The Last Brazil of Benjamin East by Jonathan Freedman

A big-hearted, compelling, zany, funny, fast-paced novel. It takes courage to believe in your dreams, and after heartbreaking failures, it takes courage to go on dreaming. Returning to America in the twilight of his life with an old valise, an irascible parrot, and an expired U.S. passport, Benjamin East still dares to dream big. When Benjamin meets Amy McCafferty, they recognize in each other an unbreakable belief in infinite possibilities. Although the plans they each had when they first met may never be realized, something bigger, better, and more eternal awaits them at the end of the road. The Last Brazil of Benjamin East is an American road story steeped in hope and longing, regret, love, and the courage of those who dare to dream. Lives intersect and are changed forever as one old man and his youthful companion cross the country in sear of something they may never find. Along the way, they find love, friendship, and adventure, and the grain of truth that lies hidden in all of us, waiting to break into bloom. This novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jonathan Freedman was thirty years in the making.