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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Try as I might, I just couldn't get in to this one. I found the opening chapter very engaging, but I thought the chapters devoted to the individuals on the bridge felt a little bloated. The closing lines were very good, but as a whole I didn't really enjoy this.
We discuss this and other favorites in the Historical Fiction genre here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-57-historically-fictitious
We discuss this and other favorites in the Historical Fiction genre here: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-57-historically-fictitious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
reflective
tense
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This whole short book hinges on the last short chapter, which unlocks in beautiful and mysterious ways what Wilder was getting at in the first four chapters. The last five pages are perfect.
hopeful
reflective
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
reflective
sad
medium-paced
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wanted to like this more than I did. The character development occurs at a dispassionate distance, so it’s hard to say whether I liked or empathized with any of them. Despite that, the last few pages really tied the other 3 vignettes together, really struck me.
It's no surprise that Wilder went on to write mostly plays, as this book (one of his first) reads an awful like a play. The book takes a snapshot of various characters and their lies, each separate into essentially an Act. There are reasons why it's not a play, as it is a bit more introspective and narrative, an overall quite enjoyable. However, it is just a taste of each character and the resulting impacts, almost like hors d'oeuvres - it is quite a short book that won't fill you up, but it is a tasty morsel for what you do get.