Written by David Baldacci
Format: MP3 This is a requesr reupload from the forum
Written by: David Baldacci
Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Orlagh Cassidy
Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins Format: Unabridged Release Date:06-14-11
Publisher's Summary From number-one New York Times best-selling author David Baldacci comes a moving family drama about learning to love again after heartbreak and loss. 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.
"Ebook producers, please listen!" I love David Baldacci's books, any genre. And I think Ron McLarty is a wonderful narrator (and author). That said, I have no idea whether this book was any good because I simply could not tolerate the way it was produced. Those of us devoted to audiobooks love BOOKS of all kinds, and audio is just another way to "read" them. Unless a book is expressly written to be a PLAY, please do not try to make it into one by having other narrators inject quotes by different characters. Great narrators like McLarty have their own way of creating different, identifiable characters (male and female) in an understated way; this works well and doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. Using multiple narrators works in some cases, such as "The Help," because there are whole sections coming from the point of view of a certain character; note, in those cases each narrator will do all the quotes in a section. This is the second Audible book in as many weeks that I have abandoned due to this annoying method of production. (Apologies to Mr. Baldacci - maybe I'll get this one on my Kindle.)
"Giant Dose of Cheese" I really enjoy David Baldacci's books, and Ron McLarty's performances of them, so I expected to settle in with this one and be pleasantly entertained with a different type of story from an author I much admired. What I got was a cheesy gloppy sappy predictable mess. Added to the predictability of the plot was over the top schmaltzy piano music that made me want to gag. I am so disappointed. Baldacci fans will want to avoid this one.
"A Good Read But Not a Really Enjoyable Listen" The book itself was a decent read, but the female voices were like chalk on a blackboard. I could not figure out which one I disliked more. I found the attitude of the daughter......even for a teen!.......unbelievable under the circumstances and the voice given by the reader magnified it. Let's let a seasoned narrator like Ron McLarty do his own voices.
"Love David Baldacci's books that are not mysteries" I personally don't like high suspense mysteries as is the case with most of David's books. This one and the Christmas Train were ones that I absolutely loved. Reading Wish you well now and loving it too!
"Great read" First Baldacci book I read; I really enjoyed it & It kept my interest. I'm sure I'll read more.
"Softer Side of Baldacci" What did you love best about One Summer? This is one of those books that reaches out and grabs you and it doesn't turn loose until the end! I simply couldn't put it down. I felt as if I were in Jack's home, a silent witness to a family putting their collective lives back together after tragedy and miraculous new beginnings