Wish You Well (Random House Large Print) - Hardcover

Baldacci, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375430911 ISBN 13: 9780375430916

Publisher: Random House Large Print, 2000

Synopsis

The year is 1953-and the worst of tragedies has struck the Cardinal family. A devestating car accident takes the life of Jack Cardinal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and leaves his young wife a bedridden invalid who has completely withdrawn. Lou and her younger brother Oz travel by train with their mother to the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where their great-grandmother Louisa lives on a remote farm, ready and willing (if not financially prepared) to take the broken family in.

Rising every morning hours before dawn, working on the farm and learning at the school house their father attended years before, Lou and Oz slowly begin to heal emotionally and grow in unexpected ways. All while waiting for their silent mother to return to them. When a natural gas company comes to town and makes an offer on her land, Louisa refuses to sell. To keep their farm, with the weight of the company and their own greedy neighbors against them, the family must rely on tyhe kindliness of a town lawyer to try their case in court-while both Lou and Oz pray for a miracle. The climactic courtroom battle is as unpredictable as it is relentless and will not only decide the fates of Lou, Oz, and their mother, but also all who have been touched by them.

About this title

About the Author

David Baldacci lives in Virginia with his wife and children.

From the Back Cover

1953-and the worst of tragedies has struck the Cardinal family. A devestating car accident takes the life of Jack Cardinal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and leaves his young wife a bedridden invalid who has completely withdrawn. Lou and her younger brother Oz travel by train with their mother to the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, where their great-grandmother Louisa lives on a remote farm, ready and willing (if not financially prepared) to take the broken family in.

Rising every morning hours before dawn, working on the farm and learning at the school house their father attended years before, Lou and Oz slowly begin to heal emotionally and grow in unexpected ways. All while waiting for their silent mother to return to them. When a natural gas company comes to town and makes an offer on her land, Louisa refuses to sell. To keep their farm, with the weight of the company and their own greedy neighbors against them, the family must rely on tyhe kindliness of a town lawyer to try the

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Wish You Well

By David Baldacci

Random House Large Print Publishing

Copyright © 2000 David Baldacci
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780375430916

Chapter One

THE AIR WAS MOIST, THE COMING RAIN telegraphed by plump, gray clouds, and theblue sky fast fading. The 1936 four-door Lincoln Zephyr sedan moved down thewinding road at a decent, if unhurried, pace. The car's interior was filled withthe inviting aromas of warm sourdough bread, baked chicken, and peach andcinnamon pie from the picnic basket that sat so temptingly between the twochildren in the backseat.

Louisa Mae Cardinal, twelve years old, tall and rangy, her hair the color ofsun-dappled straw and her eyes blue, was known simply as Lou. She was a prettygirl who would almost certainly grow into a beautiful woman. But Lou would fighttea parties, pigtails, and frilly dresses to the death. And somehow win. It wasjust her nature.

The notebook was open on her lap, and Lou was filling the blank pages withwritings of importance to her, as a fisherman does his net. And from the girl'spleased look, she was landing fat cod with every pitch and catch. As always, shewas very intent on her writing. Lou came by that trait honestly, as her fatherhad such fever to an even greater degree than his daughter.

On the other side of the picnic basket was Lou's brother, Oz. The name was acontraction of his given one, Oscar. He was seven, small for his age, thoughthere was the promise of height in his long feet. He did not possess the lankylimbs and athletic grace of his sister. Oz also lacked the confidence that soplainly burned in Lou's eyes. And yet he held his worn stuffed bear with theunbreakable clench of a wrestler, and he had a way about him that naturallywarmed other's souls. After meeting Oz Cardinal, one came away convinced that hewas a little boy with a heart as big and giving as God could bestow on lowly,conflicted mortals.

Jack Cardinal was driving. He seemed unaware of the approaching storm, or eventhe car's other occupants. His slender fingers drummed on the steering wheel.The tips of his fingers were callused from years of punching the typewriterkeys, and there was a permanent groove in the middle finger of his right handwhere the pen pressed against it. Badges of honor, he often said.

As a writer, Jack assembled vivid landscapes densely populated with flawedcharacters who, with each turn of the page, seemed more real than one's family.Readers would often weep as a beloved character perished under the writer's nib,yet the distinct beauty of the language never overshadowed the blunt force ofthe story, for the themes imbedded in Jack Cardinal's tales were powerfulindeed. But then an especially well-tooled line would come along and make onesmile and perhaps even laugh aloud, because a bit of humor was often the mosteffective tool for painlessly driving home a serious point.

