Twenty years have past since the incident involving six lonely children at a secret playground in Indigo Valley, Pennsylavania which left the town bully dead and ten-year-old Cady Jordan seriously injured. Now Cady has returned to the valley to care for her ailing grandmother Lola, the only person Cady has ever truly loved. While Cady has grown into attractive, intelligent, but overly cautious young woman, she has no memory of her childhood tragedy. Lola desperately wants to see Cady embrace life and find the happiness she deserves so she pushes her granddaughter to "remember".
As Cady reacquaints herself with her old friends, she begins to recalls bits and pieces of what happened that fateful day. She also discovers a new zest for life and falls in love for the first time. But her friends don't want her to remember. If the truth comes out, their safe and secure lives might be ruined forever. Which of them will do what is best for Cady and acknowledge the truth, and which of them will betray her again and do what is best for themselves?
With vibrant, complex characters and her distinctive blend of humor and poignancy, Fern Michaels is at the peak of her storytelling abilities. Late Bloomer takes listeners on the young woman's journey of self-discovery that is exciting, heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant.
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"Cady wants nothing more than to come out of her shell, but to do so means resurrecting her lost memory of the day (during her childhood) when a foolish stunt ended with a young bully's death and Cady's serious injury... a tragedy for which everyone holds Cady responsible. They're adults now..."
— Ruth (5 out of 5 stars)
“[Fern Michaels's] characters are real and endearing, her prose so natural that it seems you are witnessing the story rather than reading about it.”
— Los Angeles Times“ This sharply written romance offers cutting insight into the place of aging women in society, the definition of manliness and the dance of courtship itself. The joy that accompanies the happy ending of romance novels is restrained here by the gritty tone, the blunt presentation of cultural differences, and by Pritchard's insistence on the conflicting views that men and women have of courtship. ”
— The Washington Post“[A] feel-good page-turner…Michaels's protagonist may be a late bloomer, but this novel won't be— expect it to hit bestseller lists early.”
— Publishers Weekly“ Michaels' delightful sense of humor and understanding of human nature and frailties make this a riveting and poignant tale. Highly recommended for all public libraries. ”
— Library Journal“A powerful, charachter-driven story.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review“Energetic melodrama in straightforward style from the ever-popular Michaels.”
— Kirkus Reviews" I really enjoyed this book it was very enjoyable read. "
— Pat, 2/17/2014" interesting book... its a mystery in a sense that the main character is trying to figure out the details of a certain day that changed her life; while everyone around her know their own version of the story "
— Maria, 2/16/2014" This was the first Fern Michaels book I ever read. I enjoyed it. Kept me interested even though the "mystery" was a little predictable. Some good twists and turns but the ending doesn't get cleared up very well, it does answer the questions though. My only criticism is with books like this about 30 something virgins in love scenes. Nobody loses their virginity "painlessly" LOL, especially at that age. Why do authors have to paint it that way? And for a virgin, this chick couldn't stay clothed when there was a camera around to catch her. Anyways, I would read another by Fern Michaels. "
— Jennifer, 2/11/2014" Fern Michaels is good! Something that happened among a bunch of kids many years ago has shaped all their lives. Maybe it's finally time to talk about it. Maybe not. And what does Grandma think? "
— Julianne, 1/29/2014" Read this one a few years ago. I can't really reamember it, I just know that I really enjoyed reading it. "
— Avery, 1/26/2014" I really could not connect with any of these characters, so it was a challenge just to finish reading the book. "
— Kristi, 1/22/2014" What one does in their past can sometimes control their future. "
— Suzanne, 1/20/2014" Listened to this book in the car. It was OK. "
— Bev, 1/19/2014" Meh...not that great...decided i didnt want to waste any more time reading it, so i skipped the middle and went to the end...and i did not feel i missed anything. "
— Tara, 1/17/2014" vacation book...good for the ride home but thats about all i can say "
— Jeanne, 1/16/2014" A good book about 4 childhood friends and how they deal with a tragidy after they grow up "
— June, 1/3/2014Fern Michaels is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of thirty-five books in the Sisterhood series, as well as novels in eleven other series and seventy-two stand-alone novels. There are over ninety five million copies of her books in print. She has built and funded several large day care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. Visit her website at FernMichaels.com.