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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
My copy of Wilder's novel includes an excerpt printed on the back, taken from the Abbess' thoughts, that "There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." This is, indeed, a story about redemption, that the bridge "bridges" the remaining to the departed. In the chronicles of the five victims of the bridge's collapse, a character called the Perichole, esteemed actress of the stages of Lima, appears in an integral role to each of the other major characters. Her connection to each of them connects them to each other in the fabric of this narrative, and this culmination is manifested in her appearance at the end of the story. Wilder's novel explores the condition and representation of love--in its selfish and selfless states--and asks the important questions about where their characters position themselves in regards to it.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel very meh about this book! There are some things about it that are lovely and others are a bit of a snooze. It’s a nice contemplative read and I like the prose style:)
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Beautiful language. Folk tales, folk cures, music, religion, poetry, plays, seamen. “you’re not allowed to kill yourself...But if you jump into a burning house to save somebody...” “The art of biography is more difficult than is generally supposed.”
If Thornton Wilder attempted to mimic a typically Spanish tone in writing with this novel, he absolutely succeeded. Unfortunately, I never really liked that style. It strikes me as too formal, somber, heavy, and too impersonal (for me) to really empathize with any of the characters. Needless to say, there was some beautiful, philosophical writing in this little novel (Pulitzer winner). The problem was I never felt even slightly connected to the story or its emotionally distant actors.
A philosophical look at love, loss, and tragedy. It was a deep read, but I enjoyed it.