Thanks to Goodreads for sending this First Reads book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

This really was well written in so many aspects. It kept my interest and the descriptions were well done. However, the character development was totally lacking - unless the author intended Savannah to be as invisible as she was and for Hilly to stay the undeveloped child he was introduced to be. We just didn't see any development from teen to old man and we didn't see development in Savannah.

Also, this is touted as a book about complicated issues of race and society when they were merely mentioned for the most part.

Lastly, the "twist" at the end - more like a last ditch effort to just finish the book and get it to press. I found myself saying out loud, "Seriously? That's it?"

Better than some books I've read recently, but not one I'd recommend nor do I need to own it. ( )

Good book. Author takes superior characterizations and ties them up in neat bundles that survive the passing of several decades. Son tries to come to grips with both his father's sins and his own. Lots of father-son drama, and a hard look at racism. ( )

Refers to father and son Wise, the father extremely rich lawyer who made/makes his money with class action suits against airlines after plane crashes; the son wants nothing to do with him or his money. The son's relationship with Lem, the Afreican-American caretaker of their home on Cape Cod, and Lem's niece Savannah... ( )

In 1952 Hilly Wise is seventeen and a bit naive when his father Arthur becomes a nationally famous lawyer. Art Wise makes a fortune suing the airline industry in the decades before tort reform. Seemingly overnight the Wise family is instantly wealthy and Art Wise celebrates by purchasing, among many things, a home near Cape Cod. It is there that Hilly meets Lem, an African American handy man and his beautiful niece, Savannah. Instantly smitten, Hilly befriends both Lem and Savannah, which results in devastating consequences for both families.

SPOILER!!!
I think my one real quibble with Wise Man was how very scant the relationship between Hilly and Savannah was. While it's romantic to think someone could be haunted for fifty plus years by someone they only spoke to a couple of times and kissed once, it's not very believable.
What would have made for a fascinating novel is the story of Arthur Wise. A self made man who rose from lower middle class to incredibly wealthy and powerful. And along the way managed to keep a secret that would have been devastating to a man of his standing in the mid twentieth century. ( )

I found that the book jacket did not do this book justice; I picked it up and thought, "meh." However, the narrative quickly pulled me in. While the boy, Hilly, himself is not necessarily a strong or memorable character, his father certainly is. The story itself is well-written and well-paced, with an extremely satisfying ending (very rare these days, it seems). ( )