If I want to be a Senator by the time I am thirty, I need to be with someone more serious…a politician’s wife,” he emphasized. “Someone less like Clara Bow and more like Eleanor Roosevelt.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love Legally Blonde. I recognized this quote immediately. And it felt so wrong being so out of place. I couldn’t stop thinking about how it makes no sense that Potsy is saying this because the scene happens decades before the movie and context for that quote would exist. There are also moments and quotes from other popular movies and shows (one of the big ones being Hamilton). In each case outside of the chapter epigraphs, these quotes are treated as though they are the author’s and that they are statements the characters would make. And maybe they would, considering Rhea Harmonia, at a fairly young age, is grappling with deep, difficult philosophical concepts.
The Style
This is one place I can praise this book. I love the work that has gone into the illustrations and the binding of the book. It felt nice to hold, the book under the dustjacket looks nice and felt nice to hold, and I personally really enjoyed the illustrations that occurred at the beginning of each chapter. They really helped me keep a visual on what each character looked like and helped to provide the scenery that I otherwise felt like I had a hard time visualizing. I almost wanted a little more to help supplement the details that the author skipped over for the sake of the references, allusions, and footnotes. I also enjoyed Kristina's overall writing style albeit wanting a little more focus on the story.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I wanted to like Lucky: A Novel. It sounded up my alley and seemed like it was going to be an interesting critique of United States culture and the idea of the American Dream. And it had a lot of potential to be that if we hadn’t just kept getting slapped with “American Dream bad” every time something went wrong as the characters experienced the negative repercussions of “achieving” the dream. With a little focus, and maybe a more rigorous editing process (I was personally hurt seeing the “Pittsburg Pirates” as a Pittsburgh born and raised boy), this novel had a lot of potential to accomplish the goals that the author set out to achieve. As is, I feel like the goals got lost because the author was trying to achieve too many goals in the space of one novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2021
I would like to start by saying that I very very rarely rate books below 4 stars - I am a huge believer in a book being good for someone, so even if it's not my thing, that doesn't necessarily make it a bad book. However, this book has a whole page at the end where the author asks you to share how you feel and please review the book so....she asked for it lol. I read this book with a book club and we all agreed that it was one of the worst books we've ever read. We read it because we were fooled by all the good reviews on here and Amazon, and are all now genuinely upset that we paid money for this book, so hopefully this review will stop someone else from making the same mistake. Lucky reads like the author wanted to write 3 different books, but couldn't decide what to write so she just combined all 3 in the same book. It's a historical fiction book about oil heiress Rebekah Harkness and her story is actually fairly interesting - the writing style is not great, but the story itself does feel like it could have been interesting, if that's where this book stopped. However, it's also interspersed with tales of fictional "Rhea Harmonia" who is STRAIGHT UP Taylor Swift. This book claims to be "inspired by Taylor Swift's Folklore" but what they mean is "it's just a retelling of Taylor Swift's exact life story but with a different name". I'm fairly sure Taylor was not consulted about this novel and would be pretty upset to read it. Lastly, there's weird reminisces of a self help book thrown in (and also a strange amount about Pythagorus?) throughout both stories that doesn't fit well with the story lines and feels very forced and disruptive to the stories themselves. The other thing that bothered us a lot about this book is that a lot of it is straight up plagiarized - there are lines in it that were pulled WORD FOR WORD from Legally Blonde, Hamilton, and a few other very well known plays and movies, without any reference to them (it's not like they were being quoted). I understand this book was self-published, a debut novel and written in a very short period of time, so I genuinely feel bad writing this review (as again, I never do this) but I wish someone had given this author some honest feedback before it was published. I will say I do believe this book was edited for grammar and spelling errors, because I didn't find many, but it really needed to be edited for content.
May 5, 2021
Such a great book! Kristina perfectly balances two parallel lives, with some philosophical teaching along the way. This novel is not overly complicated but is intellectually complex. The character development is deep and relatable. Highly recommend Kristina’s debut book!
