Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Nancy Archer is the giant woman, made huge by contact with a space alien, in the campy old movie, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. So when Marylou Ahearn moves to Tallahassee for the sole purpose of killing Dr. Wilson Spriggs, she adopts that character's name. And she is a Radioactive Lady, thanks to a radioactive cocktail given to her without her knowledge as part of Dr. Spriggs's study. She, like the other women in this 1950s study, was pregnant. And her child died of cancer. Revenge, in 2006, show more is long overdue.

Can revenge be sweet when the object of revenge no longer remembers what he has done? Do the ends justify the means – whether it is a scientific study or a murder? Maybe revenge would be better served by hurting this doctor's family. This messed-up family has problems of its own, both by circumstance and of its own creation. Two of the children have Asperger's Syndrome and don't make life easy for their put-upon, depressed mother. One of them is building a nuclear breeder/reactor in the backyard shed. The other is currently obsessed with Elvis. The third and “normal” child feels pressure to be perfect and can't quite live up to expectations. Their father flirts with women he shouldn't but spends most of his time in the basement, tracking hurricanes. Grandpa, the evil doctor, generally doesn't have a clue about what is happening.

To quote Donald Rumsfeld, “My goodness!” (No, he wasn't talking about this book – I just wanted to quote him.) I love the title of the book, and the story is funny in a dark sort of way. I expected more humor, despite the grim subject. For the most part, the characters are unlikeable, quirky,but interesting. Reading this, I felt like one of those people who really, really doesn't want to look at the car wreck she has just driven by, but does anyway. So, does Marylou/Nancy manage to kill Dr. Spriggs or does she settle for hurting the family? Does anyone ever live happily ever after? What makes the novel more than just entertaining is the very sad fact that such experiments were conducted on pregnant women without their knowledge. Marylou was justified in her anger, but she let it take over her life.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher, for which I am grateful. The advance copy had more typos than I have come to expect in galleys, but I trust they will be corrected in the published edition. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's wacky, it's fun, and I suspect this is the antidote for some of the deeply depressing fiction I usually love to read. Full of oddball characters who take the reader on a wild journey through loss and revenge and multiple surprises, this novel is written in well-crafted prose that never clunks. The borderline-ditsy but definitely gutsy main character Marylou and the various quirky members of the Spriggs and Coffey families are still with me. I hope they show more hang around for a while. I like their company. show less

This is a dark comedy about some very unusual and fascinating characters set in Tallahassee, Florida.

The father, Vic is on the verge of starting an affair. He also dearly wants to experience a hurricane. His wife Caroline is experiencing hot flashes, is out of control, totally overwhelmed by the fact that she has two children with Asperger's. The boy of the pair is really into learning and experimentally with radioactivity. The daughter, of the two, Ava, doesn't think that she has show more Asperger's but her universe is made of Elvis Presley. Suzi, the normal child is totally into soccer and feels that she doesn't ever get enough attention compared to the twins. The children's grandfather lives with the family and has beginning Alzheimer's. He doesn't know it until later but there is a lady. Mary Lou Ahern after him, seeking revenge over an experiment done many years ago. She has been given a radioactive cocktail many years ago. This caused a lot of pain in her life and she is full of anger.

So this book is both dramatically sad and strangely funny at the same time. The chapters have alternating voices so you get the viewpoints of all. Even though it has some elements of truth like the experiments conducted in Nashville, Tennessee in the past. The story is twisty and complex at the same time. I didn't know if I would like this book at first. I picked it for the title and the cover but now I am very glad that I read it. Also I would like to learn more about those experiments using radioactive materials in the past. show less

Who would've guessed that a novel about an elderly victim of unethical medical experiments who sets out to kill the now doddering doctor who administered the radioactive cocktails fifty years ago would be funny. But it is! Humorous, quirky, and offbeat all describe the unusual, but like able characters that inhabit the Revenge of the Radioactive Lady, by Elizabeth Stuckey-French.

Stuckey-French's characters are sympathetically drawn. They're quirky, but never so quirky that they feel unreal. show more The writing is quite lively and truly original. Don't let the title fool you: This is no sci-fi tale. It's a comic family drama with warm characters who aren't so flawed they might not be redeemed.

The 77 year old Marylou Ahearn is determined to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs to avenge his involvement in the medical experiment that cost her her only child Helen. When Marylou finally tracks Dr Spriggs down, she moves to his neighborhood and takes on a new identity and introduces herself to the family. Not that the family wants anything to do with this nosy old biddy....

She then discovers that Dr. Spriggs has major memory loss - and doesn't seem to recall much of anything. So, instead of murder, Marylou plans to disrupt his life through his family. She finds a way to meet his grandchildren. Then she falls for young Suzi - a sporty, outgoing and slightly tormented young girl. As Marylou gets to know Suzi and her sister Ava, and their brother Otis, she finds a closeness and friendship she hadn't expected. And her carefully laid plans go awry. This family needs help, not more mistakes. And Marylou may just be the one who can help them all.

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady has been compared to the movie Little Miss Sunshine because of the quirky, unusual characters and unexpected situations. Elizabeth Stuckey-French's novel is entertaining, engrossing and hard to forget. It kept me coming back the whole of my confinement because of illness, nearly desperate to find out more. And hoping, against everything that's gone wrong in this family, maybe they all can set things right again...?

Very recommended. show less