Brave Companions by David McCullough
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Let me begin with expressing my unbridled respect for David McCullough.

If I haven't read everything this man has written, it wasn't for the lack of trying. He made the building of the Brooklyn Bridge one of the most fascination moments in American History. Because of all this pre-established respect and admiration; my disappointment with Brave Companions is very hard to express.

I thought it must be me, my mood, the weather, the tinnitus, anything but David's writing. I read it twice, then downloaded the Audible.com copy and listened to the man himself, a narrator's narrator, read his own work.

Eh!

That was my overall reaction. I felt as if this was all written just to write something. This is a similar experience to when I read Vidal's 1876. I loved his Burr and Lincoln but 1876 seemed to me to have been written just get out another Vidal version of America history.

Don't get me wrong about the writing. It is of McCullough's quality, well done and well researched. I don't doubt for a moment the veracity of every word.

I just don't care.

I need to be grabbed by at least one character, one event, one conclusion either historical or philosophical. I grasped here and there and nothing pulled me in.

All in all, I can't say this is a good read. I am so very sorry to say that.

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