One Summer

Sep 28, 2011 CC rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a failure on about every level. There's not one authentic emotion, character, or line of dialogue in the entire book. Thriller writer Baldacci was channeling Nicholas Sparks for this one, there's no other explanation.

Thirty-five year-old Jack, a former 6' 2" pro football player, is dying of a mysterious -- un-named -- terminal illness. Then his wife dies, and he miraculously recovers. He gets his three kids from various relatives and they go to a beach house in the Carolinas they've all...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Ginger Dawn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know what the heck happened with this novel! I have purchased and read every David Baldacci book written. This is one of those sappy sweet lets make it a movie on lifetime network books! Hey, I know the economy is bad but I am afraid the day has come and Baldacci has sold himself out to the Hallmark Channel. Truly this is a sad day for me! Does anyone else find it absurd that Jack's miraculous recovery from a 100% fatal cancer,or that he seems to value more input from his friends than a...more

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Dec 31, 2011 Daniel Audet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Looking for a "read" the other day I noticed this book on the rack. A fan of Baldacci's for years, of his Camel Club Series and other titles, this book looked like a fun departure from what I've come to expect of him. Let me say this here: I'm pretty sure anything DB writes would sell well, even his grocery list, and this one should do well too.
"One Summer" is a heartfelt story of a guy, a decorated war vet, family man and all around decent guy - Jack Armstrong - who finds himself dying from a...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Joyce rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Have the tissues nearby. I think I went through two boxes by chapter twelve. It's a different book for fans, but a good book on grief and family .

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May 13, 2013 Andrea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

King and Maxwell series starts on TNT June 10! A Baldacci feast!

I don't recall listing a book written by a male author using his name under the Romance classification. David Baldacci has been my favorite author, and I read this book immediately after I read his book Zero Day. I wanted more Baldacci, I got Kristin Hannah.

One Summer is the story of a man terminally ill, whose wife is killed in a Christmas Eve traffic collision. Three childred, wife's parents, face life without Lizzie. Jack is alre...more

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May 12, 2013 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

It is a testament to David Baldacci's extraordinary talents as a writer that he can write a book as uplifting and fulfilling as "One Summer" and, on the other hand, write tremendous books of thriller and mystery and intrigue. This is a great book - in fact, it is the second time (I realized about halfway through it) that I have read it. And it was as good the second time as the first. Jack Armstrong has a disease that is incurable and he is fighting to stay alive until Christmas. His wife, Lizzi...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Nanie Dias rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

[Review in Portuguese]

Sinopse:
Jack Armstrong já sobreviveu a guerras enquanto esteve no exército. Passou por dificuldades que nunca poderia imaginar que aguentaria, mas agora ele está sendo vencido.

Uma doença terminal o aflige e ele já foi desenganado pelos médicos - tem apenas poucos dias sobrando de vida.
Mas está determinado a sobreviver ao Natal - que pretende passar com Lizzie, o grande amor de sua vida, e seus três filhos.

Certamente aquele verão, após a perda de um ente tão querido, não ser...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Darlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Being a Baldacci fan, of course, I had to read One Summer. Do NOT expect his normal fare here or you will be disappointed.

One Summer tells of death, miracles, coping, family relationships, change, and ‘life goes on!’ Family involved ranges in ages from toddler to adolescence to adult to elderly - basically, four generations. We see here that we can totally love each other and still cause much devastation and hurt to each other.

Jack Armstrong, ‘Miracle Man’, survives a terminal illness. His wife...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack, a young 35 year old man is lying in bed dying. He has survived combat in Afghanistan and Iraq but a rare disease has left him weak and helpless. His wife, Lizzie is his full time caregiver, while she also is the mother of their 3 children. 16 year old Mikki, cannot face her father's terminal illness so she has pulled away. His two sons, 11 year old Cory and 2 year old Jackie spend time with their father. Jack has written 6 letters to his wife, one for each day before Xmas. He hopes to last...more

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Sep 11, 2012 Sariah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an okay book... kind of above average in the "okay" department. The story started out completely heartbreaking: A man is dying of some incurable disease (I don't think we're ever actually told what it is) and is just trying to make it to Christmas for his wife and kids. On Christmas Eve, his wife runs out to refill his prescriptions and is killed in a car accident. The three children are split up amongst relatives and the man is put in hospice for the last couple weeks of his life. Howe...more

