One Summer by David Baldacci

               This ain’t your daddy’s Baldacci novel.

               Yes, there’s a lovely, driven young woman. Yes, there’s masculine yet vulnerable man.  Yes, there’s a courtroom scene.  But One Summer by David Baldacci is different than any other of his works I’ve encountered. And, as talented as he is, this is, without question, my favorite.

               At first I didn’t think I was going to be able to read it.  The book begins detailing the slow, agonizing death by cancer of the main character.  Having watched my sister be slowly eaten alive by brain cancer last year, I spent most of the beginning of the book in tears.  I started to put it aside, but after a day or so, picked it back up.  Baldacci did such a good job of relating the emotion and stress of both the patient and his family; I realized the writing was excellent.  I decided I didn’t want to pass up what could be a wonderful story by letting my grief over Jennifer get in the way. 

               I am very glad I went back to it.  If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time you know that some of my criteria for an excellent book are that it makes me cry, laugh out loud, and stay in my mind after the cover is closed for the final time.  One Summer did all those things for me.  I really cared about the characters and would love to spend some time at the Palace and Lizzie’s Lighthouse.   

               I recommend this highly, although it will be some time before I read it again.  The emotions hit me very strongly.  And, that is one of this book’s greatest strengths.