In 1940 a tragedy sends two young children, Lou and her little brother, Oz, along with their invalid mother, from New York City to the rugged mountains of Southwest Virginia to live with their great-grandmother. The story is told with both heartbreaking elegance and large doses of touching humor as the lives of Lou and Oz are forever changed. Abridged. 5 CDs.
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In 1940 a tragedy sends two young children, Lou and her little brother, Oz, along with their invalid mother, from New York City to the rugged mountains of Southwest Virginia to live with their great-grandmother. The story is told with both heartbreaking elegance and large doses of touching humor as the lives of Lou and Oz are forever changed. Abridged. 5 CDs.
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an unexpected treasure
a book you'll want to keep for a re-read
a book you'll want friends to read so you can discuss it
a book you won't want to finish
WallyGHouston
Mar 27, 2008
Best of Baldacci
I have read all of David Baldacci's novels and while I love his murder/mystery novels, this simple story is his best effort of all. The story, set in the 1940's in Southwest Virginia, is a realistic account of the hard life in Appalachia. It is factually descriptive and touching in a way that most writers can not achieve.
I never read books a second time, but this one is so good that I may just do that!
JustRead
May 30, 2007
Well-written, Engrossing story
I have never before read a David Baldacci book, so I did not have any notion of what to expect from his writing. From the info on the book jacket, it's clear that this story is a deviation from his norm. I was drawn to the book for it's location, in the mountains of Virginia. Mr. Baldacci has an obvious way with words, and develops both his storyline and characters with depth. I thought he perhaps gave his main character, a young 13-year-old girl named Lou, a bit too much maturity. She seemed to act much older and with much more maturity than someone her age. But you couldn't help but like her, as well as the rest of her extended family. The time (1930's) and place added an additional layer to the story, and one could feel the connection the author has to the area. Although it is not necessarily the genre I would choose to read, I didn't often put the book down, and was satisfied with the overall experience. I would say if given the opportunity to read another Baldacci book I would. I struggled with the Star Rating here -- I would have liked to give it a 3 1/2 stars. But an enjoyable read overall.
