Customer Reviews

Coast Road: A Novel

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The story is wonderful, and the way it's presented is both unique and interesting. Ms. Delinsky has a writing style and a way of exploring contemporary women's issues that few other authors can match. If you haven't read this book, by all means do so. It will probably make you smile and definitely make you cry.

Having said that, I found Jack to be a much more sympathetic character than Rachel. Yes, he has flaws. And, yes, he carries much of the weight of responsibility for the loss of their marriage. Much...but not all.

I didn't feel that Rachel ever owned up to her own contribution to their divorce. After all, she walked out on Jack. Without explanation. She took his daughters and went someplace where she could be more creative. But never - not once - did she tell him why she was leaving or what he was doing wrong. She expected him to read her mind in several situations - to anticipate needs she never expressed - and when he couldn't, she punished him. Jack had to discover Rachel's feelings secondhand and I think that was an injustice.

That was the weakest link in this book. The relationships between Jack and his daughters and Jack and Rachel's friends are developed beautifully (and, incidentally, comprise much of the book). Likewise, Jack's path of discovery and growth is believable and heartwrenching.

Jack's character alone makes this book worth reading.

An ex-husband is forced to become primary care-giver to his 2 daughters while his ex-wife lies in a coma. In the process he discovers his life isn't what he wants and finds what he wants.

I enjoyed the book written from the guy's perspective. All the friends of the ex-wife were interesting and I wished I could have learned more about them. This is the 2nd Delinsky book I've read and they were both enjoyable reads.

Coast Road is one of Barbara Delinsky's best, although it took me some time to realize it. I read the back cover many times before I decided to read it, based solely on the fact one of the two main characters was in a coma for much of the story. I was never a fan of flashbacks, but Coast Road is a unique book.

Divorced for 6 years, Rachel Keats and Jack McGill followed different paths that ultimately would lead them to the same place...to a roller coaster ride of emotions that were solely Jack's. In the middle of the night, Jack is awakened by a phone call informing him that the mother of his two daughters is in a coma following a car accident. He rushes to be with his daughters, but as they struggle with the idea of life without Rachel, Jack realizes he still loves his former wife. The format of the story is filled with vivid memories--(I don't want to call them flashbacks)--and present day pains: the understanding that love is a fleeting thing that you must catch it while you can.

This is the second Barbara Delinsky book I've read and it hooked me. This story is wonderful. I was amazed at how you knew everything about Rachel, but she was comatose for the majority of the book. It also reminds you to appreciate the things you have when you have them. I would strongly recommend this book!

COAST ROAD being the 6th novel I'd read of BD's work, I had begun to notice that her fiction creates a state of mind similar to what one of my readers (a US Marine) described about my work, "I was reading and reading, and all of a sudden I realized I had forgotten I was reading and felt I was just thinking my own thoughts."

Delinsky's fiction is so naturally and seamlessly real that I had, with COAST ROAD, decided to quit trying to pick out what works about her writing techniques, and to allow myself to just "be there," ironically slipping into a peaceful dream-like luxury similar to that of resting in a coma along with Rachael, receiving rather than responding, while her family and friends shower her with the balming presence of every variety of perfect love.

Almost as cathartic as the regeneration of the soul-link between Jack and Rachael was the beautiful, believable transformation of 15-year-old Samantha from a highly annoying super brat into a sensitive, appealingly gutsy young woman. What I admire most about this novel, though, is that it is told from a man's point-of-view, exposing simply and gently how tremendous emotional growth could occur in even the most Macho Male.

Even shored up by 5 previous Delinsky novels, I was concerned that a story about a woman in a coma would have to be sad and depressing, possibly even boring at times. This book was anything but. Sensitive, yes, sad but redeeming, and intensely engrossing in a way of deep, pensive satisfaction. It's another landmark winner of a book.

