Review: Winning Family Saga!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 4, 2012
I truly enjoyed "Pursuit of a Dream" by Robert Pruneda. The story centers on The Lockharts, John, a widowed father and his two young sons Jared and Caleb. Early on, John loses his long-held job and the security of his family turns upside-down. Much of the story is reflective of current American family strife and I believe that this will resonate with readers.It becomes an ongoing juggling act for John to provide for his boys versus spending quality time with them. Thankfully, he's got his loving mother, father, sister, brother- in-law, cousins and a new love to help lighten the load. The boys' grandfather builds a go cart track on his ranch and the rest, as they say, is history. Caleb, the youngest son is bitten by speed and winning, well winning really, only winning. This single-mindedness of the main character drives the story forward. You will get frustrated with his many impatient impulses and root for him in his victories.I liked Caleb as a boy, but was troubled by his self-centered nature as he grew older. This is when Mr. Pruneda smartly begins to focus a light on Caleb's best friend and foil Brian. Brian has had it real hard; yet he always manages to persevere with patience. Brian then catches a break through Jared, of all people, who backs him in racing and we begin to see that patient perseverance pay off.It's been rightly mentioned in other reviews that this story is a wholesome saga of familial love, complete with the ups, downs, ins and outs of life. What hasn't been mentioned is how the book's focus around wildly-popular NASCAR could be a terrific catalyst in getting a young fan, but reluctant reader, excited about books.I cannot wait to see what lies around the next lap for the characters in this fine story and discover who will cross the finish line realizing a dream come true!