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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
How dare Markus Zusak write another devastatingly beautiful novel that I have to stay up until 1:00 am to finish only to be wrecked by it - please read this but only if you are ready to cry.
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this book as part of the dymocks challenge, this was the dymocks book of the month july 2018. i don’t think i would have read it otherwise. i feel like maybe i was too unintelligent to enjoy this book, as some parts i understood that i hadn’t really grasped what was going on. it wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t my favourite. it was slow paced and felt like i was watching a movie. it’s definitely the opposite of what i usually enjoy reading, which is fast paced fantasy. but i liked how there were about 4 or 5 different time periods, my favourite was the reflection of the mother growing up. it was a sad book and really showed the full life of many of these people. by halfway i felt like i was a dunbar boy, because it was written in such a way that i could see them all around me and know their personalities. i was a bit confused about the bridge thing, why the father left and what happened to the mother but i eventually understood. this book had a calming effect on me. Read 17 to 19 jan.
edit: it was better in hindsight than when reading it. Looking back i did enjoy the book and giving it only 2 stars seems harsh because i’ve realised it was a beautiful story so i’m going to move it up just a tiny bit to 2.25.
edit: it was better in hindsight than when reading it. Looking back i did enjoy the book and giving it only 2 stars seems harsh because i’ve realised it was a beautiful story so i’m going to move it up just a tiny bit to 2.25.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent
Bridge of Clay tells the story of the five Dunbar boys forced to grow up on their own, seemingly as orphans, after their mother dies and their father abandons them. The five boys living on their own and creating and maintaining a family environment for one another, reminded me of The Outsiders, which has been a long time favorite of mine. The novel is told from the point of view of the eldest Dunbar brother, but the story primarily focuses on the fourth boy, Clay. Clay is the outcast of the five brothers, he always has been – but Clay also has a secret. “Everything happened to him and because of that we were changed all of us through him“. This quote taken from novel, really reflects the tone. Everything does happen to Clay. The characters are changed through him and I believe the reader will be too.
This novel follows three different time lines all progressing forward to the revelation at the peak of the climax. It follows the present setting of the boys, how they live and what Clay decides to do. It follows the relationship of Clay and his friend Carey, from their past leading to present day. As well as providing back stories for the Dunbar parents. These plot lines provide a slow and steady foundation for the eventual heartbreaking climax. I didn’t find the jumping around confusing to follow, but there is SO much back story to build that the novel was very slow for the first half. However, once the last half comes around you won’t want to stop. There were times during the first half where I debated stoping, but my love for Zusak and his quirky writing style kept me going . The ending was redeeming for me. Everything that I had been looking for in this novel, things I’ve come to expect from Zusak: sadness hope, life, all of them formed and made the struggle worthwhile.
I don’t believe this novel is for everyone, there are a lot of plot elements and it can be slow. From what I’ve seen people either loved it or hated it. There is no room for “meh” or lukewarm feelings. The bridge from the title also provides such literal and metaphoric meaning that Augustus Waters would be so happy about it, haha. So if you’re into metaphors and things like that you will enjoy Bridge of Clay. You just have to feel your way through it, and trust me, if you’re feeling it, it makes the entire journey with the Dunbar family worth it. I also want to note that this novel is a little crude with language. This is something that personally doesn’t bother me, but if it does you this probably isn’t one that you’ll enjoy.
https://floralsandnovels.wordpress.com/2019/03/21/bridge-of-clay-a-review/
This novel follows three different time lines all progressing forward to the revelation at the peak of the climax. It follows the present setting of the boys, how they live and what Clay decides to do. It follows the relationship of Clay and his friend Carey, from their past leading to present day. As well as providing back stories for the Dunbar parents. These plot lines provide a slow and steady foundation for the eventual heartbreaking climax. I didn’t find the jumping around confusing to follow, but there is SO much back story to build that the novel was very slow for the first half. However, once the last half comes around you won’t want to stop. There were times during the first half where I debated stoping, but my love for Zusak and his quirky writing style kept me going . The ending was redeeming for me. Everything that I had been looking for in this novel, things I’ve come to expect from Zusak: sadness hope, life, all of them formed and made the struggle worthwhile.
