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The Book of Maps
In the summer of 2002, filmmaker Brendan Tibbet takes his ten-year-old son Brenlyn on a raucous road trip across America. Following a 1930s travel guide Brendan purchased at a yard sale, the two-week trek covers 16 states, hitting the iconic stops along the way, Yosemite, the Great Salt Lake, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, replete with wild exploits both hilarious and perilous, but it's the interior journey that is enlightening, deeply poignant, and life-changing. Brendan assures the boy that each state will be an adventure, and on the second day proves it, seeing the kid washed away in fast-moving rapids, then foolishly putting them both in danger by refusing to back down to the massive black bear invading their campsite. That's Brendan, impetuous and foolhardy, inciting trouble wherever he goes, a man with demons and bubbling angst. But neither of those missteps, or the many and scarier ones to follow, can begin to compare to the threatening storm cloud hanging over the the father's struggle to find the perfect, worst time to reveal to his son the news that will break his heart and affect everything. Ernest Thompson's debut novel depicts a United States that, even in the aftermath of 9/11, seems almost innocent contrasted to the horrors and divisions, racism and rage challenging us now.
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First published October 25, 2022
15 people are currently reading
1999 people want to read
About the author
Ernest Thompson
9 books22 followersErnest Thompson’s work has won an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, Writers Guild and Broadway Drama Guild Awards and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theatres around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. Current projects include the film sequel to On Golden Pond, the plays Some Parts Missing and Ask/Answer and the novel Out Clause coming in 2023. With his writer wife Kerrin Thompson, he established Rescind Recidivism, a prison writing program giving inmates a chance to feel creative as well as human, capable and worthy.
For more than forty years, Ernest has been weaving stories with a unique clarity and understanding of the human condition, writing characters with a precision that makes you swear you know them or are them. His latest, The Book of Maps, will take you on a painfully beautiful cross-country journey through love and loss, laughing all the way, and, ultimately, leaving you with a greater appreciation for anyone who has gone the distance to find redemption.
For more than forty years, Ernest has been weaving stories with a unique clarity and understanding of the human condition, writing characters with a precision that makes you swear you know them or are them. His latest, The Book of Maps, will take you on a painfully beautiful cross-country journey through love and loss, laughing all the way, and, ultimately, leaving you with a greater appreciation for anyone who has gone the distance to find redemption.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 14, 2022
It was way too long and more philosophical than an adventure trip. I had to start skipping ahead just to get it read . :(
January 16, 2024
Who cares what the book was about? Dreadful book. Too long and boring. Could have been written in half the pages. Plus author shows off his vocabulary but the thing was taking long enough to read; didn't want to stretch it out any more by bothering to look up the words. Not well written and could have used some serious editing.
(And, note, I love words.)
(And, note, I love words.)
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November 23, 2022The premise here is entertaining, a father-son road trip weaving their way through iconic places and backroads of America. They follow a 1930s travel guide as they travel from New Hampshire to California, where Brendan Tibbet will deliver his son to his ex-wife.
Along the way, the two see great sites, have fun adventures, scary run-ins, and dangerous moments. All help to bond them, and even though they have some much-needed conversations, Brendan is not prepared to have the conversation - the one that will be painful and change everything.
If you read between the big vocabulary and the artful prose, you’ll find shining notes of the relationship between father and son and some nuggets of wisdom. You’ll find a flawed dad trying to seek redemption for his failures and a son looking for a role model.
Along the way, the two see great sites, have fun adventures, scary run-ins, and dangerous moments. All help to bond them, and even though they have some much-needed conversations, Brendan is not prepared to have the conversation - the one that will be painful and change everything.
If you read between the big vocabulary and the artful prose, you’ll find shining notes of the relationship between father and son and some nuggets of wisdom. You’ll find a flawed dad trying to seek redemption for his failures and a son looking for a role model.
February 15, 2025
I really liked this book but don’t think it’s for everybody. The narrator is a writer who is always, always writing in his own head. Extremely verbose and probably off-putting to many. He tells a great story, though, and is charming and witty.
