It is 1940 and a tragedy sends two young children, Lou and Oz, along with their invalid mother, from New York City to the rugged mountains of Southwestern Virginia to live with their great-grandmother. The portraits of the land and its people are described with an extraordinary eye for detail as the story flows through swells of prejudice, innocence, greed, and faith, and the question of whether one can ever really wish another well.
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Lana reads with less of a mountain drawl than might be strictly true to life, but for the sake of most listeners' ability to understand, that's probably a good thing. She does make each of her main characters a distinct individual, an advatage not to be underestimated.
Baldacci is known for his thrillers, but after WISH YOU WELL the real mystery is why he doesn't write more stories like it. He shows strong insight into the minds of children by telling the story of 12-year-old Lou and her 7-year-old brother, Oz, who are learning to live with their great-grandmother in Virginia after the death of their father. Norma Lana brings so much vigor to the story the listener will be tempted to stand up and cheer, or reach for a tissue. This is one of those performances that make us late for work. Lana speaks in the mountain tongue so well that there's no question of its authenticity. There's a lot of Baldacci in the story--he comes from the same mountains-- and it shows in the sheer joy of the writing. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]
Baldacci is known for his thrillers, but after WISH YOU WELL the real mystery is why he doesn't write more stories like it. He shows strong insight into the minds of children by telling the story of 12-year-old Lou and her 7-year-old brother, Oz, who are learning to live with their great-grandmother in Virginia after the death of their father. Norma Lana brings so much vigor to the story the listener will be tempted to stand up and cheer, or reach for a tissue. This is one of those performances that make us late for work. Lana speaks in the mountain tongue so well that there's no question of its authenticity. There's a lot of Baldacci in the story--he comes from the same mountains-- and it shows in the sheer joy of the writing. M.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]
About the Author
David Baldacci was born in Virginia, in 1960, where he currently resides. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Mr. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney. David Baldacci has published 14 novels and a young adult series, Freddy and the French Fries. He has also published a novella for the Dutch entitled Office Hours , written for Holland's Year 2000 "Month of the Thriller." Baldacci authored a short story, The Mighty Johns, as part of a mystery anthology published in 2002. His works have been in numerous worldwide magazines, newspapers, journals, and publications. Baldacci has authored seven original screenplays. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. All of his books have been national and international bestsellers. Over 50 million copies of Mr. Baldacci's books are in print worldwide. Castle Rock entertainment made Absolute Power (Warner Books, 1996) into a major motion picture starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. The novel Absolute Power won Britain's W.H. Smith's Thumping Good Read award for fiction in 1997, and was nominated for a literary award in Italy. Absolute Power was selected for People Magazine's "Page Turner of the Week." Absolute Power won the 1996 Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery/Thriller from the Southern Writers Guild.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful story, well written, well read.,
By Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wish You Well (Audio CD)
David Baldacci is one of the most popular mystery writers around today. Readers eat up his bestselling thrillers. So it was a surprise to read his sweet, coming-of-age novel, Wish You Well--a total but remarkable change from his usual foray.
Wish You Well is set in the Appalachian hills of Baldacci's native Virginia during early 1940s. It is a tender, heart-felt story about two young siblings who tragically lose their beloved father, a famous writer, in a car accident. Their mother remains in a comatose state and unable to care for her children. So, 12-year-old Lou Cardinal, named after her great-grandmother, Louise Mae of Virginia, takes on the role of surrogate mother to her 7-year-old brother Oz. The dynamic duo decide to move to the Appalachians that her father so loved and wrote about in his books--a heroic quest for Lou, and especially shy Oz, having never met the famous Louisa Mae who raised their father. Having heard so much about their great-grandmother, they can't wait to live in Virginia and gain a new knowledge of the scenic landscape and its people. But it's nothing like they expected. There's suddenly a whole world the Cardinal children have never experienced before, including prejudice, learning a new language all its own, and how to have faith--an experience Lou and Oz will carry with them throughout their lifetimes. Wish You Well is a poignant journey of trust. Throughout the course of the novel, both Lou and Oz learn to take care of each other and how to survive in a rural and rugged land, far different from their native New York City. It was the first time I have listened to an audio book. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the novel read in the Southern voice of writer and actress Norma Lana. Wish You Well is one of Baldacci's best novels. I also appreciated the story from a genealogy perspective. But it was a definite tear-jerker, so get out the tissue! Along with his wife Michelle, Baldacci has created the Wish You Well Foundation. The non-profit organization helps support family literacy throughout the United States. [...]
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Its All Good..,
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This review is from: Wish You Well (Audio CD)
The Voice on the CD for this book is awesome. She really makes this book interesting to me. Hope you enjoy it as well.
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