Coast Road

Rating:
Summary: Another Delinsky delight
Review:

I found myself quickly drawn into this book. The characters were engaging, the settings were vivid and the story was intense. There were lots of chances for Jack to leave, but he stuck by his ex-wife Rachel's side throughout her coma, meeting her new friends from her new life and caring for the teenage daughters who barely remembered him. One daughter is already coping with the loss of a beloved pet, the other is 'fifteen going on thirty'. Throughout, he finds himself remembering the good times with his ex-wife and decides to rededicate himself to his family, quitting his high-stress job that kept him away from them in the first place. I was moved to tears at several points, something a book rarely does for me. I highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Rediscovering family love
Review: Having seen the paperback on the rack and reading a brief review from a guild publication, I decided to try Coast Road by Barbara Delinsky, a first-time author read. How could I have missed a Delinsky book - this was wonderful! In such a tender love story, it was so refreshing to have a male as the dominant character and read and feel from his perspective. The evolution of the story as told and seen from Jack McGill, his daughters, Rachel's friends and family was compelling. Sometimes you don't want a cliched happy ending, but I was rooting for this family all the way. The reawakening love for his ex-wife and his daughters and, in turn, their acceptance of him made for many teary scenes. It was refreshing to see compassion, tenderness, friendship, confusion, determination, hostility, impatience, and love woven so intrically together without explicit sex. Delinsky's description of the Big Sur area was so vivid. I've never been there, but feel like I have now. A sequel would be welcome, but in the meantime I'll be reading other Delinsky works.

Rating:
Summary: Intelligent reading fare.
Review: I've read Barbara Delinsky's books for years from her category romances to her more recent mainstream fiction and she continues to deliver very intelligent, contemporary reading.

The thing I like best of about this novel is that we get to watch a man learn about a woman. Even though Jack has been married to Rachel for several years, is father to her two children and has maintained a civil yet distant relationship with her for 6 years of divorce, he really doesn't know this woman at all. He has to learn about her hopes, her dreams, her lifestyle, and simply about her through her friends and her children. The people themselves tell as much about Rachel as their words and it is a nicely executed book that can pull off the layers of a person slowly and allow such discovery. Also in the process, Jack discovers himself as well. And he realizes, that although he might not have known Rachel as well as he thought, she really knew him.

There is a small subplot about a rebellious teenage daughter that adds a layer of reality and texture to the story. However, the semi-mystical moments that involve the other daughter and the next door neighbor seem to be just filler and add unecessary drama.

Overall a good read, which I recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Great book if you like to fantasize
Review: I've read one of Barbara Delinsky's books about eight years ago, and I was impressed. That book, A Woman Betrayed, kept me in search of an interesting book Barbara. Admittedly, Coast Road is readable, but the plot is unrealistic. Jack and Rachel's two daughters, 13 and 15 year old, had the intelligence of 3 and 5 year olds. Rachel was the one with the head injuries, but one has to wonder if Jack suffered from head injuries also. The story was told in 16 days, which seemed to be enough time for Jack to realize that he's put the love of his life on the back burner for the past six year. Grow up Jack! The only good thing about Coast Road is the fact that Delinsky keeps the reader interested in finding out whether or not Rachel wakes up.

Rating:
Summary: Trying to See it From another Prespective....
Review: In this story, Jack McGill, who has choosen his career over his family numerous times gets a wake up call when he discovers that his ex-wife Rachel is in a coma after a car accident. Jack never stopped loving Rachel, and for the first time in his life he puts his career on hold and goes to Rachels bedside, and to his two daughters. He discovers both his daughter and his wife are not the people he always thought them to be and that he somehow "missed the forest for the trees". With verbal abuse as well as a lot of guidance from Rachel's new friends, and his own daughters, Jack begins to reevaluate his life.

Coast Road touches on many different topics, such as miscarriage, divorce, traveling husbands, breast cancer, as well as what it is like for those around a coma patient, but don't let that deter you. This is a well written rewarding read.

Rating:
Summary: A different type of book
Review: Yo don't often read a book like this--at least with this story line. I kept expecting Jack to fall on his face and just chuck it all, but the author does a great job of making him into a human so that the reader can see what is going on behind the mask. I thought this book was pretty true to life--relationship wise. Sometimes, spouses expect too much of the other without actual communication, and when that breaks down, they need to figure out how to get it back. I loved how Jack was able to re-discover his kids and his talent.

A great book from a great author. Enjoy!