January 21, 2024
This was too philosophical for me, but the references to the folklore album were a nice touch :)
May 11, 2021
Lucky is one of the most unique and well-written stories that I’ve ever read. Kristina Parro expertly intertwines the true story of the fascinating Rebekah “Betty” Harkness, the rebellious heiress of the Standard Oil fortune, with that of the imaginary Rhea Harmonia, an up and coming pop star. Both women gain more wealth than they could have ever imagined but find that money doesn’t truly equal happiness and might instead just bring misery. Their experiences rival the dreams of many people but life still isn’t paradise. Their experiences incorporate important life lessons within their stories. From two different eras, the two women have more in common than one would guess which becomes evident as you travel through their parallel experiences. The characters are well-developed with lots of emotional facets represented in their stories which makes them endearingly relatable to the reader.
Parro’s writing is exquisite. Well-developed, intellectually driven, and full of detail, the prose develops well and is full of beautiful descriptions. The story flows well and is so easy to read. I couldn’t put it down and found myself ignoring other things so that I could keep reading. With such well-written prose and well-developed, relatable characters, it is very hard to not get totally wrapped up in this book. This book brought out all kinds of emotions in me and made me spend a lot of time reflecting on my own life and experiences. As evidenced by the characters in this book, sometimes your dream life isn’t as wonderful as you expect it to be.
In addition to an engrossing plot, this book boasts some gorgeous illustrations. Most of the novels I have read are void of any images let alone ones drawn so well and that fit so well with the story. Most chapters of the book have an accompanying illustration and they really are beautiful. It was such a pleasant surprise.
It also very clear that Ms. Parro is an intelligent and thoughtful writer who spent a lot of time completing research for this book. Her ability to weave history, science, mythology, and philosophy into a story of this kind was impressive. As a historian, I was very happy to see her historically accurate information that was especially prolific in the chapters about Betty Harkness. The author clearly did a great job researching the historical time periods that she was writing about and did a wonderful job incorporating that research into a fictional novel flawlessly. Ms. Parro’s intellect and introspective nature is also evident in the prologue to the novel. The prologue is profound and deep. It offers a lot to consider and think about to readers who have been surviving a pandemic.
Parro’s writing is exquisite. Well-developed, intellectually driven, and full of detail, the prose develops well and is full of beautiful descriptions. The story flows well and is so easy to read. I couldn’t put it down and found myself ignoring other things so that I could keep reading. With such well-written prose and well-developed, relatable characters, it is very hard to not get totally wrapped up in this book. This book brought out all kinds of emotions in me and made me spend a lot of time reflecting on my own life and experiences. As evidenced by the characters in this book, sometimes your dream life isn’t as wonderful as you expect it to be.
In addition to an engrossing plot, this book boasts some gorgeous illustrations. Most of the novels I have read are void of any images let alone ones drawn so well and that fit so well with the story. Most chapters of the book have an accompanying illustration and they really are beautiful. It was such a pleasant surprise.
It also very clear that Ms. Parro is an intelligent and thoughtful writer who spent a lot of time completing research for this book. Her ability to weave history, science, mythology, and philosophy into a story of this kind was impressive. As a historian, I was very happy to see her historically accurate information that was especially prolific in the chapters about Betty Harkness. The author clearly did a great job researching the historical time periods that she was writing about and did a wonderful job incorporating that research into a fictional novel flawlessly. Ms. Parro’s intellect and introspective nature is also evident in the prologue to the novel. The prologue is profound and deep. It offers a lot to consider and think about to readers who have been surviving a pandemic.
May 30, 2021
I received Lucky as an Advanced Reader, in exchange for an honest review.
Lucky is a novel told in parallels: The story of a wealthy widow named Rebekah Harkness, told alongside that of a modern-day pop star: Rae (Rhea) Harmonia, who is very closely based on Taylor Swift. Lucky explores the stories of these two women with the connecting factor between them being Holiday House, a mansion in which both women lived at different times.
Rebekah Harkness was a real person, being the subject of Swift's song "The Last Great American Dynasty" off her 2020 album folklore, and Rhea Harmonia's life is a fictionalized version of Swift's. The framing device for Rebekah's story is a nanny telling a young child a bedtime story about this remarkable woman, and for Rhea, the narration is done in first person, coming across as though she were writing in her diary. The prose is very well-crafted, with both narratives simultaneously feeling like very general summaries of events, while also including striking imagery. In this way, the author invokes Swift's definition of folklore as she explained it upon the album's release: stories which are passed down and interpreted slightly differently by each person who hears it.
