Genre Fiction
![Julia Claiborne Johnson - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B01LW45BT5.jpg)
Better Luck Next Time: A Novel
"Doesn't a romantic comedy set on a 1930s Nevada dude ranch teeming with about-to-be-divorced women owe a certain debt to the era's big-screen classics? Then again, it's hard to believe a cinematic version could be any more fun." - New York Times Book Review
The dazzling second novel from the bestselling author of Be Frank with Me, a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, set in late 1930s Reno.
It's 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the "divorce capital of the world," Reno, Nevada. There's one catch: they have to wait six-weeks to become "residents." Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need.
Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he's earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks-"Cary Grant in cowboy boots"-Ward thinks he's got the Flying Leap's clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.
A novel about divorce, marriage, and everything that comes in between (money, class, ambition, and opportunity), Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious yet poignant examination of the ways friendship can save us, love can destroy us, and the family we create can be stronger than the family we come from.
The dazzling second novel from the bestselling author of Be Frank with Me, a charming story of endings, new beginnings, and the complexities and complications of friendship and love, set in late 1930s Reno.
It's 1938 and women seeking a quick, no-questions split from their husbands head to the "divorce capital of the world," Reno, Nevada. There's one catch: they have to wait six-weeks to become "residents." Many of these wealthy, soon-to-be divorcees flock to the Flying Leap, a dude ranch that caters to their every need.
Twenty-four-year-old Ward spent one year at Yale before his family lost everything in the Great Depression; now he's earning an honest living as a ranch hand at the Flying Leap. Admired for his dashing good looks-"Cary Grant in cowboy boots"-Ward thinks he's got the Flying Leap's clients all figured out. But two new guests are about to upend everything he thinks he knows: Nina, a St Louis heiress and amateur pilot back for her third divorce, and Emily, whose bravest moment in life was leaving her cheating husband back in San Francisco and driving herself to Reno.
A novel about divorce, marriage, and everything that comes in between (money, class, ambition, and opportunity), Better Luck Next Time is a hilarious yet poignant examination of the ways friendship can save us, love can destroy us, and the family we create can be stronger than the family we come from.
Editorial Reviews
"Doesn't a romantic comedy set on a 1930s Nevada dude ranch teeming with about-to-be-divorced women owe a certain debt to the era's big-screen classics? Then again, it's hard to believe a cinematic version could be any more fun." -- New York Times Book Review
"Johnson's rollicking comedy sizzles, thanks to the immensely appealing voice of its aging narrator...brims with the clever banter and farcical situations of a classic Capra film." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Do you want to read something funny? Let's say, a novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s? A book with memorably eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, a satisfying plot twist, and some romance and sex? A feel-good literary comedy/western? Here it is, then, the book you've been looking for: Julia Claiborne Johnson's Better Luck Next Time." -- Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement
"Rollicking, nostalgic, wistful and wise, Better Luck Next Time is another gem from Julia Claiborne Johnson. Like a modern-day Anita Loos (but with more heart), Johnson spins an irresistible yarn that captures Depression-era disappointments, hopes, and determination, and paints a touching story of how even a life gone wrong can be a life well lived." -- Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party
"Hilarious and clever." -- New York Post
"Julia Claiborne Johnson's real skill is a literary sleight of hand: creating humorous characters with big hearts, then using them to deliver a story with a surprising emotional wallop. There were tears from heartbreak and joy! My face still hurts from smiling." -- Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor
"Invites comparisons to Shakespeare's madcap comedies...Like Shakespeare with his fairies, Johnson uses her own brand of magic to bring these characters to life and to remind us that love often requires a second chance." -- Chattanooga Free Press
"Channels Frank Capra's screwball comedies...There is a delightful sense of closure in the way Johnson wraps up this shiny package, which arrives just after New Year's like a late holiday gift." -- Christian Science Monitor
"An engrossing portrait of 1930s Reno...witty and charming." -- Booklist
"Johnson's rollicking comedy sizzles, thanks to the immensely appealing voice of its aging narrator...brims with the clever banter and farcical situations of a classic Capra film." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Do you want to read something funny? Let's say, a novel set at a divorce ranch in Reno in the 1930s? A book with memorably eccentric characters, sparkling dialogue, a satisfying plot twist, and some romance and sex? A feel-good literary comedy/western? Here it is, then, the book you've been looking for: Julia Claiborne Johnson's Better Luck Next Time." -- Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members and The Shakespeare Requirement
"Rollicking, nostalgic, wistful and wise, Better Luck Next Time is another gem from Julia Claiborne Johnson. Like a modern-day Anita Loos (but with more heart), Johnson spins an irresistible yarn that captures Depression-era disappointments, hopes, and determination, and paints a touching story of how even a life gone wrong can be a life well lived." -- Karen Dukess, author of The Last Book Party
"Hilarious and clever." -- New York Post
"Julia Claiborne Johnson's real skill is a literary sleight of hand: creating humorous characters with big hearts, then using them to deliver a story with a surprising emotional wallop. There were tears from heartbreak and joy! My face still hurts from smiling." -- Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor
"Invites comparisons to Shakespeare's madcap comedies...Like Shakespeare with his fairies, Johnson uses her own brand of magic to bring these characters to life and to remind us that love often requires a second chance." -- Chattanooga Free Press
"Channels Frank Capra's screwball comedies...There is a delightful sense of closure in the way Johnson wraps up this shiny package, which arrives just after New Year's like a late holiday gift." -- Christian Science Monitor
"An engrossing portrait of 1930s Reno...witty and charming." -- Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
MagiLove Cook Boo
What a fantastic read! Makes me nostalgic for an earlier, more innocent time. While the divorce ranch setting is an interesting backdrop the true stars of the story are the warmly written characters and the basic human decency of the narrator. Its a great tale, well-told and I finished with a glowing warmth in my heart and a tear in my eye.
James WeaverMagiL
22 chapters of fun, 3 of heartbreak. You really become involved with these characters, turning pages to see what happens next at the ranch. You might know someone exactly like a couple of them. Only towards the end does the premise become clear.
Tiffany YatesJame
I've been a huge fan of the author's since Be Frank with Me stole my heart. This one is so different, but an absolute lark of a story, with surprising emotional punch. The 1930s divorce/dude-ranch setting is a character all on its own (the author's personal family connection to it in her author's note is fascinating), but it's also populated with larger-than-life characters who leap off the page, and peppered with Johnson's signature humor. A delightful read--Johnson never disappoints.
Kathy J. DowdleTi
Loved stepping into the past for a summer in Reno. The era of the Reno divorce has always fascinated me. This story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. Having thouroghly enjoying Me Johnson's previous book, "Be Frank With Me" as well, I can't wait for her next work!
mz johansenKathy
What an interesting read! The time is 1938 Reno Nevada where quickie divorces require a 6 week residency. Scene: a dude ranch for soon-to-be divorcees who need an address for 6 weeks. Cast of characters: Ward a delectable ranch hand with a cleft in his chin and a sparkle in his eyes; Max and Margaret, the owners of the ranch, Nina a nimble aviatrix at the ranch for the third time and Emily, a wealthy woman, waiting to divorce he cheating spouse, plus an assorted cast of characters who can warm your heart or make your blood boil. Told from the perspective of an elderly doctor’s recollections the plot unfolds quite beautifully really. Who finds love, who loses it, who stops caring about it? Read this book and enjoy the story telling!
