The Brave by Nicholas Evans

This book had a different feel for me than Nicholas Evan's other books. Usually his settings are in the great outdoors - on a ranch, in the woods. This book's main focus was Hollywood - in the early days. I liked the book, but it had a layer of sadness running throughout. Just about all of the main characters had to live with decisions they had made in the past, which may or may not have been the best decisions. There were certainly some significant repercussions regardless.

I liked Tommy as a boy - and as a man eventually. He felt so out-of-tune with his "parents". This was curious to me. First of all, they were his grandparents, so you would think they would have loved him deeply and showed it, like many grandparents. Secondly, they wanted another child and could never have one. Here was an opportunity to "have" another child. I guess I just didn't understand their "distance" from Tommy. But then, when Diane tells Tommy that she is actually his mother, instead of his sister, Diane's mom reportedly dies from a broken heart. Really? She just didn't seem that invested in Diane or Tommy. I am so glad that Tommy had Cal after Diane was gone, but apparently Cal's love wasn't enough for Tom to carry on with life without feeling the heavy weight of what happened. I get that. He killed to protect his mother - and his mother took the blame. The whole thing was very sad.

I really liked Diane. She was obviously talented and beautiful. As Tom says late in the book, her life could have been so different if she had met Cal first (before Ray). Oh, what might have been.... Many of these characters would have led a very different life most likely, had that happened.

I am happy that Tom reunited with Danny - and developed a relationship of peace with Gina & Dutch. I also liked that he ended up with Karen's mom and not Karen herself! Despite the "happy ending" however, I finished the book feeling sad for Tom, losing his mother - and his guilt associated with that; for Cal - for losing Diane too; for Danny - who will now have to live his life with innocent blood on his hands. It was a melancholy read for me.

Wendy's Rating: ****