Much of this novel concerns itself with philosophical and existential questions, which some readers may feel bogged down by; however, the book uses simplistic language to explain concepts which may otherwise have come across as esoteric. On occasion the narrative includes extended tangents about history and mythology, which, again, could be polarizing. Personally, I enjoyed them because I saw them as opportunities to learn about these subjects, which were presented in a calming, easily understood manner.
Lucky does include many, many references to Taylor Swift's discography, often in the most unlikely of places. This is mainly achieved through certain turns of phrase which are directly lifted from Swift's lyrics. I think that Swifties will definitely enjoy this aspect of the book, and while non-fans won't necessarily find it incomprehensible, sometimes those turns of phrase can sound a bit awkward for those not in the loop.
Overall, I would recommend Lucky to anyone with an interest in mythology, history, and/or philosophy, as well as to fans of Taylor Swift.
Lucky is a novel told in parallels: The story of a wealthy widow named Rebekah Harkness, told alongside that of a modern-day pop star: Rae (Rhea) Harmonia, who is very closely based on Taylor Swift. Lucky explores the stories of these two women with the connecting factor between them being Holiday House, a mansion in which both women lived at different times.
Rebekah Harkness was a real person, being the subject of Swift's song "The Last Great American Dynasty" off her 2020 album folklore, and Rhea Harmonia's life is a fictionalized version of Swift's. The framing device for Rebekah's story is a nanny telling a young child a bedtime story about this remarkable woman, and for Rhea, the narration is done in first person, coming across as though she were writing in her diary. The prose is very well-crafted, with both narratives simultaneously feeling like very general summaries of events, while also including striking imagery. In this way, the author invokes Swift's definition of folklore as she explained it upon the album's release: stories which are passed down and interpreted slightly differently by each person who hears it.
Much of this novel concerns itself with philosophical and existential questions, which some readers may feel bogged down by; however, the book uses simplistic language to explain concepts which may otherwise have come across as esoteric. On occasion the narrative includes extended tangents about history and mythology, which, again, could be polarizing. Personally, I enjoyed them because I saw them as opportunities to learn about these subjects, which were presented in a calming, easily understood manner.
Lucky does include many, many references to Taylor Swift's discography, often in the most unlikely of places. This is mainly achieved through certain turns of phrase which are directly lifted from Swift's lyrics. I think that Swifties will definitely enjoy this aspect of the book, and while non-fans won't necessarily find it incomprehensible, sometimes those turns of phrase can sound a bit awkward for those not in the loop.
Overall, I would recommend Lucky to anyone with an interest in mythology, history, and/or philosophy, as well as to fans of Taylor Swift.
August 14, 2023
I like Taylor Swift but this is not "based on" Taylor Swifts song it is Taylor Swifts life story through a fictional character and a side story about Rebekah Harkness which should have easily meshed but somehow seemed so disjointed. And knowing it was based on Taylor and her song, I was still annoyed with the constant contrived references to lines from various T. Swift songs. The parallel stories did not seem to flow well, and the writing was choppy and not the best quality. The mythology references that kept reoccuring in Rae's story were long winded and out of place. I like mythology as much as the next person, but really, her therapist was referencing Socrates, and it made it all better!?! There are parts where you can't tell if the Nanny is still speaking or the author , is it a story or a history lesson for someone who knows next to nothing about American history? At one part, the Nanny is telling the story, and the story stops, and the reader is addressed it feels so discordant.
I kept reading for Betty's story because even though it was not written that well, it was interesting. I honestly started skimming most of Rae's story as I can rewatch Taylor's documentaries and figure out where that was going. It just read like a not well put together fan fiction, and I didn't expect much going in knowing the premise and what it was based off. Maybe my 17 year old will like it more. Even as an adult, I love a well written YA novel, but this wasn't it for me. I do see what the author was trying to do, and it has potential. Like I said, maybe I was the wrong audience. I do think it is something my 17 yr old who is a huge Taylor fan, not as critical of literature , & enjoys fast simple reads will like it.
I kept reading for Betty's story because even though it was not written that well, it was interesting. I honestly started skimming most of Rae's story as I can rewatch Taylor's documentaries and figure out where that was going. It just read like a not well put together fan fiction, and I didn't expect much going in knowing the premise and what it was based off. Maybe my 17 year old will like it more. Even as an adult, I love a well written YA novel, but this wasn't it for me. I do see what the author was trying to do, and it has potential. Like I said, maybe I was the wrong audience. I do think it is something my 17 yr old who is a huge Taylor fan, not as critical of literature , & enjoys fast simple reads will like it.
