Rating: 
Summary: Warm Fuzzies
Review: This was such a special book that it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling all over. I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet story and although some may call it "corny," I call it heartfelt and well written. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get away from it all for a while. I'm glad Baldacci got to write the book he really wanted to write. To bad for so many if us aspiring writers that you already have to be a best-selling author to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice try, but a miss
Review: While I applaud Baldacci's attempt to stretch himself, this book is an overall disappointment. There are a few obvious reasons why. First, the style is a bit over the top. The strain to appear poetic sometimes overtakes the story. Another stylistic quirk that got tiring was his use of non-specific grammar. For example, instead of saying "He heard the sound of her feet on the stairs," he will write something like, "He heard the sound of foot on stair." Doing this over and over, it becomes the sound of pretentiousness on page. Next, the characters are a bit thin and rather cliched. The two youngsters sometimes appear as children, sometimes as much too wise beyond their years. The nasty Davis is all black, no gray. And that's how it is for all of the principals. There is a lot of lip service paid to "faith" and "believing" in this book, but in these politically correct times that cannot have anything to do with traditional religion. In this story and setting, the most authentic thing would have had the main character, the great grandma, be a Bible believing Christian. .... He makes the only Christian, a Bible thumping preacher, the typical fire-and-brimstone but money-grubbing stereotype we've seen out of Hollywood for the past couple ofdecades. .... So the "miraculous" ending (very predictable) is tied to some sort of wishing well, not, say, prayer or faith in God. That makes the ending coincidental and manipulative, a deus ex machina without the deus. And speaking of manipulative, the treacle is ladled on a bit thick at times. Especially dense is having the characters say "I love you" numerous times. For a writer, that is the weakest way to show love and the easy way out. Having characters say "I love you" is always a bad choice. .... Finally, the use of the omniscient viewpoint--hopping around from character to character, even within the same scene--takes away focus and intimacy. Sometimes, we're not sure whose story this is. Compare this choice to, say, To Kill a Mockingbird. In that novel, we stay inside one character's head, the narrator, Scout. That's what makes Harper Lee's tale a classic, whereas Wish You Well, unfortunately, comes off as a miss. Once again, Baldacci is to be given credit for attempting to grow as a writer. That he has a ways to go is no shame. Here's hoping the next time he'll delve a little deeper and keep the cliches at bay.
Rating:
Summary: the heart of coal
Review: after a string of nerve jangling bestselling thrillers, the author turns his talent to the historical novel, delivering a beautiful and sentiment-rich tale.evocative sense of time and place, memorable characters with powerful emotions and convictions.inspirational literature which would be a credit to any young adult reading list.
Rating: 
Summary: confused schlock!
Review: This book is wrought with pain and suffering as the reader struggles to keep it in hand when overwhelmed with the desisre to pitch it across the room. "Wish You well" was my first Baldacci read and, had it not been my book club's pick I would have never read it. It is so blatantly stolen from Harper Lee, Mark Twain and Shirely Temple movies. It is trite, corny and down-right unreadable. The characters lack authenticity; their dialogiues forced and artificle. The plot is worse than predictable- it is annoyingly unimaginative and sachrine. I am shocked that this book ever got published and even more surprised that the editors allowed their names to be published in the book's's finale. I would have definitely remained anonomous.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish You Well
Review: David Balducci gives his editors their due at the end of the book, as well he should. His first book, Absolute Power, was terrific. A best seller. A hit movie. Then came Total Control. I had to look at the book cover to make sure it was written by the same author. His editors didn't get as big a stab at editing that book, it seems, because it was so poorly written. But the momentum was there, and it was another best seller. It is nice that after writing several books in the same genre, he got to write something that meant much to him. If this had been anyone but Balducci, however, I don't think it would have gotten published. One chapter ends, '"We're going to be just fine." And Lou somehow forced herself to believe that it would be so.' Next chapter. 'The Negro man was young and, in keeping with the geography, ruggedly built.' How did such banal language get by any one of the many editors? I wish Balducci well, as I do all writers. He took a chance and expanded his writing, so good for him. Bless his editors for making most of the book somewhat readable, so that it wasn't a total waste of time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: Laura Ingalls Meets the Waltons
Review: As a fan of Baldacci's, I was not expecting this type of story. But it certainly was well written & tugged at the heartstrings. Character development is strong - who wouldn't like the strong & sensitive "Lou" & her little brother Oz who can pitch a ball faster than anyone but still cuddles his bear tightly against the problems that pursue the children. Grandma Louisa is a tower of common sense against their mother's flight from reality. And their lawyer friend was the white knight in partial disguise. I expected that any minute I'd hear, "Goodnight JohnBoy." But the book was a delight though predictable. It's a fast, pleasing read.
Rating:
Summary: Life is for living...
Review: David Baldacci's Wish You Well arises with a storyteller presence reminiscent of Harper Lee and Mark Twain. Never has a novel grabbed hold of my insides and squeezed even after the last page was read. Some may not let the novel grow inside them due to its predictability, but they would miss out on an incredible experience. Yes, one can surmise the outcome and the subplots rather easily, but this novel is merely a tale of life and adventure, not of mystery. Not since Stephen King's novella, The Body, has such eloquent and colorful characters been crafted. Characters that one is bound to fall in love with upon completion. Readers will soon find that the characters have a rare power all their own to draw them in and make them hope and pray that they can hold on forever. Baldacci's name will be one mentioned, and his glorious works read, in learning institutions around the globe soon as a result of this enchanting literary achievement. Maybe the wishing well did work, Mr. Baldacci, maybe it did.
Rating:
Summary: Down to earth and heart warming
Review: I'm definitely a crime fiction fan but I did enjoy this story or hope and discovery. Maybe the ending was predictable but who cares - its just a story.
Rating:
Summary: A BRIGHT, SHINING GEM OF A STORY
Review: David Baldacci, of courthouse/legal/thriller fame, has taken a different road...albeit an isolated, gravel road that winds beautifully though the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. This bright, shining gem of a story is a welcome diversion from the plethora of thrillers that deluge the market today...and the best thing about it is, Baldacci is one of the best storytellers there are! "WISH YOU WELL" reads like a somewhat autobiographical tale of a writer and his family who are struck by tragedy one dark night while riding in their car. Swerving to miss a stranded motorist, Jack Cardinal ends up rolling his vehicle with his wife, son and daughter in it. He is ejected and killed instantly. The mother, striving to protect her children, manages to save them, at the expense of herself. She slips into a coma that lasts years. The children, alone and devastated, are shipped off by relatives to live with their father's mother--and little Louisa Mae Cardinal's namesake--in a backwoods mountain home that time forgot. Once there, they rediscover life, love, and a whole range of colorful characters that only Baldacci could bring to life in such a brilliant and quaint way. Of course, the story slips into a courtroom by the end of it, but the journey there is beautifully crafted and a great journey. Emotional and tense at times, "WISH YOU WELL" is the perfect tale to discover your own sense of priority in life.
Rating:
Summary: Dullsville
Review: Baldacci tries something different and fails. His first three novels are super but this one, in my opinion, just does not work. Your reading time can be spend better elsewhere.
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