Hearing that his ex-wife, Rachel, is comatose following an automobile accident, architect Jack McGill puts his own troubled life on hold to be with her and his children, and while waiting for Rachel to recover, he begins to understand himself and his feelings for her. 200,000 first printing. In the famed romantic tradition that only Barbara Delinsky can deliver, you'll meet emotion-packed characters who make you forget whatever it was you were doing before you picked up Coast Road . In this story, workaholic Jack McGill is brought to his knees when he learns that his ex-wife Rachel is in a coma after a car accident. When he rushes to her side to be a dutiful father to his children, he is met with abrasive verbal abuse not only from his children, but also from Rachel's best friends. By the time the doctors tell him they don't know how long Rachel will be in the coma, Jack has reacquainted himself with his children, and fond memories have surfaced of his ex-wife and her creative artistic talent. Through Rachel's best friend, Katherine, Jack learns about a secret Rachel had hidden from him during the days they were married. The secret, revealed through artwork, is one of the many factors that thrust Jack into "introspection mode." He reevaluates his life, digging deep into his heart's desires, and decides to quit his job and stay at Rachel's side, even if she never wakes up. Coast Road deals with some very difficult subjects, such as miscarriage, divorce, traveling husbands, breast cancer, and the ramifications of living in a coma. However, once you get past the research exposition and the bantering, you'll laugh and cry (a lot) at what this once-separated family goes through. Delinsky paints vivid pictures of Rachel, who remains in a coma for about 99 percent of the book, but you'll see that it sometimes takes a life-threatening accident to rekindle the fires of love. --Candy Paape YA-Jack McGill, a successful San Francisco architect, receives a telephone call in the middle of the night informing him that his ex-wife has been in an auto accident and is comatose in the hospital. Since her prognosis is unpredictable, Jack must put his life and career on hold and take on the role of full-time Dad to their two teenage daughters. While he is in Big Sur, neighbors, friends, and fellow artists fill Jack in on Rachel's life without him, and he begins to understand what went wrong with their marriage. YAs will relate to the daughters as they reveal their own emotions about divorced parents, a life-threatening accident, and a prom date that gets out of hand. A realistic portrayal of difficult emotional situations. Carol Clark, R. E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Jack McGill's feelings for his artist ex-wife, Rachel, are put to the acid test when he receives news that she is lying comatose in a hospital after an automobile accident. Jack, a rising San Francisco architect and workaholic, still does not understand why Rachel left him and took their two daughters to live in Big Sur country, but he assumes the parental role for the teenage girls and moves into Rachel's house. Jack's second chance at being a real father is fraught with confrontations. He has deadlines and major clients to impress, and his daughters are leery of trusting him to care for them. Ultimately, Jack is challenged to make some life-altering career choices and to decide whether he should try to win Rachel back. Delinsky's (Three Wishes, LJ 9/1/97) latest love story is filled with heartache, self-discovery, and renewal. Recommended for public libraries. -?Mary Ellen Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ., Highland Heights Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. Jack McGill wakes in the middle of the night to an emergency phone call: his ex-wife Rachel's car crashed through the guardrail on a coastal road near her home in Big Sur, and she has been taken to surgery. Will Jack come? He hurries to her side more for their daughters' sake than for Rachel, still not understanding why she left him six years ago. But Samantha and Hope need him, and he's still their father. When Jack arrives at the hospital, he's met by Katherine, Rachel's best friend, who updates him on her condition: Rachel is in a coma. All they can do is wait. As Jack prepares to step back into family life, he promises the sleeping Rachel that he will care for their daughters. As the slow days pass, Jack has to deal with withdrawn Hope, belligerent Samantha, and protective Katherine, who keeps asking him: Why is he here? What does he hope to gain? Will he hurt Rachel, again? Jack spends his time sitting next to Rachel reminiscing about their marriage, learning about the new Rachel from her friends, and realizing that he wants to be part of the family again. He wonders, Will Rachel regain consciousness? Does she still love him? Delinsky delivers an emotion-packed journey of truth and redemption, firmly cementing her status as a best-