June 18, 2021
Lucky: A Novel is one of those books that combines the best things in literature - philosophy, history, romance, self-development, creativity (the illustrations were such a pretty touch!)
It might be a novel, and a novel is a wonderful thing, but it is so much more than that.
Throughout the course of the story I learned about the life of Rebekah Harkness. Though I knew a bit about her from Taylor's song The Last Great American Dynasty, I had no idea how complicated and tragic her life was. In this way, Lucky was in one part a history lesson for me.
We readers also get to explore the life of Rea Harmonia (this part was especially exciting for me as a fan of Taylor Swift who Rhea was based on) and how fame and fortune doesn't necessarily bring happiness, it also brings pressure that not everyone can get through easily. I also really loved the many references to Taylor's discography.
The philosophy - where to begin. I love how different myths were combined, ancient Greek philosophers, the Egyptian pyramids, the golden ratio, and much more.
I would definitely recommend this book to all fans of Taylor Swift, but you don't have to be a Taylor fan to appreciate all the wisdom and knowledge this book holds! I'm so happy I read this book, and I think Kristina Parro has done an amazing job.
It might be a novel, and a novel is a wonderful thing, but it is so much more than that.
Throughout the course of the story I learned about the life of Rebekah Harkness. Though I knew a bit about her from Taylor's song The Last Great American Dynasty, I had no idea how complicated and tragic her life was. In this way, Lucky was in one part a history lesson for me.
We readers also get to explore the life of Rea Harmonia (this part was especially exciting for me as a fan of Taylor Swift who Rhea was based on) and how fame and fortune doesn't necessarily bring happiness, it also brings pressure that not everyone can get through easily. I also really loved the many references to Taylor's discography.
The philosophy - where to begin. I love how different myths were combined, ancient Greek philosophers, the Egyptian pyramids, the golden ratio, and much more.
I would definitely recommend this book to all fans of Taylor Swift, but you don't have to be a Taylor fan to appreciate all the wisdom and knowledge this book holds! I'm so happy I read this book, and I think Kristina Parro has done an amazing job.
July 16, 2021
Lucky was such an interesting read— full of mythology, philosophy, history, art, and more. I was enamored by the story of Betty West/ Rebekah Harkness… and all of the craziness that surrounded her life (her raucous debutante days, her romantic history with a US Supreme Court Justice, her bizarre friendship with Salvador Dali, and of course, the tragic story of her children). Rhea Harmonia captured my imagination and set fire to my curiosity. I was surprised by all of the connections and parallels between the two, seemingly disparate, stories!
I would recommend this book to fans of pop culture, mythology, history, and especially philosophy! Lucky is perfect for those who like to spend time with their books… and for those who like to come back to their books for more. There seems to be deep symbolism embedded that makes Lucky worthy of a second read.
“It’s a beautiful time to be alive, especially for the curious.”
I would recommend this book to fans of pop culture, mythology, history, and especially philosophy! Lucky is perfect for those who like to spend time with their books… and for those who like to come back to their books for more. There seems to be deep symbolism embedded that makes Lucky worthy of a second read.
“It’s a beautiful time to be alive, especially for the curious.”
October 11, 2021
The storytelling was genius when writing the book. One side of the story is being told by a nanny deciding to tell a scared child the story of Betty West also known as Rebekah Harkness. The nanny was instructed on what not to tell the child. But she decided the child was ready to hear something different. So this story is a story being told from the nanny. While the main protagonist is also telling her side of her own story of becoming a pop star. She later moves into a house that was once owned by Rebekah Harness.
This story touched on generational wealth the ups and downs that comes with money and fame. How history tends to repeat itself. Does everything truly end in tragedy? Does Luck actual take place in our lives or is it what we take and make out of our own lives.
I loved how the author included American History, Modern Philosophy, Mythology, Music, and etc. She covered so many different topics through folklore.
This story touched on generational wealth the ups and downs that comes with money and fame. How history tends to repeat itself. Does everything truly end in tragedy? Does Luck actual take place in our lives or is it what we take and make out of our own lives.
