The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry

By: Jamie Steinberg

Selena Lucy Landry has suffered a great deal of tragedy in her young life (10 years old or so). Her mother, a famed actress (or so she says), passed away and her father, who was a sailor, lost his life at sea. With no family ties left, she is sent to live with a foster family who live in and run a lighthouse on Lake Superior. In her new surroundings Lucy struggles to find acceptance, as she is quite the big personality, and longs to locate a very valuable necklace that would bring her closer to her father’s memory. The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry may be fanciful and adventurous, but sadly runs aground when it comes to an investable romp.

Lucy has come to live with the Martin family – six kids and two adults. Not used to being around children of her age, she fluctuates from personas “Princess of Acadia” and “Small Waif Girl” – depending on her current flight of fancy or what trouble she finds herself in. Nearby to the lighthouse is Mermaid Corner – famed as the area where the ship the Elva Jane sank along with the riches it held. Lucy is determined to make it to Mermaid Corner in hopes of locating a rumored ruby necklace that went down with the ship. Her father always told her stories of the Elva Jane and its contents and with his passing Lucy wants to honor his memory by locating it. Her efforts are a bit thwarted though; however, as she is afraid (“allergic” as she calls it) of water after losing her father to the sea and the walls she has created with her and the Martin children.

Author Anna Rose Johnson intersperses the Anishinaabe culture throughout the book to give the readers an interesting reference to the indigenous people of the Great Lakes region. Readers learn a word here and there, but it would have been more intriguing to readers having added some backstory about the Martins’ rich history with the tribe and a bit about their culture outside of the plants they grew. Additionally, the finale portion of the tale is a bit lackluster. Without giving too much away, the ending is swift after so much time was spent on Lucy’s new life. I think readers would have found it more of a page turner had Lucy put more time into searching for that which she was desperately in search of.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry is a sweet tale of a little girl looking for a home and acceptance with an adventurous twist. A greater extension of the plot would have made the tale easier to invest in but still should make for a gentle read for those around Lucy’s young age.