August 7, 2022
A road trip between a mostly absent father and his 10 year old son across America could be the last chance to bond or a complete disaster. Brendan is a filmmaker who won't be up for Father of the Year but he thinks he can make it up to Brenlyn by taking him on a cross country road trip using an outdated travel guide from the 30's. Stopping in iconic and less well known cities starts off as complete boredom for Brenlyn but will end as a coming of age adventure. The banter between father and son is wonderful and there are both funny and frightening situations. I had a difficult time with what seemed like a bit of rambling prose. There is a lot going on in this story - a flawed father looking for redemption and a son searching for a role model. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
September 23, 2022
Coming of ages and finding one’s self in the midst of a complete transformation of family is the overarching theme of “The Book of Maps”, by Ernest Thompson. Getting to it is a cross country traffic jam of major proportions.
It’s possible my expectations were too high for this novel. There’s a band across the bottom of my galley that touts the author’s prowess as the Academy Award winning “On Golden Pond” author. I was waiting for a similar depth of character development and emotional investment but got something different, less satisfying and seriously delayed. There are times in literature when the agony of waiting can be excruciatingly delightful. This isn’t one of them…
Brendan and Lynsay’s marriage is over. They have an almost 11 year old son named Brenlyn who will live with his mother in California but was divvied up in court as 51% to mom and 49% to dad. Brendan is moving to New Hampshire, into a 200 year old family farmhouse and farm that’s been vacant for years. The bulk of the story is the road-trip father and son take from CA to NH. Brenlyn, aka Blynk, thinks the trip is a summer vacation dad thing to do so his writer father can get new fodder for story ideas. Dad knows it’s so much more.
To call Brendan an erudite snob would be an understatement. He’s also 2002’s version of a Californian woke vegetarian. The vocabulary is going to make lots of readers hit the dictionary function on the regular which will make an already difficult read more difficult. I found the retro woke more interesting than annoying but that might not be the case for some. It certainly makes for a multi layered 11 year old character who behaves and thinks well beyond his tender years.
Some of the interactions between father and son ring true to me. They are repeated 17 times, chapter after chapter, state by state as the pair drive from CA to NH following an antique map. Perhaps I’d be more in tune with the characters if I had Y chromosomes; doubtful but possible.
There are unique events and interactions with characters along the way and one character from the halfway point continues thru to the end; an odd, not really needed, woke addition. She does figure into Brendan’s resolution but it’s very contrived. His entire closing arc would ring more true, IMO, without that character and piece of the story.
For me, this story is missing the single most important conversation between father and son. It’s missing a few others that should have been included too. Maybe it’s a purposeful technique so the reader can imagine or intuit the interactions but there’s not enough of the characters given to us for that to happen. I want more from this author and his characters📚
Thanks to Global Collective for the ARC via Publisher’s Weekly Giveaway
It’s possible my expectations were too high for this novel. There’s a band across the bottom of my galley that touts the author’s prowess as the Academy Award winning “On Golden Pond” author. I was waiting for a similar depth of character development and emotional investment but got something different, less satisfying and seriously delayed. There are times in literature when the agony of waiting can be excruciatingly delightful. This isn’t one of them…
Brendan and Lynsay’s marriage is over. They have an almost 11 year old son named Brenlyn who will live with his mother in California but was divvied up in court as 51% to mom and 49% to dad. Brendan is moving to New Hampshire, into a 200 year old family farmhouse and farm that’s been vacant for years. The bulk of the story is the road-trip father and son take from CA to NH. Brenlyn, aka Blynk, thinks the trip is a summer vacation dad thing to do so his writer father can get new fodder for story ideas. Dad knows it’s so much more.
To call Brendan an erudite snob would be an understatement. He’s also 2002’s version of a Californian woke vegetarian. The vocabulary is going to make lots of readers hit the dictionary function on the regular which will make an already difficult read more difficult. I found the retro woke more interesting than annoying but that might not be the case for some. It certainly makes for a multi layered 11 year old character who behaves and thinks well beyond his tender years.
Some of the interactions between father and son ring true to me. They are repeated 17 times, chapter after chapter, state by state as the pair drive from CA to NH following an antique map. Perhaps I’d be more in tune with the characters if I had Y chromosomes; doubtful but possible.
There are unique events and interactions with characters along the way and one character from the halfway point continues thru to the end; an odd, not really needed, woke addition. She does figure into Brendan’s resolution but it’s very contrived. His entire closing arc would ring more true, IMO, without that character and piece of the story.
For me, this story is missing the single most important conversation between father and son. It’s missing a few others that should have been included too. Maybe it’s a purposeful technique so the reader can imagine or intuit the interactions but there’s not enough of the characters given to us for that to happen. I want more from this author and his characters📚
Thanks to Global Collective for the ARC via Publisher’s Weekly Giveaway
November 7, 2022
I was excited to receive this novel as Thompson’s reputation precedes him with On Golden Pond. While the premise is good, I sometimes wanted the big words to stop (and I am a big word lover)!
The imperial and pretentious conversation style even bothers his son. Brenlyn points out his dad has no friends because he knows “too many words” and makes “other people feel ignorant” (90).
I sometimes thought that Thompson’s writing was echoing Brenden’s philosophy as he had his main character picturing is life like a “lissom screenwriter’s script”(108) to include as many words as possible (and as many imagined plot scenarios as possible).
Besides the effluvium of wordage, the plot was just a lot. The premise is sound, though. The impetus for the trip is a retro book of maps. Brenden promises a road trip to end all trips. He promises his reluctant young son a rollicking good time: ‘…we’ll camp out and we’ll hike and go skinny-dipping and drink beer and go to cathouses and rob banks. Who wouldn’t want to drive across America with his dad?” (viii)
There really are bear encounters, white water rafting (without a raft), altercations with skin heads, a library theft, a jail stint and a missing child.
Just when I thought the tale would pick up, the viewpoint starts changing more and more. Characters are introduced and the reader now has to keep up with three more POVs. There’s also some parallels between the father’s memory of a similar trek when he was seven that seems to derail the story.
There is some poignant writing and the wisdom that the son imparts to all in South Dakota will stay with me.
The fact was, Brendan typically declined to converse normally. He found it tedious. We’re all allotted a finite number of words in our lives and so many sentences to bend them into, why not give them color and shape and musicality? That was Brendan’s philosophy. Why not piss other people off? And anybody who didn’t know what knights-errant meant should renew her library card. (6)
The imperial and pretentious conversation style even bothers his son. Brenlyn points out his dad has no friends because he knows “too many words” and makes “other people feel ignorant” (90).
I sometimes thought that Thompson’s writing was echoing Brenden’s philosophy as he had his main character picturing is life like a “lissom screenwriter’s script”(108) to include as many words as possible (and as many imagined plot scenarios as possible).
Besides the effluvium of wordage, the plot was just a lot. The premise is sound, though. The impetus for the trip is a retro book of maps. Brenden promises a road trip to end all trips. He promises his reluctant young son a rollicking good time: ‘…we’ll camp out and we’ll hike and go skinny-dipping and drink beer and go to cathouses and rob banks. Who wouldn’t want to drive across America with his dad?” (viii)
There really are bear encounters, white water rafting (without a raft), altercations with skin heads, a library theft, a jail stint and a missing child.
Just when I thought the tale would pick up, the viewpoint starts changing more and more. Characters are introduced and the reader now has to keep up with three more POVs. There’s also some parallels between the father’s memory of a similar trek when he was seven that seems to derail the story.
There is some poignant writing and the wisdom that the son imparts to all in South Dakota will stay with me.
November 22, 2022
The Book of Maps written by the author of On Golden Pond, promised the kinds of insights offered by John Steinbeck in Travels with Charley. Although I enjoyed this one more than other reviewers, it didn't meet my high expectations either... but it is possible that nobody could.
The story involves one summer in 2002 when a mostly absent father takes his 10 year old son on a road trip across America. The glimpses into time and place were spot on, offering an insight into the culture which was wonderful. The characters, however, were bland and I struggled to relate to either of them. The dad was often pretentious, and the way he spoke to his son was odd... The ex-wife/mother was only involved in the story on the periphery -- in phone conversations -- but she was portrayed as a nag rather than a mother who just entrusted her son to the failing dad for an entire summer. However, the boy shares some nuggets of wisdom that can only come from a child, and those are the most resonant and nuanced moments in the book. The boy is the character that was most realistic and the one I will remember most.
There were moments of pure adventure -- with possible bear attacks, a stint in jail, a library robbery and more. And there were moments when the wordplay was absolutely hilarious. At the very beginning when he is trying to convince his son that the trip will be fun he describes it as ‘…we’ll camp out and we’ll hike and go skinny-dipping and drink beer and go to cathouses and rob banks. Who wouldn’t want to drive across America with his dad?” I laughed out loud at this one and hoped that this gem would be indicative of the entire book. It was. And, it wasn't. They were there. But, not often enough.
For the descriptions of time and place this is a book worth 5 stars. But, for the lack of relatable characters it is only worth 3.
The story involves one summer in 2002 when a mostly absent father takes his 10 year old son on a road trip across America. The glimpses into time and place were spot on, offering an insight into the culture which was wonderful. The characters, however, were bland and I struggled to relate to either of them. The dad was often pretentious, and the way he spoke to his son was odd... The ex-wife/mother was only involved in the story on the periphery -- in phone conversations -- but she was portrayed as a nag rather than a mother who just entrusted her son to the failing dad for an entire summer. However, the boy shares some nuggets of wisdom that can only come from a child, and those are the most resonant and nuanced moments in the book. The boy is the character that was most realistic and the one I will remember most.
There were moments of pure adventure -- with possible bear attacks, a stint in jail, a library robbery and more. And there were moments when the wordplay was absolutely hilarious. At the very beginning when he is trying to convince his son that the trip will be fun he describes it as ‘…we’ll camp out and we’ll hike and go skinny-dipping and drink beer and go to cathouses and rob banks. Who wouldn’t want to drive across America with his dad?” I laughed out loud at this one and hoped that this gem would be indicative of the entire book. It was. And, it wasn't. They were there. But, not often enough.
For the descriptions of time and place this is a book worth 5 stars. But, for the lack of relatable characters it is only worth 3.
December 29, 2022
I loved the whole concept of this book. It’s about life decisions, family, having morals and appreciating nature. Everyone goes through life making mistakes and accidents sometimes good sometimes bad and just generally trying to figure out what is truly important. It’s about what to hold onto and what to let go. I love the thought of a broken or imperfect family but one with love and care for the child. Not everything works out perfectly or as planned but what’s important is to be a good person. The journey of the road trip brought me back to adventures I’ve had as a kid and an adult and inspired me to have new ones. I can relate to being from a broken family even though my story is very different. I really related to the love and appreciation for nature and national parks and recycling no matter how inconvenient. The thinking deeply and wanting the truth even if our idols can fall from their pedestals is an important reality and life lesson to learn. The father goes through this trip while teaching their child about life and morals and that’s where I was a bit lost. Racism and discrimination against gay people and people who are different or different from you is wrong and that’s very important to teach. I didn’t, however, appreciate that sexism was considered just fine. The Huckleberry Finn reference would have been a great learning lesson for the character and the reader to say that wearing dresses was fine for boys and that there is no such thing as “throwing like a boy” or “throwing like a girl”. That an SUV is not a “girly” vehicle but for anyone. Instead I found the “boys will be boys” sexism and thought that was poorly chosen. The rest of the book I found great and loved the real life lessons anyone should and needs to learn and teach their children.
November 16, 2022
Do you like road trips?🚗
If you do, you might enjoy The Book of Maps by Ernest Thompson.
As Brendan takes his son on a road trip from California to New Hampshire (two of my favorite places!) he follows a 1930’s travel guide, The Book of Maps for their adventure.
This is a light hearted read with some silly things that happen along the way, but also some depth as Brendan and his wife are getting a divorce and Brendan reflects on his personality and life.
I love maps and road maps, and I’ve been traveling before phones had navigation and even before MapQuest. On early road trips, for each new state I would enter, I would buy a road map at the nearest gas station. This was even more challenging on road trips in Europe, where they didn’t call cities or countries what we do in the US.
Thank you @tlcbooktours for this gifted copy!
You can find The Book of Maps on our Amazon storefront, this book published last month and is available now!🧜🏼♀️🌺
If you do, you might enjoy The Book of Maps by Ernest Thompson.
As Brendan takes his son on a road trip from California to New Hampshire (two of my favorite places!) he follows a 1930’s travel guide, The Book of Maps for their adventure.
