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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Great story, though it speaks mostly about death and fate, it’s full of love and hope. One of these books, that you really want to know how they’ll end, as it’s almost impossible to make guesses. Sophisticated and skill fully done, liked it a lot!
An interesting little novella that should have been right in my wheelhouse, and yet I found it wanting. Not quite dealing with the inadequacies of faith or understanding of a universal plan, but dealing heavily with the foibles and worldly penchants of individuals, this book doesn’t quite have the same reach as Wilder’s ‘Our Town.’ Or maybe I just need to sit with it a little while longer, or read it again. Or maybe, as mentioned in the afterword, sometimes a book needs to be read at a certain time of life and I’m either not there yet (possibly) or I have already passed it (less likely). Still quite good from Wilder who had a gift for character creation.
BREATHTAKING. Beautiful prose, fascinating tale about the collapse of a bridge and the lives of the people who died there. The premise of the story is that there was a monk who was convinced that each of these people had died for a reason, and who wrote a book trying to prove the existence of God based on the life stories of the five people who died - but the narrator of the story goes on to fill in all the things the monk didn't know or misunderstood, giving this short novel layers upon layers of story. Absolutely wonderful.
4.5 stars. I became interested in this book after hearing it's iconic closing lines in a TV show. While at times a bit hard to follow, the stories of the five people who were lost on that bridge, and by extension, those whom they left behind, is poignant, powerful, and heartbreakingly realistic. However, the most powerful part of the book, for me, was those ending lines. They resonated strongly with me; they were both comforting and upsetting, wistful yet realistic, and open up a whole realm of possibilities to ponder on. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Eh...read this for book club, and I don't think anyone was really a fan of it. Interesting concept, but just wasn't my cup of tea.