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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
“On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travellers into the gulf below.”
So starts this gem of a quick novel. Brother Juniper was about to cross that same bridge when it collapsed killing 5 random people. In this novel, he explores each person's life and wonders whether the tragedy was part of God's plan for these five people or if they just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. Five random people, with lives, loves and stories are succinctly explored with no tight, neat ending. No strong conclusions.
“But soon we shall die and all memory of these five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.”
So starts this gem of a quick novel. Brother Juniper was about to cross that same bridge when it collapsed killing 5 random people. In this novel, he explores each person's life and wonders whether the tragedy was part of God's plan for these five people or if they just happened to be at the right place at the wrong time. Five random people, with lives, loves and stories are succinctly explored with no tight, neat ending. No strong conclusions.
“But soon we shall die and all memory of these five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.”
A beautifully written meditation on the fairness of the universe and the meaning of love. It's a very short book, but it packs an emotional punch. My only other exposure to Thornton Wilder was [b:Our Town|205476|Our Town|Thornton Wilder|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1395172556s/205476.jpg|3119231], so I thought I knew what to expect with this book. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong! Well worth reading overall.
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
While the individual stories were interesting, the lack of cohesive plot (other than the fall of the bridge) made it difficult to stay interested. Especially, I felt the last story (that of Uncle Pio's) was the least interesting, and yet the longest.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.7 stars. This was beautifully written and thought out. I was expecting a bit more emotion going into this, thinking it was a sad novel, but that’s not really the case. Still a beautiful story, but a bit disconnected at times.