Some Luck

by Jane Smiley

“Ja, ja, ja. Slik liten tenner!”

not unlike a bomb blast, two years after that, where was he, northern France, if you called Cambrai France (some people didn’t, they called it “Kamerijk”),

“She knows what she wants, though maybe she doesn’t know what will work. But if you don’t give her what she wants, she’ll spend the rest of her life thinking that that was the one thing that might have worked.”

Frankie sticking his tongue out. Joe knew that Frankie knew that Joe knew he was sticking his tongue out, so it was no use to pretend

too funny

Opa used to tease her. He would open her mouth and look at her teeth, like she was a horse. Then he would say, ‘Callie, you are more than ten and less than a hundred.’ Well, she was a poor girl, in the end.”

town. Denby. Population two hundred and fourteen.”

miracles? Miracles abounded. There were plenty that you could see, and plenty that you couldn’t.

“wherewithal” was—probably money, maybe horses, maybe gasoline, maybe someone to help him.

There was a word Papa always shook his head after pronouncing—it was “bank.” Frank wasn’t sure which of the three things that could go wrong at a bank Papa was worried about—the bank “going under,” the bank “cutting him off,” or the bank getting robbed.

came to America on a tiny ship with no windows that he was allowed to see out of, met Oma just

war between the states southerns called the war this, this is the way I was taught

What you did when you wanted to get away with something was not to plan, but to look for an opportunity.

was born on your birthday!” “Yup,” said Eloise. “March 13.”

this is my birthday not the year but the date

a check from the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

Holiday Association.”

heard of this Farmers Strike

“I’m sorry. I would have to disagree. The most important thing is getting right with the Lord, and then he

will provide.” She cleared her throat.

She thought of a phrase from the Bible—where, she did not know—“In all that has happened to us, you have been just; you have acted faithfully, while we did wrong.”

Lord would provide, as he had all along,

hurricane down in Florida somewhere. Who in Iowa thought about Florida? People in Iowa had problems of their own—maybe not dust storms like the ones out in Nebraska and Oklahoma,

Pastor Elmore roared out, “ ‘On that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened!’ And why was that, my friends? Why did the Lord see fit to destroy his own creation, like a sculptor who smashes his clay with his fist, or a painter who slashes his canvas? Why, because it wasn’t right and good! And does the pot revile its creator for this? And does the painting weep? No!

The Lord is just about to that point he was with the Nephilim—sick and tired of the sin.

And so he is sending us warning after warning. Did every single Nephilim man,

woman, and child offend him? I doubt it. I am sure there were good Nephilim and kind Nephilim like my cousin. They were, it is said, the sons of God, as are you and I. But they were sensuous and irresponsible, and so God saved Noah and his sons and ...

The pastor boomed out again: “My friends, who can say where it will end? Who can say when the Lord will at last be pleased with us?”

Rosa said, “They’re struggling.” Rosa, not quite three and a half and using this word, made Frank laugh, but he said, “All moms and dads struggle. Or fight.”

As he put his elbows on the bar itself, he noticed a metal trough beneath the brass rail, and

It's taking me a long time in reading this book but it's not the books fault it's the person who's reading ,you that would be me!!

dipped his head to get a better look at it. Lawrence said, “You piss into that. I never have, but some fellows don’t like to give up their spots.” Sure enough, as he spoke, a dark but glistening stream of water trickled past. Lawrence said, “The bartender flushes it every fifteen minutes or so.”

Have read alot but never heard of such a thing wonder if this is true??

“Nicht zu diesem.” Then she added, “Alles, was Teufel will, ist Krieg. Die Engländer können es nicht sehen, aber die Deutschen können.”

was sure that mindless activity had been his

more sandwiches, with some sliced sausage,

thought that everyone was getting a good lesson in making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear,

“Meine Söhne brauchen nicht um ihr Leben zu opfern für die Engländer. Oder die Russen für diese Angelegenheit.”

Then Eloise said, “Ja, gut, haben die letzten Worte an dieser Stelle nicht gesagt worden, egal was du

“Nun, man weiß nie, was eine gute Sache ist und was nicht. Gott muss einen Plan haben.”

“Bitte, bitte, bitte. Erschießen Sie mich!”