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tanja_reads_'s review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Markus Zusak is an author that is an automatic buy for me and so the fact that This book took me a little bit longer to get into, kind of was disappointing, but in the end the slow pace and the dual timelines paid off. This was a sad, but hopeful story that had me in tears at the end.
The time jumps I each chapter were hard to get used to, as was the more choppy narration, but all that leads to the charm and almost truthful feel of the story.
I loved the dynamic of the brothers and how they all related to each other, and to the others around them. It truly was the heart of the story.
The time jumps I each chapter were hard to get used to, as was the more choppy narration, but all that leads to the charm and almost truthful feel of the story.
I loved the dynamic of the brothers and how they all related to each other, and to the others around them. It truly was the heart of the story.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, and Death
counciloffrogs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Sometimes I struggle with giving books 2 stars and qualifying what a 2 star book really is, but this is the epitome of one. Why should I care about the Dunbar boys? I don’t know but I kind of do? Only enough to not put the book down and DNF it, but certainly I think if I didn’t relate to how broken and yet relenting they are I would have.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Murder, Alcohol, and Antisemitism
zarfus211's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Poetic, but I don't think I fully understood some of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
sophiebee23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
This is not an easy read. The first 50 or so pages were hard work and I really couldn't tell if there would be any reward for the effort. I was frustrated not knowing what was going on, I couldn't even work out where it was set and the style was more than a little jarring. Something began to take shape however and there was enough there to keep me reading, and I settled into the writing style more and more. It still took getting a good third of the way in before it really had me hooked.
I'm glad I persevered. It's good to be challenged by a book, to not have everything laid out and linear from the get-go. Reading this is like watching someone else do a jigsaw when you haven't seen the picture they're aiming at, and they put chunks of it together seemingly at random and you can't work out how anything can come out of the mess, but you eventually see something beautiful start to appear and you trust them to see it through.
You have to trust the process of this book. Zusak knows what he's doing. Occasionally I found the writing style just a bit much and some metaphors just didn't land well for me, but for the most part it really is beautifully written. It's worth taking time over it to soak in the atmosphere and really enjoy the writing.
The story itself left me in tears at multiple points - I'm a big book-crier so take that with a pinch of salt - and while I didn't necessarily like all the characters (I'm still not sure what I feel about Matthew) I felt I knew them and understood them, and I adored Clay in particular.
I really enjoyed it and I think it's a book I'll come back to in years to come. If you want an easy beach read, look elsewhere. If you're happy to get stuck in and persevere through that challenging beginning, you'll be rewarded.
I'm glad I persevered. It's good to be challenged by a book, to not have everything laid out and linear from the get-go. Reading this is like watching someone else do a jigsaw when you haven't seen the picture they're aiming at, and they put chunks of it together seemingly at random and you can't work out how anything can come out of the mess, but you eventually see something beautiful start to appear and you trust them to see it through.
You have to trust the process of this book. Zusak knows what he's doing. Occasionally I found the writing style just a bit much and some metaphors just didn't land well for me, but for the most part it really is beautifully written. It's worth taking time over it to soak in the atmosphere and really enjoy the writing.
The story itself left me in tears at multiple points - I'm a big book-crier so take that with a pinch of salt - and while I didn't necessarily like all the characters (I'm still not sure what I feel about Matthew) I felt I knew them and understood them, and I adored Clay in particular.
I really enjoyed it and I think it's a book I'll come back to in years to come. If you want an easy beach read, look elsewhere. If you're happy to get stuck in and persevere through that challenging beginning, you'll be rewarded.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer
iiisabelle's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Moderate: Death and Bullying
corvicore's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.0
The boomerang storytelling got a little infuriating at times but overall it slaps
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Cursing, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Terminal illness
terezi's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.5
oh yeah that shit was like an intricate and beautiful symphony that started slow and gradually swelled and made the audiences weep
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Cancer
directorpurry's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Abandonment, and Cancer
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Review of a Bridge of Clay
By Markus Zusak
Set in Australia, this is the story of the Dunbar boys: Matthew, Clay, Rory, Henry, and Tommy. Matthew, our narrator, became guardian to his brothers after their mother, Penelope died of cancer and their father Michael, slowly abandons them, eventually leaving them. Years later Michael returns to ask them to build a bridge over a river near his house. Most of the boy’s refuse believing their father murdered them, but Clay sees it as his destiny to help him build the bridge.
The novel is very character driven as plot is not as strong and the story spends showing moments in the lives of our characters and going back and forth between the past and present. It was difficult to get into and often confusing with the constant back and forth structure, though I believe it’s similar to how told The Book Thief, but that had a more cohesive plot. Making Matthew the narrator but it being about Clay added clever perspective as Matthew didn’t know everything, but he saw things in a different way. Reading about the relationship between the Dunbar boys was fun to explore and felt authentic and natural. Each boy had his own unique personality that could be likable and annoying at the same time. The building of the bridge and Clay’s girlfriend Carey Novak’s track racing was something interesting, but a bit boring at times. I enjoyed the art and literary references and I’m glad I had at least read The Odyssey and was somewhat familiar with what happens in the Iliad (Thanks to the movie Troy). I also thought the barnyard of slowly accumulating animals in their house was fun to read about. Towards the end I did get impatient and wanted to finally finish the novel, so I skimmed the last section. This is more a “me” thing, because I don’t always love slower endings. I understand why not everyone loved this, but I thought it was pretty good.
By Markus Zusak
Set in Australia, this is the story of the Dunbar boys: Matthew, Clay, Rory, Henry, and Tommy. Matthew, our narrator, became guardian to his brothers after their mother, Penelope died of cancer and their father Michael, slowly abandons them, eventually leaving them. Years later Michael returns to ask them to build a bridge over a river near his house. Most of the boy’s refuse believing their father murdered them, but Clay sees it as his destiny to help him build the bridge.
The novel is very character driven as plot is not as strong and the story spends showing moments in the lives of our characters and going back and forth between the past and present. It was difficult to get into and often confusing with the constant back and forth structure, though I believe it’s similar to how told The Book Thief, but that had a more cohesive plot. Making Matthew the narrator but it being about Clay added clever perspective as Matthew didn’t know everything, but he saw things in a different way. Reading about the relationship between the Dunbar boys was fun to explore and felt authentic and natural. Each boy had his own unique personality that could be likable and annoying at the same time. The building of the bridge and Clay’s girlfriend Carey Novak’s track racing was something interesting, but a bit boring at times. I enjoyed the art and literary references and I’m glad I had at least read The Odyssey and was somewhat familiar with what happens in the Iliad (Thanks to the movie Troy). I also thought the barnyard of slowly accumulating animals in their house was fun to read about. Towards the end I did get impatient and wanted to finally finish the novel, so I skimmed the last section. This is more a “me” thing, because I don’t always love slower endings. I understand why not everyone loved this, but I thought it was pretty good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, and Suicide
jessie_roz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Abandonment, Death, and Death of parent