Wish You Well
by David Baldacci, read by Norma Lana
Published by Hachette Audio
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Reviewed by Christine Edlund
(Unabridged version, 10 hours--also in hardcover)
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. To find out more information, visit http://www.WishYouWellFoundation.org
Armchair Interviews says: A different, but nice offering from David Baldacci.
Author's Web site: http://www.DavidBaldacci.com