I don’t believe this novel is for everyone, there are a lot of plot elements and it can be slow. From what I’ve seen people either loved it or hated it. There is no room for “meh” or lukewarm feelings. The bridge from the title also provides such literal and metaphoric meaning that Augustus Waters would be so happy about it, haha. So if you’re into metaphors and things like that you will enjoy Bridge of Clay. You just have to feel your way through it, and trust me, if you’re feeling it, it makes the entire journey with the Dunbar family worth it. I also want to note that this novel is a little crude with language. This is something that personally doesn’t bother me, but if it does you this probably isn’t one that you’ll enjoy.
https://floralsandnovels.wordpress.com/2019/03/21/bridge-of-clay-a-review/
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I picked up this book because I liked the works of Marcus Zusak in the past, and I was not disappointed by this. The story follows 5 boys living on their own, the killer and the memory of their mother.
If you’re a fan of action packed fantasy, then this book is not for you. It has a slower pace and deals with everyday problems of a broken family. Like in real life, there isn’t a definite end to the story, but at the end of the book, you feel like you’re part of this big family. You’ve lived through their tragedies, you’ve coped with them, and you’ve grown, and in my opinion that’s the best part of this all.
Some might also find the book challenging because of the way it is written: one chapter takes place in the past, and one in the future. Although, with such writing, it would normally be harder to keep up with the story, The Bridge of Clay avoided that fate. Coming back to the past a lot makes sense for a grieving family, and as readers it’s interesting to put a story together piece by piece.
The characters all have a distinct personality, influenced by their past. For me, one of the worst things an author can do, is provide the readers with questions, and not answer all of them by the end, here it is thankfully not the case. All the mysteries laid out before us in the beginning of the book, eventually make sense.
If I had to sum my review up, this is not a very action packed book, at first, you’ll need to to get into reading it, but by the end, the characters, the journey you took with them, will make all of the inconveniences worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Abandonment
This is definitely a book you could love or hate - my problem was swinging between hating and being mildly interested for the entirety of reading it. Honestly, I would never have picked it up without book club and, for the first time, I'm not that glad they made me. This book felt like a colossal waste of my time.
Mainly- and I mean this -because it could have been GREAT. It has a great author, a great plot, characters you should be able to root for and it is filled with longing, love and loss. Ot should have been miraculous literature.
And...it isn't. Zuzak is trying so hard for this to not be compared to his other books that I think he struggles to settle into his chosen narrative style. At some points it is a joy to read as he has clearly settled, but for the most part I found this unnecessarily confusing, complicated and unsure of it's own direction. The way of narrating makes it harder to love the Dunbar boys and completely hides the motivations behind the bridge building. The histories of Penelope and Micheal were great, the bits about the pets and the love of books frequently made me smile, but this book is less than the sum of its parts and reading it becomes a real chore.
It's a shame, because I wanted to be one of the people that have loved this book and it just wasn't to be.
Mainly- and I mean this -because it could have been GREAT. It has a great author, a great plot, characters you should be able to root for and it is filled with longing, love and loss. Ot should have been miraculous literature.
And...it isn't. Zuzak is trying so hard for this to not be compared to his other books that I think he struggles to settle into his chosen narrative style. At some points it is a joy to read as he has clearly settled, but for the most part I found this unnecessarily confusing, complicated and unsure of it's own direction. The way of narrating makes it harder to love the Dunbar boys and completely hides the motivations behind the bridge building. The histories of Penelope and Micheal were great, the bits about the pets and the love of books frequently made me smile, but this book is less than the sum of its parts and reading it becomes a real chore.
It's a shame, because I wanted to be one of the people that have loved this book and it just wasn't to be.
This was not the book for me. It's not a terrible book. I just made a bad choice in picking it up (and then not putting it down when I wasn't enjoying it). That said, I have real criticisms about the mismatch between the intensity of the writing style and the mundanity of the plot, but that may be the real attraction for someone else. It may also be enticing that familial relationships are entirely enigmatic in the 500+ page journey from point A to point A (nope, not a typo), but that's just not what I'm here for. 1.5 stars.
A little confusing until you really get into it, long-winded and beautiful. 3.5 stars, but a very slow trek to it
This book had an unusual rhythm that took some getting used to, but it was so worth the initial effort. A beautiful book that will stay with me. Although I've never done so with any book, I feel like I'll read this one again.
The first book I’ve finished in 2021. This is a beautiful book, and I will admit it took time to hook me. However, once I got a feel for the storytelling and way Zusak plays with the timeline and narration, I was hooked. The characters are all so interesting and complex; you feel you’re there in their chaotic house.
This book was lovely in many ways. The relationship between the brothers was complex and moving, but there was just too much that I didn't care for like horse racing and bridge building. I listened to the audiobook version and I have found that it is taking some getting used to. Perhaps I would have liked it better if I had read it?