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Aug 19, 2012 VaultOfBooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By David Baldacci. Grade: A
David Baldacci is without a doubt one of the finest writers of edge-of-your-seat thrillers. He has taken a departure from the norm with his novels Wish You Well and The Christmas Train in the past, both of which I enjoyed a lot. With One Summer, he stretches himself further as he delves deeper into relationships and the mystery – and miracle – that life is.
A moving story of love, second chances and the importance of family from the Number One International Bestseller…
W...more By David Baldacci. Grade: A
David Baldacci is without a doubt one of the finest writers of edge-of-your-seat thrillers. He has taken a departure from the norm with his novels Wish You Well and The Christmas Train in the past, both of which I enjoyed a lot. With One Summer, he stretches himself further as he delves deeper into relationships and the mystery – and miracle – that life is.
A moving story of love, second chances and the importance of family from the Number One International Bestseller…
When thirty-four-year-old ex-war veteran Jack Armstrong is told he has only weeks to live, his first concern is for his beloved wife Lizzie, and their children: baby Jackie, twelve-year-old would-be actor Cory and rebellious teenage daughter Mikki. It seems so cruel that an apparently fatal illness should claim him, a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, when he still ha so much left to live for.
On Christmas Eve, as Jack prepares to say goodbye to his family, unthinkable tragedy strikes again and Lizzie is killed in a car accident. Just when Jack thought living was far harder than dying, and the children’s future looked so bleak, something remarkable happens which gives Jack the valuable second chance he’d only dreamed of.
Unexpectedly, the family inherits Lizzie’s beautiful childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. During one unforgettable summer Jack and the children struggle to rebuild their lives. They learn to live again – and to love again. And they learn the biggest lesson of all – the importance of family.
The plot is easy to understand. Jack is a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, and is deeply in love with his wife of seventeen years when he is told that he has only weeks to live. He is trying to hang on until Christmas and has accepted his fate, complete with leaving letters to his wife. But then he is low on meds and his wife goes out on the snow-slicked roads to buy some and ends up dead. (I pretty much started tearing up there, but I am a person who enjoys crying with a book so it’s no big deal.)
Backtracking… Jack’s devastated and is more than willing to die now so that he can join Lizzie up there. But his family needs him and he can’t make himself push the button that will stop the machines and allow him to leave. That night in the hospice, something happens and he breathes without artificial aid for the first time in months. A few days later, he actually swallows solid food and stands up on his two feet. It’s terrible timing, but for all it is worth…he becomes the Miracle Man. I admit, this part was difficult to swallow. Yes, it’s fiction but nobody survives a terminal illness- which remains unnamed throughout the book – just like that. One moment you’re nearly dying, and the next you’re not?
Jack decides that he has been given a second shot at life and vows to make the most of it. He puts aside his grieving for his wife and takes control of his life. He gathers up his children from their grandmother and moves to Lizzie’s childhood home, which has been bequeathed to Jack in the will of Lizzie’s grandmother. There in South Carolina, the family begins the healing process. The author here shifts focus on Jack’s eldest daughter, Mikki, who is a rebellious teenager and cause of much grief, but Cory and Jackie are rarely in the spotlight. We also get a small town diner-owner Jenna and her son Liam – Mikki’s love interest. In keeping with a flimsy plot line, Jack finds himself obsessed with Lizzie’s lighthouse and devotes more and more time to fix it, instead of spending them with his family like he’d promised himself. Mikki encounters her own problems in the town princess Tiffany as she tries to heal the breach with her dad. For climax, we get the grandmother suing Jack for custody of the kids – a case she wins, despite the slimsy evidence. But then there’s a hurricane and Mikki is caught in it…oops, spoiler.
If you put aside the weak plot, I think the story’s well told. Taking a leaf out of Nicholas Sparks’ book, Baldacci writes about love and loyalty and fighting the curve balls life throws at you. We see how Jack learns to deal with his pain and loss and gets over his childhood hang-ups. He learns that to share really does minimize the depth of the grief and it’s a much better alternative than hiding it inside. He also learns that family is the only treasure that truly matters and taking it for granted is not the way to go about it.
To sum up, I’d say that long time Baldacci fans are going to be disappointed at the lack of spies and cover-ups but readers of Nicholas Sparks may have found another favourite novel.

