Description: It's 1964 and 10-year-old Felix is sure of a few things: the birds and the bees are puzzling, television is magical, and this is one Christmas he'll never forget. From the author of the #1 "New York Times" bestseller "She's Come Undone."
Brief description:
Wally Lamb is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels: She's Come Undone, I Know This Much Is True, The Hour I First Believed, Wishin' and Hopin', and We Are Water. His first two works of fiction, She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True, were both #1 New York Times bestsellers and selections of Oprah's Book Club. Lamb edited Couldn't Keep It to Myself, I'll Fly Away, and You Don't Know Me, three volumes of essays from students in his writing workshop at York Correctional Institution, a women's prison in Connecticut, where he has been a volunteer facilitator for two decades. He lives in Connecticut.
Review Quotes:
"Charming.... Full of pop-culture references of the day...this will have broad appeal." - Library Journal
"Humorous and heartwarming...clever and well-written...A fun trip down memory lane from a skilled writer. The stocking stuffer might just become a cherished possession." - Columbus Dispatch
"Lamb is a very good writer, and Wishin' and Hopin' is a charming read with a genuinely funny ending." - Houston Chronicle
"We might as well call Wally Lamb the man with the golden pen...[Wishin' and Hopin'] will leave you laughing and thinking nostalgically about your own school days and holidays past." - BookPage
"Both heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny...a cast of characters that are both uproarious and unforgettable...a poignant reminder that family and friends are the greatest gift of all." - Hartford Books Examiner
"Lamb's vividly detailed portrait of the 1960's and the inner workings of a Catholic schoolboy's mind puts his first Christmas book on par with his previous three novels." - Miami Herald
"In the hands of Wally Lamb, what emerges isn't an apology but a celebration of life...Felix makes a hilarious guide through a story that whirs right along." - Washington Post
"A heartwarming slice of life....The entertaining characters will bring back youthful memories." - Romantic Times (4 Stars)
"Wishin' and Hopin' from Wally Lamb reminds us of what innocence was like." - Body and Soul
"Lamb...proves he can be short, sweet and funny" - USA Today
"This book is a bonbon for any baby boomer...Lamb gets Felix's voice just right, and he does a spot-on job of evoking the special joys and trials of parochial school in the '60's...Put a bow on this book and warm somebody's heart." - St. Petersburg Times
"Warmly, sweetly retro." - Kansas City Star
"Lamb's rich panoply of details...render this novel first-rate escapism just begging for a comforter and a cup of tea." - Minneapolis Star Tribune