Late Bloomer [Mass Market Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Buried secrets and past betrayals, old friendships and new beginnings are at the heart of this rich, compelling bestseller from Fern Michaels, one of today's most popular novelists.

Twenty years after a childhood accident left a permanent shadow over her life, Cady Jordan has returned to her Pennsylvania hometown. Her beloved grandmother Lola, a retired movie star, needs Cady's care -- but soon after arriving at Lola's lavish estate, it's clear that the colorful actress will be Cady's mentor to living life to the fullest. Cady wants nothing more than to come out of her shell, but to do so means resurrecting her lost memories of the day when a foolish stunt ended with a young bully's death and Cady's serious injury -- a tragedy for which her friends held Cady responsible. They're adults now -- a lawyer, a businessman, a stay-at-home mom. And a police chief: Boomer Ward, whose flaring attraction works on Cady's guarded heart. Now, Cady must determine who can be trusted as she draws closer to Boomer and confronts those who wish she'd never returned. Old wounds may be healed, but can Cady close a door on her heartache and embrace a bright new life?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The eponymous late bloomer in this new novel by the prolific Michaels (No Place Like Home) is Cady Jordan, a dowdy 30-year-old loner who moves back to her hometown of Indigo, Pa., to take care of her ailing grandmother. Lola Jor Dan is no cuddly, cookie-baking granny; she's a flamboyant retired movie star, widowed six times and living on a lavish estate. She revamps Cady's wardrobe ("You're going to buy off the rack?") and encourages her to start living her life. But Cady can't: when she was 10 years old, she took part in a daredevil stunt that landed her in the hospital and killed another child. She has no memory of the accident, but has been a nervous, timid creature ever since. Now that she's back in Indigo, Cady hopes to recover her lost memory. Fortunately, the town is still home to all her cohorts of that day: Pete Danson, now a local lawyer; Boomer Ward, the town's police chief; Amy Hollister, who had been leader of the mischievous pack and is now a stay-at-home mom; and Amy's twin, Andy, an insurance salesman. The childhood attraction between Cady and Boomer becomes an on-and-off-again romance that complicates matters as Cady tries to get to the bottom of what happened, while her former playmates do everything they can to stop her. The action-packed plot holds few surprises, but Michaels's fans will be satisfied with this feel-good page-turner.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Refusing to slack off after 44 best sellers, Michaels introduces us to Cady Johnson, who is trying to heal after a childhood tragedy.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743457935
• ISBN-13: 978-0743457934
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delight, April 14, 2003

By 

G. Greene - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Late Bloomer (Hardcover)

The marvelous, interesting, and well-developed characters in this book made it a joy to read. I was particularly taken with Lola and her associates and their foibles. Michaels has the ability to create real people of all ages, and she does a splendid job with their interactions. Her plot is nicely woven as well, which makes for an eminently satisfying read.

I especially appreciated how she ended the book, not resorting to any cheap tricks as a lesser writer might have done. Her characters were consistent, and their behavior was believable.

Strongly recommended, and kudos to the author!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read it for entertainment, April 23, 2005

By 

Blair (East Coast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Late Bloomer (Hardcover)

Twenty years after an accident that changed her life, Cady Jordan returns to her home town where a nasty secret has been kept since the accident that seriously injured her and killed another child, thirteen-year-old bully Jeff King. Cady has not been able to remember the day's events and has spent twenty years living in its shadow.

While this basic storyline seems ominous, the book is actually more a romantic comedy than a dark mystery. Cady comes back to help her elderly grandmother, former movie star, Lola Jor Dan. Lola and her cohorts, Mandy and Anthony, her friends and so-called house staff, were once part of the Hollywood film scene. Lola went through six husbands and a host of paramours in her younger years and is quite the character. The antics of these three are quite amusing as they work to get Cady to remember the accident and get a life. Childhood friends, twins Andy and Amy Hollister (Chambers), Pete Danson, and Boomer Ward figure in this story and certainly into the day in Indigo Valley that the town still talks about. The book is a mix of humor, romance, intrigue, and even a tear or two.

As I read this book I was wondering, as I always do, about its appropriateness for young people. My conclusion: this is a good book for teenage boys and girls. While it may seem more appropriate for girls, I recommend it to boys as well. There are three men in this story who have some major soul-searching to do as to what kind of man each truly is. If I were a teacher, I'd have my high school students read it and discuss how seriously a lie told once, can grow into a monster over time and change your life forever. It's also a good lesson about how far some people will go out of fear of such a lie being exposed.

The book was easy to read. Some of the writing was a little iffy for me with some scenarios a little unlikely...not improbably, just unlikely. Overall, I enjoyed it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just not a Fern Michaels fan..., April 23, 2005

By 

Courtney Thompson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Late Bloomer (MICHAELS, FERN) (Hardcover)

Okay, this is the third book of hers that I have read, and they are all written in the same childish way. The writing is stilted and the characters are just silly. In this book, the characters are not even likable, even Cady, the "heroine." The dialogue is too simplistic and the book was about 300 pages too long. I am not sure why Michaels is supposedly a great author- the books I have read are very dissapointing. I won't be picking any more of her books up to read.