Inglaterra, anos cincuenta. Tommy tiene ocho años y esta a punto de entrar en un internado, una idea que le aterroriza. Mientras tanto, su adorada hermana Diane va a dar el gran salto de los escenarios londinenses a Hollywood. Pero lo que el destino les depara a ambos cambiara sus vidas para siempre. A sus cincuenta y cinco anos, Tom jamas ha hablado con nadie de lo que ocurrió entonces. Sin embargo, ahora deberá enfrentarse al secreto que enterró hace tanto tiempo si quiere ayudar a su hijo. Una profunda y emotiva historia sobre los secretos de familia y las consecuencias de nuestros actos. Una historia acerca de lo que somos y lo que desearíamos ser; acerca de nuestra debilidad y también de nuestra fortaleza.

Interesting concepts in this story: mother lets her own mother raise her child even though she is not happy with her behaviors, mother of child on death row and takes most of story to find out why, boy being raised in a boarding school then Hollywood rich when real mom becomes famous actress then on a cowboy ranch. Other part of story: child now a father with issues of drinking, being divorced, dealing with a son accused of murdering in Iraq. So many story lines yet the author kept them tied together while going back and forth from 1950s to present day. Surprisingly not that confusing to read. Expected ending yet question who really was the Brave. ( )

This book starts off with a kid in boarding school being horribly bullied, and as a reader you desperately want him to get one over on the bullies. Well as far as that goes, this book delivers in magnificent style. The Speech Day section was such a joy. When it comes to living the dream, central character Tommy does it in some style. Of course it all has to go horribly wrong, as the very first chapter makes clear, but what a journey.

This had a slightly more low-brow feel than the author’s other work, but you can’t fault it for readability. ( )

He must have sleep walked writing this book. No where as good as his others. I had a very difficult time warming up to his son Danny and subsequently did not read the chapters dealing with his court Marshall but skimmed them. Resolved in true Hollywood fashion. Likewise, the improbability of the fate that befell Diane is mind boggling and once again true Hollywood. Makes you wonder if he was hoping to sell it to a studio. ( )

De van zijn vader vervreemde zoon van de Tom Bedford verricht in Irak een ernstige oorlogsmisdaad tegenover een aantal burgers, waarvoor hij voor de krijgsraad dreigt te komen. Tom blikt terug op zijn eigen verleden, dat naast een naar kostschoolleven in Engeland en een glamourachtig leven in Hollywood gruwelijke gebeurtenissen kent. Eindelijk ziet hij zijn eigen rol en verantwoordelijkheid daarin en is hij daardoor in staat weer een band op te bouwen met zijn zoon en hem te steunen. ( )