This is a light hearted read with some silly things that happen along the way, but also some depth as Brendan and his wife are getting a divorce and Brendan reflects on his personality and life.
I love maps and road maps, and I’ve been traveling before phones had navigation and even before MapQuest. On early road trips, for each new state I would enter, I would buy a road map at the nearest gas station. This was even more challenging on road trips in Europe, where they didn’t call cities or countries what we do in the US.
Thank you @tlcbooktours for this gifted copy!
You can find The Book of Maps on our Amazon storefront, this book published last month and is available now!🧜🏼♀️🌺
November 12, 2022
n 2002 Brendan Tibbet and his 10 year old son Brenlyn embark on a road trip across America. They are following a 1930's travel guide Brendan bought at a yard sale. The trip is from Los Angeles to New Hampshire and covers 16 states. There is a lot of adventure and some misadventure along with father and son bonding. Thank you for the opportunity of receiving this book. I have already passed it on.
August 7, 2023
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, and I really wanted to like it: A road trip, MAPS, national parks--I love these things!
Unfortunately, I really dislike Mr. Thompson's writing style. I'm sorry. He uses too many adjectives, too many commas, his sentences are too long, and they try too hard to dazzle. All of those efforts are unsuccessful with me. I invoke the Reader's Right not to finish.
Unfortunately, I really dislike Mr. Thompson's writing style. I'm sorry. He uses too many adjectives, too many commas, his sentences are too long, and they try too hard to dazzle. All of those efforts are unsuccessful with me. I invoke the Reader's Right not to finish.
July 2, 2024
Mr. Thompson was a guest speaker at an event I attended at a monthly Men’s Club at an Armenian Church in an urban suburb just outside of Boston. He made a presentation about his Hollywood career and talked about his book. He was the playwright for On Golden Pond . So congratulations for that Mr. Thompson.
The book sounded interesting; a trip across the country with his 10 year old son so I downloaded it on my kindle. About 30% of the way in I realized he is a leftist of the highest order . He is a pompous Hollywood elitist of monumental proportions; from New Hampshire no less. Go figure.
The book is pretty much about how Mr. Thompson hates everything about America . Everything from his family to fireworks on the Fourth of July to well … everything. His subtle hateful political comments became too much for me . He also has the terrible habit of trying to impress with big words right out of a Thesaurus.
Very little of anything has any redeeming value to Mr. Thompson. All the Leftist stereotypes of everything became quite prevalent . It was hard to decipher fact from fiction. It was based on a trip he actually took so I am assuming some was factual . It turned out to be quite a sad trip in more ways than one.
The book sounded interesting; a trip across the country with his 10 year old son so I downloaded it on my kindle. About 30% of the way in I realized he is a leftist of the highest order . He is a pompous Hollywood elitist of monumental proportions; from New Hampshire no less. Go figure.
The book is pretty much about how Mr. Thompson hates everything about America . Everything from his family to fireworks on the Fourth of July to well … everything. His subtle hateful political comments became too much for me . He also has the terrible habit of trying to impress with big words right out of a Thesaurus.
Very little of anything has any redeeming value to Mr. Thompson. All the Leftist stereotypes of everything became quite prevalent . It was hard to decipher fact from fiction. It was based on a trip he actually took so I am assuming some was factual . It turned out to be quite a sad trip in more ways than one.
November 14, 2022
I'm being generous with a 3 here... it isn't that I didn't like it, I think perhaps I wasn't the target audience. Or maybe because I'm a mom and not a dad? I'm not sure. See full review below:
Stranded in Chaos
Stranded in Chaos
August 4, 2023
It took a while for me to get acclimated to the story telling style of this one, but what a funny, lovely road trip this story is! A man, thinking he's getting to know his son on a cross country road trip finds himself instead. Lovely.
October 7, 2023
This was a hard one for me to follow. Not only were some of the vocabulary choices a bit over-the-top and unnecessary, but the conflict and POVs towards the middle and end of the story didn't make much sense to me. I think the premise was there but the execution was choppy.
October 28, 2022
I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion
February 4, 2023
Given as a gift. Intrigued by cover but difficult to read.
Read
April 29, 2023sorry
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