Synopses & Reviews
Tom Bedford is living alone in the isolated wilds of
Montana. Having distanced himself from his own troubled past, he rarely sees his ex-wife, and his son, Danny, is away in
Iraq and hasn't spoken to him for years. Tom hasn't always been so removed from society. As a boy, his mother was a meteoric rising star in the glitzy, enchanted world of 1960s
Hollywood. There, she fell in love with the suave Ray Montane, who played young Tom's courageous onscreen hero, Red McGraw, the fastest draw around. Tommy and his mother lived in a glamorous, Hollywood version of the Wild West. Everything was perfect, until the gold flaking on their magical life began to chip away, revealing an uglier truth beneath. Ray was not who he seemed. Tommy and his mother fell into a deadly confrontation with him, and they fled
Hollywood forever, into the wilderness of
the real West.
As a man, Tom has put all of that behind him--or so he thinks. Unexpectedly, his ex-wife calls, frantic: Danny has been charged with murder. In the chaos of war, his son has been caught in a violent skirmish gone bloodily awry. The Army needs someone to pay for the mistake. Tom, forced into action, is now suddenly alive again and fighting to save the son he'd let slip away. To succeed, he must confront the violence in his own past, and he finds that these two selves--the past and the present--which he'd fought so long to keep separate, are inextricably connected. As father and son struggle to understand one another, both are compelled to learn the true meaning of bravery.
Beautifully interlacing the past and present, the author of The Horse Whisperer reminds us that we are tied to the glories and mistakes of our own history. The Brave lives up to its name, as one the most courageous and full-hearted novels of our time.
Review
"Alternating past and present, Evans expertly juggles his twin narratives until they come shatteringly together as father and son yield to the combined weight of the secrets they hide. Combining elements of the prep school drama, the Hollywood novel, the western, and the war story, Evans (The Horse Whisperer) skillfully mixes genres to create a real crowd-pleaser."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Ever the master of intense and complex relationships, Evans has crafted a time-traveling plot that admirably juggles issues of identity and fidelity to one's self and one's principles."--Carol Haggas, Booklist
Review
"In his first novel in five years Evans displays a sure hand at drawing characters and their motivations and settings as diverse as a gloomy boarding school, glamorous Hollywood, and the wide-open spaces of the West. This should appeal to all lovers of good storytelling."--Dan Forrest, Library Journal
Review
"The Brave is an engrossing tale that ... suggest[s] that, as Faulkner said, "The past isn't dead. It isn't even past." Fans of The Horse Whisperer won't want to miss this complex and satisfying story. For readers who have not had the pleasure of reading Evans, but are looking to get lost in a big novel with larger-than-life characters, The Brave is sure to fit the bill."--Kelly Blewett, BookPage
Synopsis
Tom Bedford lives alone in the wilds of Montana. Distanced from his own troubled past, he rarely sees his son, Danny, who is now deployed in Iraq. Tom hasn't always been so isolated. As a boy, his mother was a rising movie star in the glitzy, enchanted world of 1960s Hollywood. She fell in love with young Tom's onscreen cowboy hero, the suave Ray Montane. Tommy and his mother lived in a glamorous, Hollywood version of the Wild West--until a shocking and deadly confrontation forced them to flee.
As a man, Tom has put all of that behind him--until Danny is charged with murder. In the chaos of war, his son has been caught in a violent skirmish gone bloodily awry, and the Army needs someone to pay for the mistake. Shocked into action, Tom confronts the violence in his past and fights to save the son he'd let slip away. As father and son struggle to understand one another, they also learn the true meaning of bravery.
THE BRAVE lives up to its name--a courageous and full-hearted novel, beautifully interlacing the past and present with Evans's trademark masterful storytelling.
Synopsis
There's little love in eight-year-old Tom Bedford's life. His parents are old and remote and the boarding school they've sent him to bristles with bullies and sadistic staff. The only comfort he gets is from his fantasy world of Cowboys and Indians. But when his sister Diane, a rising star of stage and screen, falls in love with one of his idols, the suave TV cowboy Ray Montane, Tom's life is transformed. They move to Hollywood and all his dreams seem to have come true. Soon, however, the sinister side of Tinseltown casts its shadow and a shocking act of violence changes their lives forever.
What happened all those years ago remains a secret that corrodes Tom's life and wrecks his marriage. Only when his estranged son, a US Marine, is charged with murder do the events resurface, forcing him to confront his demons. As he struggles to save his son's life, he will learn the true meaning of bravery.
Powerfully written and intensely moving, The Brave traces the legacy of violence behind the myth of the American West and explores our quest for love and identity, the fallibility of heroes and the devastating effects of family secrets.
Synopsis
Powerfully written and intensely moving, "The Brave" traces the legacy of violence behind the myth of the American West and explores man's quest for love and identity, the fallibility of heroes, and the devastating effects of family secrets.
Synopsis
In the 1960s, Tommy Bedford has the magnificent luck of escaping boarding school and moving to Hollywood to live with his older sister, rising ingénue Diane Reed, and her beau, suave cowboy actor Ray Montane. For a time, life is full and glamorous. But Hollywood has a darker side, and one day a shocking and deadly confrontation forces Diane and Tommy to flee.
Decades later, Tom Bedford has retreated into the isolated wilds of Montana. His biggest secret has corroded his life and ruined his marriage. Only when Danny, Tom's estranged son, is charged with murder while serving in Iraq is Tom finally forced to reckon with his demons. As he fights to save the son he has let slip away, Tom must confront the violence in his own past-and learn the true meaning of bravery.
Video
About the Author
Nicholas Evans has been a journalist, screenwriter, TV/film producer, and novelist. He studied at
Oxford University after serving in
Africa with the Voluntary Service Overseas. He then studied journalism and worked as a newspaper reporter and television screenwriter before writing four bestselling books of fiction. His novel,
The Horse Whisperer was made into a celebrated movie directed by Robert Redford. He lives in
Devon with his wife, singer/songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming.