"The Broken Road" didn't really impress me. I liked Charles at the start and felt sorry for the horrible childhood he had to endure at the hands of an abusive father, but the richer and more successful he became the less I liked him. How he treated his wife, Monica, was terrible! Even though the novel ended on a hopeful note, I will not be reading the sequel to see what happens. A disappointing read. ( )

Charles James can't shake the nightmare that wakes him each night. He sees himself walking down a long, broken highway, the sides of which are lit in flames. By day, he wonders why he's so haunted and unhappy when he has all he ever wanted-fame, fans, and fortune and the lavish lifestyle it affords him. He begins to question his choices, his relationships, his future, and the type of man he's become. Then a twist of fate grants Charles a second chance. What will he do with it?

I needed an audiobook to listen to in my car and Evans was the first author I came to at the library whose name I recognized and who had a book I hadn't already read.

The beginning of this book reminds me of my friend, Michelle, who at one point said she'd been looking for a book referenced in "The Princess Bride" (supposedly "The Princess Bride" was "the good parts version" of a longer book) only to find out years later that the longer book never existed! Evans seems to make the claim that he met Charles James at a diner near historic Route 66 and the two made an agreement for Evans to tell his story at a time James set forth. Yet, when I googled Charles James Wealth Seminars there were no entries. So . . . is it a real person that Evans has used a pseudonym for or is the story a product of Evans' imagination?

This narrative covers James' climb from an dumpster-diving, abused child in Ogden Utah to a successful, multimillionaire presenter. Life's going well for James until his mentor shows up to offer forgiveness and advice--neither of which James asked for. James is haunted by a recurring dream where he seems to be walking on Route 66. When he checks in for but misses a flight that crashes soon after take-off, he is presumed dead and is able to reinvent himself in any way he chooses--apparently he chooses to walk Route 66 from Chicago to California if the beginning of the book is any indication.

It's an okay story--it lags a bit in places. It's a bit unfinished but enough of the story was tied up that I didn't feel cheated. I've already started the second book in the series. ( )

I really enjoyed this story, not an author that I usually read. And I'm happy to have the follow up book, The Forgotten Road, to read now too. The story involved a man who has a chance to reset his cosmic life button, and although I'm not one that would take this chance it was very thought provoking. Good reading. ( )

Charles James came from nothing. Bad family bad life. left home and met girl on bus. She took him in and he became a successful salesman making millions, but a dream tripped him up. Now he has lost his wife and cannot shake the dream.
As he is boarding a flight for work, he forgot his backpack. Missed the plane, the rest of the story to follow in book2. ( )