Wish You Well by David Baldacci Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.98 You Save: $9.01 (69%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.06 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Wish You Well
Book Review: Good commercial fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm still not quite sure what to make of Baldacci's WISH YOU WELL. Despite the hype, this is not a literary novel, although it does sometimes come close, but rather is commercial mainstream fiction aimed to sell well and not to challenge our preconceptions of the world. As long as you view it as just that - a commercial novel - you will be satisfied with this book.In 1940, Jack Cardinal dies in a car accident that leaves his wife Amanda in a coma and his two children, Lou (short for Louisa) and Oz (Oscar), without a caretaker. Lou acts on her parents' last conversation and suggests the surviving family members go to Virginia to live with great-grandmother, Louisa, whom none of them has met. So off the three go: Lou, Oz, and comatose Amanda. There, Lou and Oz discover a hard but rewarding existence in the mountains where coal and poverty rule. They come to love Eugene, also known as "Hell No", Diamond who is a resourceful but uneducated orphan, and, most of all, Louisa herself, who has many lessons to teach the children.
Although the plot is somewhat predictable and Baldacci populates his Virgina mountains with a supporting cast of types (the greedy coal company men, the abusive man who tends to his mare's foaling despite his wife's difficult - and simultaneous, of course - labor, the black man who gets respect only from the good guys), Baldacci goes further with his main characters. Pre-teen Lou is well imagined, even if she sometimes acts too old for her age. Louisa, Lou's great-grandmother, has the most commanding presence of all the characters, with her mountain hardness tempered by a generous heart; her past and present all feel real, true to life.
You'll enjoy this book as long as you don't expect high literature. Baldacci knows how to tell a story, and how to tell it well, leaving his readers with a firm sense of resolution. You won't find page-turning suspense here, as you will with his other bestselling books, but you will discover a new side to this author. As a literary novel (which some people claim it is), I would give it three stars; as a mainstream commercial one, I'd give it five.
Book Review: A joy to read
Summary: 5 Stars
Although a departure from his usual tales of intrigue, "Wish You Well" is every bit as well-crafted and captivating as David Baldacci's five previous books. Reminiscent of the Harper Lee classic, "To Kill a Mockingbird," this moving story about triumph in the face of adversity is enchanting and wholly uplifting. Rife with unforgettable characters, Baldacci's timeless tale is a page-turner that will bring tears to your eyes and joy to your heart. In short, "Wish You Well" will be a treat for Baldacci fans; for those who have not yet read his earlier books, here is a highly memorable introduction to a very gifted novelist.Book Review: wish you well
Summary: 4 Stars
strong literary instincts reveal a new side of this best selling author normally known for his thrilling twists in tales. His lucidity and fluency remain and combine to make this book a very impressive read - and not so unrecommended for the weak-hearted.