I found myself quickly drawn into this book. The characters were engaging, the settings were vivid and the story was intense. There were lots of chances for Jack to leave, but he stuck by his ex-wife Rachel's side throughout her coma, meeting her new friends from her new life and caring for the teenage daughters who barely remembered him. One daughter is already coping with the loss of a beloved pet, the other is 'fifteen going on thirty'. Throughout, he finds himself remembering the good times with his ex-wife and decides to rededicate himself to his family, quitting his high-stress job that kept him away from them in the first place. I was moved to tears at several points, something a book rarely does for me. I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book I have read by Barbara Delinsky but it definitly will not be the last.

The story follows the lives of a family brought together by a tragic accident. Rachel is left in a coma. Her ex-husband (Jack) must come care for their two daughters. As the days pass Jack learns a lot about Rachel and why their marriage failed. He realizes how much he has missed his family. He must then wrestle with the fact that Rachel may never wake up and if she does that she may not want him back.

This book touches on some very real issues and does a good job of conveying the emotions of the characters. It is slow in some places but does move along (especially considering one of the main characters is in a coma). I hope Barabara Deliniski's other novels are as good as this one!

Barbara Delinsky is one of the most skilled authors of that genre known as "women's fiction." COAST ROAD again displays why she has earned her stellar reputation. This is a beautiful book, beautifully conceived, beautifully written in typical Delinsky fashion. The characters are well-fleshed and the story is gripping and fast-paced. The book, ultimately, is touching as well. For fans of Ms. Delinsky, COAST ROAD is a must-read. And for readers who have not yet sampled this author's work, COAST ROAD would be a fine place to start.

In all fairness I listened to this story on audiocassettes (ABRIDGED) I checked out of the library. I wasn't impressed with this story. After reading all the terrific reviews I must admit I let my expectations get too high. I was expecting a story that would move me much like a LaVyrle Spencer novel. I couldn't connect with these characters. I was unable to comprehend why Rachel didn't discuss things with Jack when their marriage broke up six years before? Why did jack just allow this to happen without explaination? I couldn't believe that the author wanted me to accept the concept of them getting back together because she had been in a coma? Why did it take this to make them want to talk about their problems? I felt that if the marriage meant something to the two of them, they would have at least tried to talk and work things out. I think it could have been plausible if they were not able to work through things after talking they get a divorce, but to dissolve a marriage without discussing the root of their problems? I had a real problem with Jack allowing his 15 year old daughter to tell him what she intended to do on prom night? Who was the adult? I can understand that certain young people can be very mature, but the adult is responsible for setting guidelines etc. Why do we want our young to have to make adult decisions so soon? I'm no advocate of keeping young people in the dark about things, but as a teenager I really appreciated my parents giving me rules and guidelines to follow. Before we know it we are all grown up and full of responsibilities. I'm only 30 years old and I felt it was very irresponsible of Jack to handle things the way he did? I'm sorry but I really didn't like this book, I gave it 2 stars because I listened to an abridged audio and wanted to give the author the benefit of the doubt on what I didn't get from this story.

Jack McGill and Rachel Keats have been divorced for six years and each went their separate ways. He became a wheeler dealer San Francisco architect and she became a Big Sur artist. Though their marriage is a thing of the past, Jack panics when he receives a late night call informing him that Rachel has been seriously injured in a car accident. He rushes to see her as she lies in a coma. He immediately knows that their connection still remains strong.

As Rachel remains in a coma, Jack moves into her home to care for their children and stay near her. He visits her every day and begins to meet her friends. Jack starts to understand why Rachel left him. He now knows he never had time for her and their children. He desperately needs to have a second chance to prove to Rachel and the kids that he has changed. Now, if she will only wake up to grant him his second chance.

Barbara Delinsky has a strong and fluid writing style that constantly moves her story line forward in an interesting manner even as each plot is unique unto itself. COAST ROAD is a beautiful love story that stars a heroine who is in a coma throughout the novel. Only a daredevil like Ms. Delinsky would risk this type of device and only a talent like the Divine Ms. D could make it work so brilliantly. This author's star is rising to levels unheard of by industry pundits.

Harriet Klausner