A beautiful tale of hope and redemption with a Sci-Fi twist!

Raffle Ticket begins as a charming Garrison Keillor-like exploration of small-town politics and quirks, but it quickly focuses in on the seemingly random winners of a town raffle that comes with a mysterious and magical bonus prize. What will each of them do with it? What will the consequences be? I really enjoyed following the mystery but even more I enjoyed getting to know this varied and complex group of people. Even the 'villains' have unexpected heart and depth. Mr Kelly writes with craft and compassion and it's a great read for a rainy day! ( )

Since I finished this book, I have been trying to figure out why most of the reviewers loved it. I did not. Nor do I think this is his best book (I have read all, or nearly all, his books). They plot definitely was different. In addition to winning the raffle money in a small town, the winners also win the opportunity to re-live one day in their lives. They get to choose the day. One thing that made me stop as I read the book was the time-travel aspect. I do not usually read time travel books, but hoped this one would be different.

The author spent a lot of time describing the small town where this occurs and the key persons who are involved in the story. The descriptions were quite good and showed that the town was normal—there were good and bad things that occurred as well as good and bad residents, and everywhere and with everyone, there was history. As is the case with small towns, many of the characters had lived there their entire lives, so the town’s history was well known to and by everyone, with few secrets. By taking the reader through the history of the town as it applied and effected the residents as well as the residents’ own personal histories, the author provided a pretty good picture of who everyone was and what life was like in the town. The paranormal element in the book was a bit outlandish, in my opinion. I think I prefer life grounded in normality. I will not go into more details about the book, since I do not want to spoil the story for any readers.

What did I not like? I got tired of ploughing through the many pages of stories, memories, encounters, etc. among the townsfolk. This all provided a good backdrop/setting for the plot and the events, but I could not get into it. Nevertheless, I have no idea how the book could have been written differently that would have made me like it more. The time travel aspect also did not help me enjoy the book more, as I had hoped it would. In conclusion, the book was okay for me, just not outstanding. I received this book through Library Thing to read and provide a review. ( )

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. At the beginning I was intrigued, then I slowed a bit because I did not connect to some of the characters, but the book picked up pace and interest as the date came closer for the raffle winners (or designated person) to choose which day in their life to re-do. I liked that most considered the consequences of their revisions, so to speak.
I felt closer to some of the lesser connected characters by the end.

I was quite satisfied that there was no explanation for how this visit to and interaction in the past was possible. Most times in life we do not understand why or how things happen. All that is needed is a small amount of hope and belief and some acceptance.

Thank you to the author and LibraryThing for the book in exchange for my honest review. ( )

A thought provoking story with an excellent plot. The story contains mystery, drama, time travel, and realistic characters. Provides for an enjoyable read, as it makes you think what if you had a chance changing something in your life. Very well written and I would highly recommend this book to family and friends. ( )

This book has such a strong premise that I couldn't resist it: winners of a small-town raffle are approached by a man claiming he can send them back in time to re-live a day of their choosing.

Raffle Ticket is hard to define, because it's got a bit of mystery, a bit of small-town drama, and a bit of time-travel fantasy, but none of these elements overtake the story. So it is worth noting that the titular ticket takes a while to show up, but when it does, all the previous development devoted to the characters and town pays off.

Maybe that's the real strength that made me enjoy this novel so much: the characters and location feel fully-formed, so it's a pleasure to take this odd journey with them.

There are a few twists with real emotional weight. The plots wraps up nicely. Oh, and the writing is sharp, with just enough description to not wear out its welcome, especially as the pace picks up. I did notice that characters were constantly touching each other's shoulders, but maybe that's a regional thing.

Anyway, this is a great light read that made me happy. If I could go back in time and prevent myself from reading it, I would say "no thanks, time travel, I'm good." Five stars. ( )