2018 School Spending Survey Report
Heart of Palm
Grove. Apr. 2013. 496p. ISBN 9780802121028. $24; ebk. ISBN 9780802193568. F
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This outstanding debut novel tells the story of the Bravo family, headed by matriarch Arla. Arla was once a sought-after beauty from a wealthy family in St. Augustine, FL, Dean Bravo stole her heart—Dean Bravo of the Utina Bravos, a family known for lawlessness and troublemaking in the trashy town nearby. Tragedy strikes on their honeymoon, and the young couple are never quite the same. In the present day, long after Dean's subsequent desertion of Arla and their kids, the Bravos are sitting on now-valuable real estate, but whether it's up for sale is a fight within the family: Carson, a shady "investment counselor"; Elizabeth, his long-suffering wife; Sofia, the oldest and only daugher, dealing with mental health issues; and Frank, the stoic defender of everyone else, denying his own dreams.
VERDICT Reminiscent of the works of John Irving, with its close-knit but oddball family, weird tragedy at regular intervals, and its very dark sense of humor, this is an engrossing and rewarding read.
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