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jellyneckz 's review for:
Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling
by Beth Raymer
Although I expected Lay the Favorite to be a mostly on-the-job autobiography of a cocktail waitress-cum-bookie in Vegas, it turned out to be more of an opportunity to follow Beth Raymer as she chronicles her past relationships with men, mostly gamblers, including her father, her neurotic former employers, some boyfriends/lovers, and co-workers. Most of the autobiographical portion of the book lies in Beth's obsession with boxing and brief stint as an in-home 'dancer'. Many of the rest of the stories recount the ups-and-downs of male bookmakers and gamblers who show us that money definitely does not buy happiness and few seem to quit while they're ahead. It was a new experience for me to read about the underground world of online gambling, which I have never tried, nor do I wish to, especially after reading this book!
As a reader who hates sports and loves to travel, I was pleased that the stories mostly followed Beth hopping around Vegas, New York, Costa Rica, and Curacao. I was relieved that the book was not full of endless sports references and descriptions. Just as Beth moves from city to city, her narrative occasionally skips around various periods of her life, and the lives of her bosses Dink and Bernard, back and forth through time and geographical location. I never once found myself bored while reading this book, partly for this reason.
As other reviewers have mentioned, I too would like to know if there were any repercussions for anyone involved in some of the illegal activities mentioned.
As a final disclosure, I received this as a First Reads Giveaway. It was my first giveaway and I was not disappointed!
As a reader who hates sports and loves to travel, I was pleased that the stories mostly followed Beth hopping around Vegas, New York, Costa Rica, and Curacao. I was relieved that the book was not full of endless sports references and descriptions. Just as Beth moves from city to city, her narrative occasionally skips around various periods of her life, and the lives of her bosses Dink and Bernard, back and forth through time and geographical location. I never once found myself bored while reading this book, partly for this reason.
As other reviewers have mentioned, I too would like to know if there were any repercussions for anyone involved in some of the illegal activities mentioned.
As a final disclosure, I received this as a First Reads Giveaway. It was my first giveaway and I was not disappointed!