Originally reviewed at http://the-vault.co.cc (less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Jan Derksen marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Als je echt van iemand houdt, dan is dat voor altijd. Jack Armstrong leidt een gelukkig leven als hij plots te horen krijgt dat hij aan een zeldzame ongeneeslijke ziekte lijdt. Hij heeft nog maar een paar maanden te leven. Vechtend tegen zijn ziekte, thuis in bed, probeert hij afscheid te nemen van zijn gezin. s Nachts, wanneer niemand het ziet, schrijft hij afscheidsbrieven aan zijn vrouw Lizzie. Alleen zal Lizzie ze nooit kunnen lezen Vlak voor kerstmis komt Lizzie om bij een auto-ongeluk en

...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is a very emotional and yet inspirational. Baldacci (the author) got me grabbing for tissues the very first page of Chapter 1. It’s a touching story about a father with a deadly illness and a mother who’s trying to take care of him, a teenager, a middle schooler, and a toddler all at once. She is holding on hope and trying to help her husband while still trying to be “mom.” This novel has a twist in the story line and becomes very inspirational. For anyone who needs a book just to have...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Carrie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I greatly disliked this book. I bought it out of desperation in the Hamburg, Germany airport where I had to wait for six hours. This filled the time but I wouldn't have kept reading it if it wasn't for the boredom. I can't believe I paid 10 Euros for this book but it was the only English book available that wasn't about vampires or a murder mystery.

It started out with a pretty great story: A man with an untold rare and fatal illness miraculously recovers when his wife is killed in a tragic acci...more

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Jun 20, 2012 The-vault rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

By David Baldacci. Grade: A

David Baldacci is without a doubt one of the finest writers of edge-of-your-seat thrillers. He has taken a departure from the norm with his novels Wish You Well and The Christmas Train in the past, both of which I enjoyed a lot. With One Summer, he stretches himself further as he delves deeper into relationships and the mystery - and miracle - that life is.

A moving story of love, second chances and the importance of family from the Number One International Bestseller.....more By David Baldacci. Grade: A

David Baldacci is without a doubt one of the finest writers of edge-of-your-seat thrillers. He has taken a departure from the norm with his novels Wish You Well and The Christmas Train in the past, both of which I enjoyed a lot. With One Summer, he stretches himself further as he delves deeper into relationships and the mystery - and miracle - that life is.

A moving story of love, second chances and the importance of family from the Number One International Bestseller...
When thirty-four-year-old ex-war veteran Jack Armstrong is told he has only weeks to live, his first concern is for his beloved wife Lizzie, and their children: baby Jackie, twelve-year-old would-be actor Cory and rebellious teenage daughter Mikki. It seems so cruel that an apparently fatal illness should claim him, a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, when he still ha so much left to live for.

On Christmas Eve, as Jack prepares to say goodbye to his family, unthinkable tragedy strikes again and Lizzie is killed in a car accident. Just when Jack thought living was far harder than dying, and the children’s future looked so bleak, something remarkable happens which gives Jack the valuable second chance he’d only dreamed of.
Unexpectedly, the family inherits Lizzie’s beautiful childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. During one unforgettable summer Jack and the children struggle to rebuild their lives. They learn to live again – and to love again. And they learn the biggest lesson of all – the importance of family.

The plot is easy to understand. Jack is a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, and is deeply in love with his wife of seventeen years when he is told that he has only weeks to live. He is trying to hang on until Christmas and has accepted his fate, complete with leaving letters to his wife. But then he is low on meds and his wife goes out on the snow-slicked roads to buy some and ends up dead. (I pretty much started tearing up there, but I am a person who enjoys crying with a book so it's no big deal.)

Backtracking... Jack's devastated and is more than willing to die now so that he can join Lizzie up there. But his family needs him and he can't make himself push the button that will stop the machines and allow him to leave. That night in the hospice, something happens and he breathes without artificial aid for the first time in months. A few days later, he actually swallows solid food and stands up on his two feet. It's terrible timing, but for all it is worth...he becomes the Miracle Man. I admit, this part was difficult to swallow. Yes, it's fiction but nobody survives a terminal illness- which remains unnamed throughout the book - just like that. One moment you're nearly dying, and the next you're not?

