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Product Description
Review
“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 )
“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 )
“Warmly, sweetly retro” (Kansas City Star )
“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” (St. Petersburg Times )
“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 )
“Lamb...proves he can be short, sweet and funny” (USA Today )
“Wishin’ and Hopin’ from Wally Lamb reminds us of what innocence was like.” (Body and Soul )
“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 )
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 )
“Lamb is a very good writer, and Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a charming read with a genuinely funny ending.” (Houston Chronicle )
“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 )
“Charming…. Full of pop-culture references of the day…this will have broad appeal.” (Library Journal )
“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 )
“Warmly, sweetly retro” (Kansas City Star )
“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” (St. Petersburg Times )
“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 )
“Lamb...proves he can be short, sweet and funny” (USA Today )
“Wishin’ and Hopin’ from Wally Lamb reminds us of what innocence was like.” (Body and Soul )
“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 )
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 )
“Lamb is a very good writer, and Wishin’ and Hopin’ is a charming read with a genuinely funny ending.” (Houston Chronicle )
“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 )
“Charming…. Full of pop-culture references of the day…this will have broad appeal.” (Library Journal )
Book Description
It's 1964 and ten-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.
LBJ and Lady Bird are in the White House, Meet the Beatles is on everyone's turntable, and Felix Funicello (distant cousin of the iconic Annette!) is doing his best to navigate fifth grade—easier said than done when scary movies still give you nightmares and you bear a striking resemblance to a certain adorable cartoon boy.
Back in his beloved fictional town of Three Rivers, Connecticut, with a new cast of endearing characters, Wally Lamb takes his readers straight into the halls of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School—where Mother Filomina's word is law and goody-two-shoes Rosalie Twerski is sure to be minding everyone's business. But grammar and arithmetic move to the back burner this holiday season with the sudden arrivals of substitute teacher Madame Frechette, straight from QuÉbec, and feisty Russian student Zhenya Kabakova. While Felix learns the meaning of French kissing, cultural misunderstanding, and tableaux vivants, Wishin' and Hopin' barrels toward one outrageous Christmas.
From the Funicello family's bus-station lunch counter to the elementary school playground (with an uproarious stop at the Pillsbury Bake-Off), Wishin' and Hopin' is a vivid slice of 1960s life, a wise and witty holiday tale that celebrates where we've been—and how far we've come.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Wally Lamb!!,
By Jennifer B (London, Ontario) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Wishin' and Hopin' (Hardcover)
It's Wally Lamb, does he write anything bad?? Love, this book!! If you enjoy "A Christmas Story" or the books which that film was based on by Jean Sheppard, then you will enjoy this book. I read it every Christmas. I find myself laughing out loud every time I read it. Two things I love in life Wally Lamb and Christmas!!! You just can't go wrong!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cute and entertaining!,
By
This review is from: Wishin' and Hopin' (Hardcover)
I'm a huge Wally Lamb fan. "I Know this Much is True" is, perhaps, my favourite book of all time. "The Hour I First Believed" I found deeply disturbing mainly based on the excellent story-telling in a fictional portrayal of a real event. "She's Come Undone" is my least favourite of Lamb's fiction but all three books are engrossing, can't-put-down, must-reads. "Wishin' and Hopin'" is a completely different novel from Lamb's others but still a great read. It is a short, light-hearted, humourous read for the Christmas season. A refreshing, entertaining look at the life of 10 year old Felix Funicello leading up to Christmas of 1964. Good character development, the tone perfectly matches the story, and the story is well-written. A surprisingly light and refreshing read from a normally intense author, but well-done and well worth reading!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing and Fun,
By
This review is from: Wishin' And Hopin': A Novel (Paperback)
Reason for Reading: Every December I drop whatever reading I'm supposed to be doing and read a Christmas book. The paperback of this came out just recently and the advertising made me choose to read it.I quite enjoyed this nostalgic look back at a year in the 1960's life of a 10 year-old Catholic school boy. The narrator takes us back to that fifth grade year and reminisces about his family and especially his friends and days at the parochial school. Obviously, I'm always attracted to a book with a Catholic theme (I'm Catholic) and I enjoyed the portrayal which allows Catholics to laugh at themselves and also to see the differences in communication between the religious and the lay from then to now. Felix Funicello, the narrator, is a third cousin to the famous Annette and he regales us with the shenanigans that he and his friend got up to at school and out of school, the various personalities in the classroom especially the stuck-up smartest girl in the class, the new Russian girl who arrives after classes have started (is she a Communist spy?) and the stories of his family including his mother's TV appearance on the Pillsbury Dough Bake-Off Competition. I found the stories nostalgic, amusing and fun, though not funny. I didn't laugh out loud. I was quite shocked by the vulgarity of the language that starts very soon into the book. It is not ever present but is quite frequent and not what I had expected to find. Once the shock of 10 year olds being so vulgar was over, it actually didn't bother me that much. But if swearing, dirty jokes and crude references to s*xual acts offends thee, this is not the book for you. The other thing I did not like at all was the Epilogue! It kind of ruined the whole good feelings I had about the book after I read it. It's one of those summaries that tells you where each character is now, or what happened to them. It was quite depressing to read the future lives of these characters, especially the children. I didn't see the point of it. But on a positive note the book ended with Annette Funicello's current situation and how you can make donations to MS Society. Overall, an enjoyable book. I'm glad I read it but not quite what I thought it would be. I certainly enjoyed the writing style and never having read Lamb before am interested in reading another of his works.
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