I loved how the author included American History, Modern Philosophy, Mythology, Music, and etc. She covered so many different topics through folklore.
June 17, 2021
LUCKY’s title might indicate the story to depict fortuitous occurrences. Surprisingly there is a lesson in history to be learned in reading. This reveals how luck, much as beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and that chasing fortune, fame and recognition may not result in that which one has desired.
This book intertwines two stories occurring in different eras. While time travel is not indicated there is a definite crossover of lives, lived decades apart.
In this debut novel Ms. Parro relates an interesting story which includes mythology, pop culture, old money, and today’s tragedy of global pandemic.
I look forward to reading more from this up and coming author.
This book intertwines two stories occurring in different eras. While time travel is not indicated there is a definite crossover of lives, lived decades apart.
In this debut novel Ms. Parro relates an interesting story which includes mythology, pop culture, old money, and today’s tragedy of global pandemic.
I look forward to reading more from this up and coming author.
July 27, 2021
This was such a great read! It kept me fascinated and reading until the very last page. I also learnt a lot about so many different topics, from the nature of capitalism, the theory of music, mathematics and more. I'm also really happy to learn that the author, Kristina, is a Swiftie too!
It's a beautiful read and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a philosophical journey and a novel that will make them thin and reflect on the nature of the world around them. In particular I really enjoyed following Betty's story and her colourful, interesting life.
Definitely one to keep for my book collection!
It's a beautiful read and I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a philosophical journey and a novel that will make them thin and reflect on the nature of the world around them. In particular I really enjoyed following Betty's story and her colourful, interesting life.
Definitely one to keep for my book collection!
September 19, 2022
Lucky is a story like none that I’ve ever read before. This unique and prolific read made me ponder the so called “American Dream,” and what it truly represents. I really liked the message in the parallel stories of Rebekah Harkness and Rhea Harmonia. Their characters lived common lives in different eras, but were connected through time and space in so many ways. Through philosophy, math, and music, the author creatively spins the tales of two wealthy and influential females, all the while stressing the importance of balance in all of our lives. I look forward to reading more from Kristina Parro, a budding young author with a fantastic debut novel!
May 18, 2021
Taylor Swift fans will love the little nods (or Easter eggs!) to her music and life that Kristina peppers throughout the two interwoven stories. She navigates seamlessly between Rhea Harmonia (based on Taylor Swift's life) and Rebekah Harkness' tales. I gave it 4/5 because the beginning didn't quite hook me and was hard for me to get through (as well as another part near the end with the hidden code). Overall, a really fun, quick read and one I feel Lucky ;) enough to have read!
March 21, 2022
Interweaving the stories of heiress Rebecka Harkness and a Taylor Swift character, this debut novel hooked me early and kept me reading. About ambition and the high price of getting what you want, its an unusual mix of fiction, history, philosophy and self-help. I'm giving it 4-stars based on the author's willingness to take chances and break rules. It's still rough around some edges, though, and can definitely use more depth in character, plot and subtext, but was a lot of fun to read.
July 20, 2023
A great read for any Taylor Swift fan. A tale of two women living 50yrs apart; Rhea (inspired by T Swizzle) & socialite Rebekah Harkness are connected through their home in Rhode Island, Holiday House. The story is full of Taylor lyrics, very exciting for any fan. I loved being able to visualize my favorite singer as Rhea, however, Rebekah's vibrant character stole the show for me. I did get lost in the book's Philosophical additions. Maybe my brain just wasn't Ready For It.
May 6, 2021
This novel is so unique, intriguing, and well-written. Kristina Parro intertwines the true story of Rebekah Harkness with the fictional (but inspired) story of Rhea Harmonìa, a budding pop star. She incorporates mythology, science, history, and philosophy seamlessly with a fictional story. I wanted to read more and more! This book is for the curious, for lovers, for the broken hearted, the rich, the poor. Everyone will find something to hold on to from this novel!
June 2, 2021
I absolutely loved reading this book! I had a marvelous time looking for Easter eggs and connections. I love a book that uses mythology and history so eloquently. It was very fun to read. The imagery in the book is incredible - I often felt like I was there in the novel.
Thank you to Kristina for the advanced reader’s copy!