Jack decides that he has been given a second shot at life and vows to make the most of it. He puts aside his grieving for his wife and takes control of his life. He gathers up his children from their grandmother and moves to Lizzie's childhood home, which has been bequeathed to Jack in the will of Lizzie's grandmother. There in South Carolina, the family begins the healing process. The author here shifts focus on Jack's eldest daughter, Mikki, who is a rebellious teenager and cause of much grief, but Cory and Jackie are rarely in the spotlight. We also get a small town diner-owner Jenna and her son Liam - Mikki's love interest. In keeping with a flimsy plot line, Jack finds himself obsessed with Lizzie's lighthouse and devotes more and more time to fix it, instead of spending them with his family like he'd promised himself. Mikki encounters her own problems in the town princess Tiffany as she tries to heal the breach with her dad. For climax, we get the grandmother suing Jack for custody of the kids - a case she wins, despite the slimsy evidence. But then there's a hurricane and Mikki is caught in it...oops, spoiler.

If you put aside the weak plot, I think the story's well told. Taking a leaf out of Nicholas Sparks' book, Baldacci writes about love and loyalty and fighting the curve balls life throws at you. We see how Jack learns to deal with his pain and loss and gets over his childhood hang-ups. He learns that to share really does minimize the depth of the grief and it's a much better alternative than hiding it inside. He also learns that family is the only treasure that truly matters and taking it for granted is not the way to go about it.

To sum up, I'd say that long time Baldacci fans are going to be disappointed at the lack of spies and cover-ups but readers of Nicholas Sparks may have found another favourite novel.

Originally reviewed at : www.the-vault.co.cc (less)

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Apr 30, 2012 Jessica M rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, romance

The story One Summer By: David Baldacci is about a man, Jack, that is seriously sick. Jack has a hard working wife named Lizzie and three awesome children. Jack know that his life is shorter and shorter every minute of the day and tries to spend as much time with his family but also works on what her is going to do and say to his loved ones one his has passed. He wrote letters to his wife and made some idea for sayings he would like to tell his kids. One day Jack forgot some of his medicine and...more
The story One Summer By: David Baldacci is about a man, Jack, that is seriously sick. Jack has a hard working wife named Lizzie and three awesome children. Jack know that his life is shorter and shorter every minute of the day and tries to spend as much time with his family but also works on what her is going to do and say to his loved ones one his has passed. He wrote letters to his wife and made some idea for sayings he would like to tell his kids. One day Jack forgot some of his medicine and so Lizzy politely decides she will go and get it for him. On the way she got into a very sever car accident. Nobody saw it coming, not even from a mile away. It was a very tragic death for everyone. The kids didn’t know what to do or think because with their mother gone and their father about to die, they were lost. The three kids were separated and were sent to live with other family members around the country. One day when Jack thought it might be his last, he realized that he was breathing without the oxygen tube and he was doing it all on his own. “How long have I been breathing on my own?”, “He glanced at the vitals monitor. The alarm hadn’t gone off, though it should have. But as he gazed at the oxygen levels, he realized why the buzzer hadn’t sounded. His oxygen levels hadn’t dropped.”, How was that possible?” (Baldacci 44) He then got a burst of energy and felt like he never felt before. Jack had a miraculous recovery and was getting healthier by the minute. He was able to live and went to raise his kids in Lizzie’s childhood home in South Carolina on the ocean front. Jack was able to raise his kids again and brought his family together again.
I liked this book because it had a good plot, but it took a while to stay with the book because it tells you all of the interesting parts at the very beginning and then you wonder what they are going to talk about in the middle if they have said everything in the beginning. I think that it kept going on and off to different points in the book. The way the author used language that made you feel something was cool. I also liked the expressions that he made you feel because as soon as everything was down, he picked you back up. I did learn that someone will always be their for you and that when something is down or not going how you want it, don’t give up because miracles happen and it will end up okay. “Yet as the sweat cooled on his forehead, Jack smiled-for good reason.”, “He had just stood on his own power for the first time in months.” (Baldacci 45)
I would rate this book a three out of five because I loved the plot and story line. I also liked the lessons that were in the book. I didn’t like some of the writing in how it was all but together. especially the middle didn’t make much sense to me. This book is a realistic book and it doesn’t remind you of love at points because of the family sticking together in thick and thin. People who would mostly like this book are pre teens because it starts off easy and doesn’t build suspense at times. Overall I like this book.(less)

