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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Markus Zusak secured his place as one my favourite authors with The Messenger and The Book Thief; Bridge of Clay did not disappoint.
"Most of what it had, it had one:
One primary school, one high school.
One river, one doctor.
One Chinese restaurant, one supermarket.
And four pubs."
Zusak captures the heart of the Australian landscape effortlessly, as he introduces it as a character unto itself. Moving from rural scenes to contemporary cities, the story enables Zusak to explore the changing scenery of Australia.
The characters were extremely well developed; all moving towards goals and desires without sacrificing character arcs for the sake of a cheap plot twist. By the end of the book, I felt almost saddened to know the Dunbar Boys would no longer occupy my time.
It has become evident that Bridge of Clay's status as a best seller is well deserved.
"Most of what it had, it had one:
One primary school, one high school.
One river, one doctor.
One Chinese restaurant, one supermarket.
And four pubs."
Zusak captures the heart of the Australian landscape effortlessly, as he introduces it as a character unto itself. Moving from rural scenes to contemporary cities, the story enables Zusak to explore the changing scenery of Australia.
The characters were extremely well developed; all moving towards goals and desires without sacrificing character arcs for the sake of a cheap plot twist. By the end of the book, I felt almost saddened to know the Dunbar Boys would no longer occupy my time.
It has become evident that Bridge of Clay's status as a best seller is well deserved.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Initially this book surprised me with how hard it was to follow, but after a few chapters I got used to the style. What was particularly tricky was not having a good idea off the age of the characters until further into the book, it made it very hard to engage with until about 100 pages in. Once engaged though it's beautifully written, the flowery poetic language is a delight to read.
It's full of sad moments, in fact mostly sad, and the reconciliation theme is clear throughout, somewhat obvious at times though. I didn't fully engage with any of the characters but they were all nicely written.
The writing of this book was very enjoyable but the content itself was a bit less so, I still need to read his more famous book, which if it's written as well as this but with a stronger plot, I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot.
It's full of sad moments, in fact mostly sad, and the reconciliation theme is clear throughout, somewhat obvious at times though. I didn't fully engage with any of the characters but they were all nicely written.
The writing of this book was very enjoyable but the content itself was a bit less so, I still need to read his more famous book, which if it's written as well as this but with a stronger plot, I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot.
i don’t want to be mean so i’m not gonna rate it a 0 but it was the worst book i’ve ever read
challenging
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Had a hard time deciding on a rating for this book as its very unlike my typical book preference. Ultimately ended up on 3.25 for the following reasons:
Once I got used to the metaphorical flowery language and the non-linear storyline I actually found it easy reading.
All the characters had distinct personalities and felt pretty well fleshed out. I thought the interconnecting timelines were well done and clear (I never got confused as to which one we had jumped to).
The themes of love and grief and family were very well done and felt incredibly realistic whilst also having a whimsical element to them.
Would potentially read more by this author in future if I wanted a change to my usual reading preference.
Once I got used to the metaphorical flowery language and the non-linear storyline I actually found it easy reading.
All the characters had distinct personalities and felt pretty well fleshed out. I thought the interconnecting timelines were well done and clear (I never got confused as to which one we had jumped to).
The themes of love and grief and family were very well done and felt incredibly realistic whilst also having a whimsical element to them.
Would potentially read more by this author in future if I wanted a change to my usual reading preference.
This book is truly difficult to read, so many metaphors and allusions and circling back to events referred to earlier. Few will finish this saga, but those who do will fall in love by the end. It is tragic and beautiful and if you have a gazillion brothers it will probably resonate with you. I wish he had been more transparent about what all the racing (both running and horse racing) and the bridge meant, and I wished the timeline moved more consistently.
I had a hard time rating this book, finally deciding on 3.5 stars. There are a lot of things I loved about this book. The writing is lyrical and poetic, filled with imagery and metaphor. The relationships between the brothers are so real, and the happiness and love in the family when Penny was still alive are palpable. Clay is a well-developed character, dark but determined and full of deep emotion as he comes of age. I love some of the moments and details of the story, like the piano, and the pets named after characters in the Iliad, and the peg from the clothesline. However, I also felt like I was missing something at times, and the timeline jumped around a lot. I thought the bridge itself was metaphorical, and maybe that was partially the intention, but I didn't understand the significance of the actual bridge itself. Zusak's previous book, The Book Thief, was one of my favorite books of all time, so I expected more from Bridge of Clay. There is a lot of emotion throughout the book, though, and beautiful details about the family. There were moments that were laugh-out-loud funny, and the final chapters moved me to tears.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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
Staccato narration with no momentum and ill-defined characters with incomprehensible motives.
Devastador, terrível e belo muito belo.
Felizmente que os irmãos Dunbar são duros e impressionantemente unidos apesar de caóticos.
Após este livro e A rapariga que roubava livros Markus Zusak passou a ser um dos meus escritores preferidos.
Felizmente que os irmãos Dunbar são duros e impressionantemente unidos apesar de caóticos.
Após este livro e A rapariga que roubava livros Markus Zusak passou a ser um dos meus escritores preferidos.
So sad
This book is so well written but I found it quite difficult to read because, frankly, it's quite heartbreaking. I think it will linger for a while!
This book is so well written but I found it quite difficult to read because, frankly, it's quite heartbreaking. I think it will linger for a while!