Synopsis
Wish You Well is the story of Louisa Mae Cardinal, a precocious twelve-year-old girl living in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her acclaimed but sadly underpaid writer father, her compassionate mother, and her timid younger brother, Oz. For Lou, her family's financial struggles are invisible to her. Instead, she is a daughter who idolizes her father and is in love with the art of storytelling.
Then, in a single, terrifying moment, Lou's life is changed forever, and she and Oz are on a train rolling away from New York and down into the mountains of Virginia. There, Lou's mother will begin a long, slow struggle between life and death. And there, Lou and Oz will be raised by their remarkable great-grandmother, Louisa, Lou's namesake.
Suddenly a girl finds herself coming of age in a landscape that could not be more foreign to her. On her great-grandmother's farm, on the land her father loved and wrote about, Lou finds her first true friend; learns lessons in loyalty, tragedy, and redemption; and experiences adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. When a dark, destructive force encroaches on their new home, Lou and her brother are caught up in another struggle - a struggle for justice and survival that will be played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom.
My Two Cents Worth
I was skeptical of one of my favorite authors switching genres because, let's face it - change is difficult. Especially when you are a huge fan of his usual political - action - intrigue fare.
Once again, however, Mr. Baldacci does not disappoint. Wish You Well is a perfect change of pace, proving that a truly talented storyteller could satisfy a reader simply by reciting his breakfast menu.
This is not just a different genre - it is a radical departure from his Oliver Stone series and Last Man Standing novels. Wish You Well is a personal and emotional account that takes the author back to his birthplace of his ancestors and involves some beloved members of his family in a tale of the hardships and day-to-day struggles that come with living off the bounty of the land.
Wish You Well is the story of Louisa Mae Cardinal, a precocious twelve-year-old girl living in the hectic New York City of 1940 with her acclaimed but sadly underpaid writer father, her compassionate mother, and her timid younger brother, Oz. For Lou, her family's financial struggles are invisible to her. Instead, she is a daughter who idolizes her father and is in love with the art of storytelling.
Then, in a single, terrifying moment, Lou's life is changed forever, and she and Oz are on a train rolling away from New York and down into the mountains of Virginia. There, Lou's mother will begin a long, slow struggle between life and death. And there, Lou and Oz will be raised by their remarkable great-grandmother, Louisa, Lou's namesake.
Suddenly a girl finds herself coming of age in a landscape that could not be more foreign to her. On her great-grandmother's farm, on the land her father loved and wrote about, Lou finds her first true friend; learns lessons in loyalty, tragedy, and redemption; and experiences adventures tragic, comic, and audacious. When a dark, destructive force encroaches on their new home, Lou and her brother are caught up in another struggle - a struggle for justice and survival that will be played out in a crowded Virginia courtroom.
My Two Cents Worth
I was skeptical of one of my favorite authors switching genres because, let's face it - change is difficult. Especially when you are a huge fan of his usual political - action - intrigue fare.
Once again, however, Mr. Baldacci does not disappoint. Wish You Well is a perfect change of pace, proving that a truly talented storyteller could satisfy a reader simply by reciting his breakfast menu.
This is not just a different genre - it is a radical departure from his Oliver Stone series and Last Man Standing novels. Wish You Well is a personal and emotional account that takes the author back to his birthplace of his ancestors and involves some beloved members of his family in a tale of the hardships and day-to-day struggles that come with living off the bounty of the land.
This is a tale of good vs. evil, hope vs. despair, and tragedy vs. triumph. It is also a work of fiction, but the characters are so vivid and the plot so plausible, it is easy to become intimately involved. This is a Laura Ingalls Wilder meets Mark Twain, top-shelf read.
I highly recommend Wish You Well to the legions of Baldacci fans that care to sneak a peak into the character and soul of this prolific and now multi-faceted storyteller.