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Mar 22, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

one summer by David Baldacci
Jack is on his deathbed, but his wife dies and the kids are sent to other homes.
In SC he gets better and rejoins all the kids to be a family again.
Jack returned from the war with many medals is a construction worker and after he had worked 3 hours he was getting pains in his back, legs, all over.
The doctors told him 6 months if he was lucky. They were in Ohio where her family had moved to due to her dads' job relocation.
Jack was getting worse, on oxygen and taking pai...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Marie Ohanesian Nardin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first Baldacci read; found it at the airport and since it was one of the "Top 5" that week I grabbed it before catching a very long flight. That was more than a month ago and I've just finished it; kept putting it back on the nightstand, shaking my head each night wondering why published authors with a sound track record can get just about anything published. That might sound harsh but there are too many unbelievable circumstances in this book. Okay, it's fiction, but coming back from...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Dale Harcombe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this bopk and if I could have figured out how to do it I would have given this four and a half stars. This is the first David Baldacci book I have read. My husband has read several but I gather they are a different type of book to this. I picked this up on the strength of the cover, which shows how important covers are. If you can suspend disbelief and allow for miracles that include recovery from cancer, then you will have no trouble getting involved with these characters. I have no pro...more

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Feb 16, 2012 Paula rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book at the airport on my way to a vacation at a beach. The cover had a beach scene and it said “New York Times bestselling author.” Inside it showed a long list of previous books and mentioned international translations. It looked like a short read, and even though the title was boring, I thought it would be perfect. I wasn’t familiar with David Baldacci, but a lady on the plane said she liked his books and that he wrote legal mystery/thrillers. I had seen the movie “Absolute P...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Jinky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, playaway-audio

I have a confession. When I browse my library, I often don't read the blurbs before reading a book. I scan for key words and mainly go by author, the look of the bookcover, or thickness of the book. Maybe pretty shallow, but that's what I do. Usually more hits than misses ... here's an example of a hit. :)

Wow, what a heartwrenching story! I'm glad I didn't read the blurb because listening to it without knowing the premise gave an element of surprise and excitement to the experience. Anyway, from...more I have a confession. When I browse my library, I often don't read the blurbs before reading a book. I scan for key words and mainly go by author, the look of the bookcover, or thickness of the book. Maybe pretty shallow, but that's what I do. Usually more hits than misses ... here's an example of a hit. :)

Wow, what a heartwrenching story! I'm glad I didn't read the blurb because listening to it without knowing the premise gave an element of surprise and excitement to the experience. Anyway, from the start you are introduced to a devastating news. Jack Armstrong has a terminal disease and trying to hold on until Christmas. Christmas eve rolls around and Jack is ready to go ... love letters written, accepted his fate ... but BAM! his wife Lizzie ends up getting killed in a car accident on the way back from picking up Jack's medicine. You can imagine the "Oh no!" gasp going through my head when the police officers came knocking on Jack's door. Then as the story continues, Jack makes it to the funeral and soon prepares to die alone because his mother-in-law saw it fit for her grandchildren to find new homes in order to spare them of watching their father die. Little did anyone know that Jack would make a complete recovery, "Miracle Man" as he later would be coined. So the next step was for Jack to get his children back and fulfill a promise he made to his wife. There in the "Palace" the Armstrong family learns to heal and bond.

You can guess that this entailed a love story between husband and wife. But it extended beyond that. This tale involved immediate family and extended family as understandably when a tragedy hits. An array of emotions were bounced around and I found myself attached to basically all the characters. So much so that many tears were shed from my end. Because as you know, I'm a sucker for books that tug the heart. ;)

I like that his book was a lot about father-daughter relationship. It was a beautiful account! The ultimate, I'm a daddy's girl fuzzy feeling.

Overall, Mr. Baldacci did a great job at creating a second chance story with the right amount of fluff. I can imagine that this may give someone who has lost a loved one a bit of a good cry.

Jinky is Reading
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Oct 21, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been a fan of David Baldacci since I happened to pick up TOTAL CONTROL in an airport right before moving to Charlottesville, VA, where the book essentially takes place. Baldacci had me hooked, and I've been a fan ever since. I've met him at several of his book signings, and he's an incredibly likeable guy and an engaging speaker.

