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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Mother dies. Father runs away. Five brothers spend 500+ pages feeling sorry for themselves. Written in a jagged, staccato style, the prose is overly melodramatic and the lessons learned lack subtlety. The five brothers are colourless and two dimensional. I found myself drawn more to the stories of their more interesting parents. I am not sure why we had to endure the mother's death rattle twice and the section on horse racing was just tedious.
emotional
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
I really liked this book, but I really tried so hard to love it. The story was beautiful and rounded. The characters were real, their pain was real, their camaraderie was real, and their story was very real. I enjoyed all the back stories and the way in which each character dealt with their own pain and suffering through a tragedy. I gave it 3 stars because even though the story itself was entertaining and raw, the way in which Zusak told it was a little confusing and overwritten. I think he was trying to write something lyrical and poignant and maybe just tried a little too hard. From the first page on, I often found myself stopping, flipping back, and wondering if I had missed something. But I didn't. He just talked, overly poetically, about events that the reader didn't know about yet, as if we already did. We would then later find out what he was talking about and things would slowly, and I mean very slowly, make sense. And there were parts of the story, like the mule and Clay's life at the end, that I just didn't understand at all. There were moments that felt like they were going to be very compelling and then fell flat. Although I enjoyed the story very much, it was told in prose too flowery for my taste.
emotional
inspiring
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
Having enjoyed "The Book Thief", I picked up a used copy of "Bridge Of Clay" knowing nothing about the story and very nearly stopped reading after 60 or so pages. The storyline was disjointed and didn't seem to be going anywhere, but I'm so glad I kept going. The disjointed storyline was of course intentional, and it works. Incredibly well-written and very moving, highly recommended.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
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
challenging
emotional
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
This book jumps around between characters and through time. The author refers to different characters in different ways making it very hard to follow until you figure out who everyone is and how they relate to eachother. It takes some work but it was so worth it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I previously rated this book 2 stars out of 5. It took me a LONG time to get through.
Yet, every now and then it comes back to me, flashes in the pan, as if parts of my own memories. A mule in the kitchen. A determined polish woman teaching her strong willed sons to play the piano. The forgotten father.
It’s a story about life, connection, family, and that deep wounds can be repaired. Or, quite literally, bridges can be built.
Give it a chance, it’s worth it.
Yet, every now and then it comes back to me, flashes in the pan, as if parts of my own memories. A mule in the kitchen. A determined polish woman teaching her strong willed sons to play the piano. The forgotten father.
It’s a story about life, connection, family, and that deep wounds can be repaired. Or, quite literally, bridges can be built.
Give it a chance, it’s worth it.
This was a STRUGGLE but I finished though it wasn't really worth it. I found bits intriguing but just found the overall tone to be so dull and monotone. Plot was meh, I've read similar things before.