false 87745 28 David Baldacci has made a name for himself crafting big, burly legal thrillers with larger-than-life plots. However, <I>Wish You Well</I>, set in his native Virginia, is a tale of hope and wonder and "something of a miracle" just itching to happen. This shift from contentious urbanites to homespun hill families may come as a surprise to some of Baldacci's fans--but they can rest assured: the author's sense of pacing and exuberant prose have made the leap as well.<p> The year is 1940. After a car accident kills 12-year-old Lou's and 7-year-old Oz's father and leaves their mother Amanda in a catatonic trance, the children find themselves sent from New York City to their great-grandmother Louisa's farm in Virginia. Louisa's hardscrabble existence comes as a profound shock to precocious Lou and her shy brother. Still struggling to absorb their abandonment, they enter gamely into a life that tests them at every turn--and offers unimaginable rewards. For Lou, who dreams of following in her father's literary footsteps, the misty, craggy Appalachians and the equally rugged individuals who make the mountains their home quickly become invested with an almost mythic significance: <blockquote> They took metal cups from nails on the wall and dipped them in the water, and then sat outside and drank. Louisa picked up the green leaves of a mountain spurge growing next to the springhouse, which revealed beautiful purple blossoms completely hidden underneath. "One of God's little secrets," she explained. Lou sat there, cup cradled between her dimpled knees, watching and listening to her great-grandmother in the pleasant shade... </blockquote> Baldacci switches deftly between lovingly detailed character description (an area in which his debt to Laura Ingalls Wilder and Harper Lee seems evident) and patient development of the novel's central plot. If that plot is a trifle transparent--no one will be surprised by Amanda's miraculous recovery or by the children's eventual battle with the nefarious forces of industry in an attempt to save their great-grandmother's farm--neither reader nor character is the worse for it. After all, nostalgia is about remembering things one already knows. <I>--Kelly Flynn</I> 2249197 2000 Wish You Well total:2281|5:606|4:875|3:596|2:159|1:45| 2281 8681 3029 452 4 4 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 07:56:32 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 21 09:26:20 -0700 2008
This is the st...more...]]> 4 3 false false Sun Nov 09 04:00:39 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 09 04:05:42 -0800 2008 4 3 false false Sat Jun 21 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 21 18:09:10 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 21 18:09:55 -0700 2008 4 2 false false Sun Nov 09 08:47:10 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 09 08:47:10 -0800 2008 The story itself is well-written, with two main children characters who are forced to grow up and learn to rely on each other after they are ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Nov 30 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jan 04 08:41:45 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 08:46:00 -0800 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Thu Feb 26 13:36:05 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 02 13:46:13 -0800 2009 This is a book that made me cry, and pulled at my heart, but at the same time made me smile and really appreciate what I have before I loose it. The emotion in this book was powerfully written and motivating. It’s about an everyday family, everyday people who loose everything, ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 10:32:48 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 11:33:23 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Aug 28 23:47:31 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 29 17:54:48 -0700 2008 “You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.” –Gene Wilder, Blazing Saddles

Apropos of nothing, I’ve been thinking of Italian Western epics a lot lately, so I thought I’d do...more...]]> 1 2 false true Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 16:02:14 -0800 2008 Tue Jan 22 16:02:14 -0800 2008
Spoilers ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jun 09 22:44:03 -0700 2007 Sun Jun 24 23:11:53 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 09 08:42:11 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 19 07:08:34 -0800 2008 1 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000 Thu Aug 30 16:04:09 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 30 16:04:11 -0700 2007
"The year is 1940. After a car accident kills 12-year-old Lou's and 7-year-old Oz's father and leaves their mother Amanda in a catatonic trance, the children find themselves sent from New York City to...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Aug 17 05:45:12 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 05:45:52 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed May 28 09:49:13 -0700 2008 Wed May 28 10:03:23 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 28 11:23:07 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 10:19:28 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Jan 05 20:20:57 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 20:21:21 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jul 19 17:35:30 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 17:35:38 -0700 2009
Wish You Well tells the tale of Lou and Oz Cardinal as they struggle through life’s challenges. Their father dies in a tragic car accident that also turns their mother into an invalid who remains unconscious. They must move away ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 18 08:21:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 08:29:29 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 17:16:44 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 15 09:24:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Jan 07 19:36:58 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 21:48:41 -0800 2009 Wish You Well is unforgettable & heartwarming. One of the best coming of age tale. It was so captivating and beautiful. I luv it alot. It is extremely worth reading.

David Baldacci has done brillant writing. I loved the characters and the rural setting. My favorite characters were Lou,...more...]]>