As an author in the women's lit genre, I was really happy to see Baldacci expose his softer side with ONE SUMMER - the side I knew was there from having met him a...more I have been a fan of David Baldacci since I happened to pick up TOTAL CONTROL in an airport right before moving to Charlottesville, VA, where the book essentially takes place. Baldacci had me hooked, and I've been a fan ever since. I've met him at several of his book signings, and he's an incredibly likeable guy and an engaging speaker.

As an author in the women's lit genre, I was really happy to see Baldacci expose his softer side with ONE SUMMER - the side I knew was there from having met him all those times.

Jack Armstrong is on his deathbed doing the unthinkable - saying goodbye to his family as he counts his last breaths. Jack's goodbyes are in the form of the love letters he writes to his wife, Lizzie, handling the emotional turbulence of each of his three children who run the gamete of too young, still innocent, and hardened teenager, and coping with in-laws whom you want to hate, but you almost can't.

The tragic event of Lizzie's sudden death shocks them to the core and the unexpected recovery of Jack creates a new reality for the Armstrong family beyond the realm of what any of them could have expected. I found Jack to be much like Baldacci himself - a likeable guy whom you want only the best for. As Jack rebuilds his life from his deathbed to now raising three children as a widower, they uproot and move to South Carolina to begin anew. The relationship with his daughter, Mikki, becomes the foundation of the story. Yet, each side story - Jack's new and tentative love interest and Mikki's adaptation to southern living - weave back and forth, while stitching their own relationship back together. The in-laws remain a force throughout the book, and the mother-in-law is someone you want to hate, but just can't. There are several characters, including Jack's best friend and the new friends of Mikki, who add depth to their characters by virtue of their interactions. Young adults would enjoy this book just as much as adults due to the many high school characters that come into play.

I very much enjoyed ONE SUMMER and hope that Baldacci continues to write in this genre. I think a lot of the feedback I've seen for this book stems more from people not being used to him writing in this genre than it does from a fair criticism of the book itself.

Full review: http://heatherhummel.blogspot.com/201...(less)

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Oct 12, 2011 Lakis Fourouklas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not the first family drama written by the great crime author (read the excellent Wish You Well) and we sure hope it will not be the last.
Baldacci seems to be leaping from the one genre to the other without any apparent difficulty. On the one hand in his books we meet trained killers, read conspiracy theories, and enjoy scenes of fast paced action, and on the other we find ourselves enjoying stories full of love and tenderness and, yes, with a touch of melancholy at the top. However, eve...more This is not the first family drama written by the great crime author (read the excellent Wish You Well) and we sure hope it will not be the last.
Baldacci seems to be leaping from the one genre to the other without any apparent difficulty. On the one hand in his books we meet trained killers, read conspiracy theories, and enjoy scenes of fast paced action, and on the other we find ourselves enjoying stories full of love and tenderness and, yes, with a touch of melancholy at the top. However, even the latter, manage to grab the reader by the throat and never allow his or her attention to drift away for a single moment from the action, from start to finish.
It all begins when we meet Jack Armstrong, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran. He’s a dying man, confined in bed, breathing with the help of machines, at his home in Cleveland. What the enemy bullets and the bombs haven’t managed to do, is now done by a mysterious illness, from which the chances to survive are minimal, or rather nonexistent. However he’s not alone, as he always has by his side his loving wife Lizzie, whom he married when very young, and his young sons; Jackie, who’s just two years old and Cory, who’s twelve. They all seem to have come to terms with the idea of his demise. However, there’s someone who’s not there for him, and that hurts. His daughter Michelle, or Mikki, as they all call her, is a girl of sixteen who at a first glance doesn’t seem to know how to handle the situation, so instead of sticking close to him, she chooses to stay as far away as she can. Jack, trapped day and night in his own bed, in his very home, he mentally visits his past, counts his blessings and spends as much time as he possibly can talking to his family, but also secretly writing a series of letters to Lizzie. Through these letters he intends to explain to her some things, and confess some others, while, in a way, he also wants to convince her to go on and lead a happy life after he’s gone.
Christmas day will be his last; or, at least, that’s the plan. However destiny, as usually is the case, has its own plans for him. Thus on Christmas Eve the wheels will suddenly turn and Lizzie will die at a traffic accident. As one would expect now things will dramatically change, as Jack will not only lose the love of his life, but also his kids, who will move away to live with their grandmother and aunts, each in a separate home, leaving him behind to die. Death, his death, seems to be the only thing he can control anymore and any time he decides to leave the world, the exit door will open. The only thing he needs to do is push a button and ask the doctors to put him out of his misery. However, even though death looks to be an attractive option, something holds him back from embracing its graces, despite the fact that “Sometimes living was far harder than dying”. As he reaches the point of no return, and decides to put an end to it all, exactly then the miracle happens; he starts to get better. Nobody can believe this miraculous reversal of fortune; not his doctors, not even himself. Each passing day though brings him closer to full recovery, and as time goes by his will to live is getting stronger and stronger. Now, with the help of his best friend Sammy, is determined more than ever to put things right, and make a new beginning with his kids. To achieve that though, he first has to make peace with his past. “You should respect the past. You should never forget the past. But you can’t live there”. The road to salvation will be long and winding, and Jack, better late than never, will at last come to realize that he needs other people’s help to reach his destination.
This is a well written story that talks about love and death, about the big passions that rule our lives, about the darkness that lurks in the teenage soul, as well as for the big truths that we fail to see, even though they are constantly right in front of our eyes. A brilliant novel by a master storyteller.
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Sep 28, 2011 Nada rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One summer is true departure for David Baldacci. From the world of action, adventure, espionage, and thrills to the world of family story and romance. The book tells the story of the Armstrong family - Jack, Lizzie, and their three children. Christmas is coming. Jack is terminally ill and hoping to making to Christmas and hoping to complete his goodbyes. On Christmas Eve, Lizzie is killed in a care accident. Over the next few months, Jack miraculously recovers and tries to put his family back to...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Kyle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, audiobook

