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averagemark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked up this book because I liked the works of Marcus Zusak in the past, and I was not disappointed by this. The story follows 5 boys living on their own, the killer and the memory of their mother.
If you’re a fan of action packed fantasy, then this book is not for you. It has a slower pace and deals with everyday problems of a broken family. Like in real life, there isn’t a definite end to the story, but at the end of the book, you feel like you’re part of this big family. You’ve lived through their tragedies, you’ve coped with them, and you’ve grown, and in my opinion that’s the best part of this all.
Some might also find the book challenging because of the way it is written: one chapter takes place in the past, and one in the future. Although, with such writing, it would normally be harder to keep up with the story, The Bridge of Clay avoided that fate. Coming back to the past a lot makes sense for a grieving family, and as readers it’s interesting to put a story together piece by piece.
The characters all have a distinct personality, influenced by their past. For me, one of the worst things an author can do, is provide the readers with questions, and not answer all of them by the end, here it is thankfully not the case. All the mysteries laid out before us in the beginning of the book, eventually make sense.
If I had to sum my review up, this is not a very action packed book, at first, you’ll need to to get into reading it, but by the end, the characters, the journey you took with them, will make all of the inconveniences worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, and Grief
readwithchar's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Violence
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-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? Yes
3.0
As much as I love Zusak, this book just wouldn't end. The main plot was confusing and the B plot was out of order and dragged on about details that didn't matter. Maybe it's a good read to someone else, but it wore me down to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
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