Jack Cardinal's talents as a writer had brought him much critical acclaim, andvery little money. The Lincoln Zephyr did not belong to him, for luxuries suchas automobiles, fancy or plain, seemed forever beyond his reach. The car hadbeen borrowed for this special outing from a friend and admirer of Jack's work.Certainly the woman sitting next to him had not married Jack Cardinal formoney.

Amanda Cardinal usually bore well the drift of her husband's nimble mind. Evennow her expression signaled good-natured surrender to the workings of the man'simagination, which always allowed him escape from the bothersome details oflife. But later, when the blanket was spread and the picnic food wasapportioned, and the children wanted to play, she would nudge her husband fromhis literary alchemy. And yet today Amanda felt a deeper concern as they droveto the park. They needed this outing together, and not simply for the fresh airand special food. This surprisingly warm late winter's day was a godsend in manyways. She looked at the threatening sky.

Go away, storm, please go away now.

To ease her skittish nerves, Amanda turned and looked at Oz and smiled. It washard not to feel good when looking at the little boy, though he was a childeasily frightened as well. Amanda had often cradled her son when Oz had beenseized by a nightmare. Fortunately, his fearful cries would be replaced by asmile when Oz would at last focus on her, and she would want to hold her sonalways, keep him safe always.

Oz's looks came directly from his mother, while Lou had a pleasing variationof Amanda's long forehead and her father's lean nose and compact angle of jaw.And yet if Lou were asked, she would say she took after her father only. Thisdid not reflect disrespect for her mother, but signaled that, foremost, Louwould always see herself as Jack Cardinal's daughter.

Amanda turned back to her husband. "Another story?" she asked as her fingersskimmed Jack's forearm.

The man's mind slowly rocked free from his latest concocting and Jack lookedat her, a grin riding on full lips that, aside from the memorable flicker of hisgray eyes, were her husband's most attractive physical feature, Amandathought.

"Take a breath, work on a story," said Jack.

"A prisoner of your own devices," replied Amanda softly, and she stoppedrubbing his arm.

As her husband drifted back to work, Amanda watched as Lou labored with herown story. Mother saw the potential for much happiness and some inevitable painin her daughter. She could not live Lou's life for her, and Amanda knew shewould have to watch her little girl fall at times. Still, Amanda would neverhold out her hand, for Lou being Lou would certainly refuse it. But if herdaughter's fingers sought out her mother's, she would be there. It was asituation burdened with pitfalls, yet it seemed the one destined for mother anddaughter.

"How's the story coming, Lou?"

Head down, hand moving with the flourishing thrust of youthful penmanship, Lousaid, "Fine." Amanda could easily sense her daughter's underlying message: thatwriting was a task not to be discussed with nonwriters. Amanda took it asgood-naturedly as she did most things having to do with her volatile daughter.But even a mother sometimes needed a comforting pillow on which to lay her head,so Amanda reached out and tousled her son's blondish hair. Sons were not nearlyso complex, and as much as Lou wore her out, Oz rejuvenated his mother.

"How're you doing, Oz?" asked Amanda.

The little boy answered by letting out a crowing sound that banged off allsides of the car's interior, startling even the inattentive Jack.

"Miss English said I'm the best rooster she's ever heard," said Oz, and crowedagain, flapping his arms. Amanda laughed and even Jack turned and smiled at hisson.

Lou smirked at her brother, but then reached over and tenderly patted Oz onthe hand. "And you are too, Oz. A lot better than me when I was your age," saidLou.

Amanda smiled at Lou's remark and then said, "Jack, you're coming to Oz'sschool play, aren't you?"

Lou said, "Mom, you know he's working on a story. He doesn't have time towatch Oz playing a rooster."

"I'll try, Amanda. I really will this time," Jack said. However, Amanda knewthat the level of doubt in his tone heralded another disappointment for Oz. Forher.

Amanda turned back and stared out the windshield. Her thoughts showed throughso clearly on her features.

Life married to Jack Cardinal: I'll try.

Oz's enthusiasm, however, was undiminished. "And next I'm going to be theEaster Bunny. You'll be there, won't you, Mom?"

Amanda looked at him, her smile wide and easing her eyes to pleasingangles.

"You know Mom wouldn't miss it," she said, giving his head another gentlerub.

But Mom did miss it. They all missed it.

Continues...

Excerpted from Wish You Wellby David Baldacci Copyright © 2000 by David Baldacci. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Large Print
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0375430911
• ISBN 13: 9780375430916
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 611