One Summer - David Baldacci

Summary from B&N: It's almost Christmas, but there is no joy in the house of terminally ill Jack and his family. With only a short time left to live, he spends his last days preparing to say goodbye to his devoted wife, Lizzie, and their three children. Then, unthinkably, tragedy strikes again: Lizzie is killed in a car accident. With no one able to care for them, the children are separated from each other and sent to live with family members around the country. Just when all seems lost, Jack begins to recover in a miraculous turn of events. He rises from what should have been his deathbed, determined to bring his fractured family back together. Struggling to rebuild their lives after Lizzie's death, he reunites everyone at Lizzie's childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. And there, over one unforgettable summer, Jack will begin to learn to love again, and he and his children will learn how to become a family once more.


The first Baldacci book I read was the The Christmas Train. I think a sister-in-law recommended it to me…or maybe it was one of those random library picks. Who knows. Anyway, I loved it.

Then I got into reading his political intrigue books (of which there are many). I really liked them as well.

However, with One Summer David Baldacci returns his focus to relationships and a feel-good story. And I thoroughly enjoyed the return.

I enjoyed Jack and Micki’s journey through death and life and grief and joy and struggles and all the mess that waking each day throws our way. They were three-dimensional characters who made mistakes and grew and just…became.

My only qualm was the romance bit; it seemed too happen quickly for me. Although that could be because the culmination – while “two years later” – was on the next page.

Another amazing thing for current fiction: NO cursing or “scenes”. That was completely refreshing.

Definitely worth picking up and reading.