I thought this book had a very interesting synopsis and therefore decided to listen to the audiobook. To start, I did not enjoy the fact that the audiobook uses different voices for the women vs the men (in terms of every single thing they say). I think it's a bit distracting and would much rather listen to one person who can "do" different voices depending on the characters.

As for the book itself, I was very disappointed. I felt the dad's illness was actually a bit pointless in terms of the sto...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jack Armstrong is living with terminal cancer and just wants to make it til Christmas with his family. As his wife makes a last minute pharmacy run on Christmas Eve, she is killed in a car accident. His three children are divided up between family members and Jack goes to hospice waiting to die. Miraculously his health takes a turn and he gets a second chance at life. He reclaims his kids and moves to the South Carolina shore where his wife Lizzie grew up. It's a summer for all of them to learn...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Janice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I could not put this book down and read it in a day sitting by the pool. It is not your typical David Baldacci read of non stop action or political intrigue, but more of a love store, tragedy and coping with the curve balls that life throws with a few miracles along the way. The book starts off with Jack Armstrong, 35 who is terminally ill and having difficulty letting go. He promises his wife he will hang on another week till Christmas as she prepares for his death and tries to cope with 3 chil...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family-drama

"One Summer" by David Baldacci is a novel that I was totally gripped from the first page. I couldn't put it down.This is a story of a guy, a decorated war vet, family man and all around decent guy - Jack Armstrong - who finds himself dying from a mysterious disease. Family members, including his darling wife and 3 kids, prepare for his departure from their lives and this world. He accepts his fate and makes his peace, though he doesn't want to go.

For me, the hallmark of a great book, whatever t...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Becki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first Baldacci book I read was the The Christmas Train. I think a sister-in-law recommended it to me…or maybe it was one of those random library picks. Who knows. Anyway, I loved it.
Then I got into reading his political intrigue books (of which there are many). I really liked them as well.
However, with One Summer David Baldacci returns his focus to relationships and a feel-good story. And I thoroughly enjoyed the return.
I enjoyed Jack and Micki’s journey through death and life and grief and...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, audio-book, chick-lit, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is very schmaltzy, sort of like a Lifetime movie you run across on a lazy weekend, one where you know what is doing to happen, but you can't turn it off and you often find yourself tearing up over the course.

While reading this book you will find yourself running the gauntlet of emotions. I was so sorry for Jack at the start, we are with him as he is waiting to die. I can't imagine anything worse, he wants to be with his family but knows that it is impossible and he sees them slipping a...more

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