Thank you to Kristina for the advanced reader’s copy!
June 2, 2021
Interesting book, captivating read. I learned alot about history, mythology, and philosophy. I enjoyed reading about the life of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness. The story of her family, and their quest towards the American Dream, has many parallels with modern times. This novel is full of symbolism and nuggets of wisdom. 10/10 would reccomend.
June 17, 2022
A great story that weaves the tales of two remarkable women with an unlikely connection... that takes places years apart! I loved the bits of information weaved in that not only gave details of who these women were, but bits of mythology and philosophy... a great and easy read that made me decide, maybe I should start listening to Taylor Swift lol (definitely read if you are a TS fan!)
January 5, 2024
This is the first book i’ve read where I felt the need to write a review. I loved this book. The connections between two women’s very different stories were amazing. The literal history lessons within also amazing. I need the author to write another book because damn… this is one of the best books i’ve ever read
June 10, 2021
Always a sucker for a multiple POV. Especially loved who told the story of Rebekah Harkness. Such an interesting and educational perspective of what everyone thinks is the American Dream. Kristina did such a great job describing the lives of two successful women decades apart.
June 19, 2021
A brilliant piece of work, with vibrant illustrations and an extremely riveting storyline! With characters that stay with you long after one is done reading this masterpiece, 'Lucky' promises to be a valuable addition to your bookshelf; one you'd want to keep for posterity.
January 17, 2022
This is going to surprise some readers. I think if you are a fan of books like The Celestine Prophecy you will like aspects of this book as well.
May 17, 2023
DNF at 36 pages. Review to come.
August 31, 2025
This was a little more fanfic than I typically like to read. It was the fictionalized version on Taylor Swift and Rebekka Harness.
July 5, 2021
Lucky is the story about two women, whose lives are connected by a house in Rhode Island. These women are from two different eras. The first is Rebekah Harkness. Her story is told from the early 1900s into the 1980s. The second is Rae Harmonia, pop superstar and global legend. Her story is present time. Both of these women’s lives show a constant struggle and search for happiness. Is money, fame, fortune, attention the key to true happiness?
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This story is inspired by @taylorswift album Folktale. Specifically it was inspired by the song “Last Great America Dynasty”. Parro gives strong likeness to her characters to their real life inspirers (Swift and Harkness). Swifties will enjoy Easter eggs found within the story that they will know elude to Taylor herself. There are also other popular pop culture references within the story as well including mentions of Hamilton.
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Bravo to @kristinaparrowrites first published writing! As a huge Taylor Swift fan, I could not wait to dive right into to this book and bought it immediately on release day. Kristina is also one of the sweetest humans! She is such a down to earth author, who truly loves to interact with her readers. I encourage you to read this novel if you are a Swiftie fan like myself. I also hope that @taylorswift herself will get her hands on this book!! I know Kristina is a huge Swiftie herself! I look forward to following Kristina on her writing journal and reading more books by her. This is only the beginning! 💜
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This story is inspired by @taylorswift album Folktale. Specifically it was inspired by the song “Last Great America Dynasty”. Parro gives strong likeness to her characters to their real life inspirers (Swift and Harkness). Swifties will enjoy Easter eggs found within the story that they will know elude to Taylor herself. There are also other popular pop culture references within the story as well including mentions of Hamilton.
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Bravo to @kristinaparrowrites first published writing! As a huge Taylor Swift fan, I could not wait to dive right into to this book and bought it immediately on release day. Kristina is also one of the sweetest humans! She is such a down to earth author, who truly loves to interact with her readers. I encourage you to read this novel if you are a Swiftie fan like myself. I also hope that @taylorswift herself will get her hands on this book!! I know Kristina is a huge Swiftie herself! I look forward to following Kristina on her writing journal and reading more books by her. This is only the beginning! 💜
May 8, 2021
5/5 stars! Highly recommend this book! It was engaging and interesting. I learned so much from it and enjoyed all of the concepts that this book explores. It is truly eye-opening!
August 9, 2021
Such a great book! As a swiftie, I really enjoyed all of the hidden TS references. Parro is so creative to combine Rebecca Harness’s story with Taylor’s. If you love Taylor Swift and Folklore, you’ll definitely love this one!
August 15, 2021
This book changed the way I think about my life. Thanks for opening my eyes!
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