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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Beautiful beautiful beautiful, it felt like every sentence was pealing back another layer of this family and I loved it
Switched between print and audio, and while I preferred print, Zusak reads the audio which is gr8!
However, I’m not sure this book is being marketed quite right. It keeps getting pushed as ya, and I’m not sure it is. I think there is no shame in pushing this as literary fiction, maybe even adult literary fiction
Switched between print and audio, and while I preferred print, Zusak reads the audio which is gr8!
However, I’m not sure this book is being marketed quite right. It keeps getting pushed as ya, and I’m not sure it is. I think there is no shame in pushing this as literary fiction, maybe even adult literary fiction
challenging
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a story of five brothers who live in a house without parents.
It’s in the aftermath of their mother’s death, and their father leaving them.
The narrator is the eldest brother, who is writing a story about the fourth brother, Clay.
One day their father comes back and asks them to help him build a bridge.
And from there the story unfolds.
I tried reading this book back in 2018 when I first bought it, but couldn’t get into it.
The writing is a bit confusing, and it does feel like the author was trying so hard to be that way.
Yet, it felt to me like an inside conversation. Rather than an outside viewing of events.
It made me laugh, and get emotional at certain points.
In the heart of it, it’s grief. and all the other stages of it.
There's so much love and camaraderie between the brothers.
It’s in the aftermath of their mother’s death, and their father leaving them.
The narrator is the eldest brother, who is writing a story about the fourth brother, Clay.
One day their father comes back and asks them to help him build a bridge.
And from there the story unfolds.
I tried reading this book back in 2018 when I first bought it, but couldn’t get into it.
The writing is a bit confusing, and it does feel like the author was trying so hard to be that way.
Yet, it felt to me like an inside conversation. Rather than an outside viewing of events.
It made me laugh, and get emotional at certain points.
In the heart of it, it’s grief. and all the other stages of it.
There's so much love and camaraderie between the brothers.
I was really looking forward to reading this book, however, I found this narrative very difficult to follow for about 2/3 of the story. Once I understood the plot of the book it was easier to follow, but story felt disjointed and I had a hard time getting through the whole thing. It wasn't nearly as captivating as his previous books.
It's a book about relationships, lost loves, death and their aftermath. The chapters alternate between present and past and tell the stories of all the characters. The present is mostly about just one of the characters, clay, and his life. There's a lot of heartbreak but also a lot of love.
It was long but you wanted to know about all of the lives. There were no major twists and turns. Just a simple life that many could identify with
It was long but you wanted to know about all of the lives. There were no major twists and turns. Just a simple life that many could identify with
“We skip the moments like stones.”
DNF at page 164 (31%)
Okay, so let’s get this fact out of the way, The Book Thief is one of my absolute favorite books of all time and I wanted to love this book just as much. With that being said, I went into this book knowing it wouldn’t be like The Book Thief, so I don’t think the comparison between the two is was effected my enjoyment on this book, I just think this book and it’s writing style wasn’t for me.
I had previously read the first couple chapters a couple of months ago to see if I was in the mood to start reading it, but I ended up putting it to the side because it just wasn’t the time for me to read it. So when I jumped into the book the second time, I decided to try the audiobook because I thought that would help… but it didn’t. I think the narration (which is by the author) was really good, but it goes back to the fact that I think this book and the writing style just wasn’t clicking with me and I found myself becoming disinterested while reading it.
Not only that but, I found myself becoming lost and confused on what was going on. And while deciding if I would DNF this book or not, I went back to read the synopsis in the copy of my book and the first line literally says: "Here is a story told inside out and back to front…" which was definitely true and I think the choice to write the story that way was something that attributed to my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, I think giving the book a good 180 pages was enough for me and maybe at some point I’ll come back to this book and try it again, but for now it’s a DNF for me.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
What a story!
Stunning.... I have just finished reading Bridge of Clay. Full of love and sorrow, courage and resolve. I loved everything about it, especially the Australian-ness of it.
Stunning.... I have just finished reading Bridge of Clay. Full of love and sorrow, courage and resolve. I loved everything about it, especially the Australian-ness of it.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent
This heavy book about five brothers started off promising but besides the backstory of their deceased mother I found a lot of the story laboured and seemingly endless. I just couldn't find myself engaged enough to care about the characters or through their story. A very unsatisfying read.