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When I received a copy of David Baldacci’s One Summer, I ended up setting it aside for several months, since it’s not the author’s usual edgy, suspenseful type of reads, and I’m not much of a fan of family drama. But, one day I picked it up out of boredom. I couldn’t stop reading—and it made me wish that I’d read it the moment I received it.
Terminally ill Jack Armstrong doesn’t have anything to look forward to this Christmas except for death. He’s become a burden to his family, and he can feel the strain he’s putting them through, but he wants to see one more Christmas with them. Then the unthinkable happens: his wife, Lizzie, dies in an automobile accident on Christmas Eve.
Jack’s three children are taken from him and scattered across the United States. It’s what everyone thinks is best for them—including Jack. He goes into hospice to finish out the dying process, but then something miraculous happens: Jack begins to recover.
Once he’s strong enough, Jack regains custody of his children and takes them to the coast of South Carolina, where his wife’s childhood home stands. During that summer, he works to repair the damage to the house and to his family. Determined to make it work, Jack fights every step of the way, through numerous obstacles, to heal his broken life.
Touching and spellbinding, One Summer will suck you in and hold you there until you finish the book. A smidgen of suspense adds to the drama, but it’s mostly about love lost and regained, a family shattered by tragedy, and the heart-wrenching aftermath.
Jack is a father who makes many mistakes, but you’ll never doubt that he loves his children and will do anything to hold onto them. He’s a man of action who refuses to lie down and die with his wife. He’ll make it through for his children, come what may, making him a giant among great literary characters.
One Summer is an unforgettable read that will linger with you days after you finish reading the last page. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll feel the urge to kick something when things take a turn for the worse for Jack and his family. Treat yourself to this one; I promise you’ll be glad you did.
