I had read several reviews on Amazon before starting this book and wasn't sure what to expect; people either loved or hated it. I was in the middle. The story does go back and forth each chapter to a different time frame in the characters lives so you do have to keep up.

It starts out with Tommy who's 13 and visiting his mom for the last time before she goes to the gas chamber. The rest of the book weaves the lives of Tommy, his parents, his sister, and goes between the U.S. and England. The biggest help while reading it is to remember: Tommy = childhood & Tom = adult.

I have to agree with past reviews that the title of this book really has nothing to do with the book itself. The story is good with a few shocks but overall I just felt a little let down by the time it ended. I feel I can't say too much without giving much of the plot away. Was it worth the read? Yeah. Would I read it again? No.

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I don't feel this is nearly as good as Evans' previous books. I loved he first three books (Horse Whisperer, The Loop, and Smoke Jumper.) His forth, The Divide, was very slow starting, but picked up as the book went on. But this was the first book, of his, that I just couldn't even finish. His previous book showed his knack for leaving you on the edge of your seat at the end of each chapter making it hard to put the book down. This one didn't have much, if any suspense. I read half the book and decided that was enough.

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I personally found this book to be the weakest of all Nicholas Evans works. I found myself "having" to finish the book because I'd started it. There was too much back and fourth from Tom's life as a child to his life as an adult and back again. For me there was this overall sense of "tabloid fodder" that plagued the plot. It seemed too predictable. I was relieved when the end finally came.

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Evans' tale of a young English boy fascinated by Hollywood Westerns, who evolves into a thoughtful and somewhat lonely man, is eminently readable. The structure is a bit disconcerting at time, as the author jumps back and forth in time for best dramatic impact, but it's the service of the plot.

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