Customer Reviews

One Summer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jack Armstrong is a former army ranger married to his other half...a marriage meant to be, made in heaven. Then he comes down with an unnamed fatal illness which will leave his wife and 3 children alone.
David Baldacci completes an artful and accurate description of what illness does to the whole family. The story is told from Jack's viewpoint..."he couldn't make it upstairs to his bedroom...It was another piece of his life taken from him, like he was being dismantled, brick by brick. ". The story is heart rendering and oh so true in its description of its` characters, in the thoughts of Jack, the actions of his wife and his teenage daughter. The two younger sons really do not have much depth in their part, but that does not hamper the story.

The family suffers another horrendous tragedy and blow after blow. Jack has to struggle to rebuild his life, his emotions and most of all his family. The bulk of the story takes place at his wife's family beach house, where we see a family struggling with the anger, the angst of the setbacks they are dealt.

This is a heart wrenching story, but also one that proves the power of love and determination and yes of miracles. It is for romantics and those who search for what life is all about, what people can do and learn and how they can change their lives. It shows the mistakes and tenderness that we all need to see and would find absorbing to read about. This is a book, a good story with all the interesting plot twists and turns of a mesmerizing summer read....Sometimes life doesn't work out and then maybe it does.

This book had been recommended at various bookstores, so I was hoping for more from the story and the writer.

I have never read a David Baldacci novel before, but I understand that he mostly writes action type thrillers. Well that comes through in One Summer, the way it's written, the pace -it's like he's desperately trying a new genre but can't stray too far from the nest.

As one reviewer has already suggested, the storyline feels artificial. Perhaps it's because each chapter is only about four pages long, so the story keeps jumping from one scene to the next. This book reads as if it was written to be a film.
It is also somewhat predictable in it's storyline, perhaps not so much if you don't read the jacket first (if you do, you might as well not bother reading the actual book as there's little else to the story).

I was hoping for more evocative descriptions of summer in South Carolina and some insight into the more unusual issues that might split and unite a family. Now that could have made it a good summer read! Sadly, this book just never really delivered.

"Arise for our help,
And redeem us for Your mercies' sake." -- Psalm 44:26 (NKJV)

Life can be filled with pain and emotional suffering . . . but sometimes things turn out differently than we expect. When that happens, will we take full advantage of any second chances that come our way? That's this novel's theme.

Before going further, be sure to realize that this book isn't a typical Baldacci thriller . . . in fact, it's not a thriller at all. It's a story about a family trying to knit itself together in a new way.

If you are looking for a thriller, look elsewhere . . . but don't complain that I didn't warn you if you decide to read this book expecting what you've always gotten from Mr. Baldacci. You won't find it here.

If you read the book, expect that you may feel like crying. It's a sad story.

If you are looking for lots of surprises in the story, that's not in the cards unless you don't read the jacket copy.

It's a book that carefully develops one character, Jack Armstrong, and his search for redemption through changing his relationship with his family.

Those who will like the book best will be those who would like to make up for any wrongs they have done to their families by turning over a new leaf.

Ultimately, it's an uplifting story.

The main drawback is that the plot felt artificial to me. As a result, I couldn't get as emotionally into the story as I usually do.

The main strength of the story is that it will cause you to think about how you can behave better with your family.

They say a good story has to be insightful, engaging and entertaining while rife with lessons.As a matter of fact, the setting for this eerily fascinating story is great; the pacing is fast, the narrative supports the dialogue, which in itself is effectively used. There is no point going on and on. This story strikes a chord with its target readership and even beyond. However, I am glad I stumbled onto it. Flash of the Sun is another thriller in waiting and hope it meets the hype that came with its recommendation.

David never fails to disappoint me. This shows what a creative writer he his. He can write about anything. His ability to change into diferent characters and diferent types of family backgrounds is just awesome. One Summer is a sad story but it is brilliantly written. Well worth a read.

This is not the first family drama written by the great crime author (read the excellent Wish You Well) and we sure hope it will not be the last.
Baldacci seems to be leaping from the one genre to the other without any apparent difficulty. On the one hand in his books we meet trained killers, read conspiracy theories, and enjoy scenes of fast paced action, and on the other we find ourselves enjoying stories full of love and tenderness and, yes, with a touch of melancholy at the top. However, even the latter, manage to grab the reader by the throat and never allow his or her attention to drift away for a single moment from the action, from start to finish.
It all begins when we meet Jack Armstrong, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran. He's a dying man, confined in bed, breathing with the help of machines, at his home in Cleveland. What the enemy bullets and the bombs haven't managed to do, is now done by a mysterious illness, from which the chances to survive are minimal, or rather nonexistent. However he's not alone, as he always has by his side his loving wife Lizzie, whom he married when very young, and his young sons; Jackie, who's just two years old and Cory, who's twelve. They all seem to have come to terms with the idea of his demise. However, there's someone who's not there for him, and that hurts. His daughter Michelle, or Mikki, as they all call her, is a girl of sixteen who at a first glance doesn't seem to know how to handle the situation, so instead of sticking close to him, she chooses to stay as far away as she can. Jack, trapped day and night in his own bed, in his very home, he mentally visits his past, counts his blessings and spends as much time as he possibly can talking to his family, but also secretly writing a series of letters to Lizzie. Through these letters he intends to explain to her some things, and confess some others, while, in a way, he also wants to convince her to go on and lead a happy life after he's gone.
Christmas day will be his last; or, at least, that's the plan. However destiny, as usually is the case, has its own plans for him. Thus on Christmas Eve the wheels will suddenly turn and Lizzie will die at a traffic accident. As one would expect now things will dramatically change, as Jack will not only lose the love of his life, but also his kids, who will move away to live with their grandmother and aunts, each in a separate home, leaving him behind to die. Death, his death, seems to be the only thing he can control anymore and any time he decides to leave the world, the exit door will open. The only thing he needs to do is push a button and ask the doctors to put him out of his misery. However, even though death looks to be an attractive option, something holds him back from embracing its graces, despite the fact that "Sometimes living was far harder than dying". As he reaches the point of no return, and decides to put an end to it all, exactly then the miracle happens; he starts to get better. Nobody can believe this miraculous reversal of fortune; not his doctors, not even himself. Each passing day though brings him closer to full recovery, and as time goes by his will to live is getting stronger and stronger. Now, with the help of his best friend Sammy, is determined more than ever to put things right, and make a new beginning with his kids. To achieve that though, he first has to make peace with his past. "You should respect the past. You should never forget the past. But you can't live there". The road to salvation will be long and winding, and Jack, better late than never, will at last come to realize that he needs other people's help to reach his destination.
This is a well written story that talks about love and death, about the big passions that rule our lives, about the darkness that lurks in the teenage soul, as well as for the big truths that we fail to see, even though they are constantly right in front of our eyes. A brilliant novel by a master storyteller.

This is a departure from David Baldacci's normal style and content. However it demonstrates that he is capable of producing a fine and gentle storyline combining pathos,family trials and tribulations and an underlying love story that tugs at the heart strings.It is a book that is uplifting and hard to put down.It draws the reader into a fantasy world with such skill that you almost feel a part of it.One can almost smell the sea and the images of the stunning coast line in which it is set. More of the same please David although don't neglect Sean King and Michelle Maxwell and of course the Camel Club.

I have read everything so far by David Baldacci, and this did not disappoint. In fact, I read it in one day as I got into the story and all of a sudden I was on the last chapter.
Whilst I would not put it at one of his best, it was a heartfelt story of how the expected can be turned on its head, and life is really what you make it. The characters were all identifiable from Mother-in-law to the youngest child, and you could really feel for Jack and what the Hand of Fate had dealt him. The two faces of the Press was shown in ugly clarity from the miraculous to scandal.
Much different from his pacey thrillers, this was still an interesting and enjoyable read, as it didn't dwell on Jack's illness so much as the effects it had on everyone he loved. That doesn't mean to say that his illness was treated lightly.
I have already recommended it to my mother, who has reserved a copy from her library, and several friends.

this is one of those books that you either love or loathe - i love it - i listened to the audiobook version and i did not want to finish listening to this. Narration was brilliant and a simple story line - would highly recommend to all.

This is not one of David Baldacci's normal very exciting thriller stories. Instead it is a beautifully crafted story of illness, unexpected death and recovery and it is very well written. I really enjoyed the story and was glad that I had overcome my hesitation in purchasing it after reading the initial review. well worth reading.