davidbythebay 's review for:

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

3.0

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

This was pleasant, but I felt so disconnected from the story for most of this book. I get the sarcastic tone several people have pointed out in their reviews. And I liked elements of the story and the prose, but I just wasn't feeling that connection to truly bring me into the story. Now, the whole story is told from an outside source looking back to see why these five died on the bridge that day. Were the wicked punished or was it an accident that has no source? That's the central question that never gets resolved. It is left to the reader, sure; but it's also only raised in the first and final (5th) parts of the book. What got me the most was the middle (Parts 2 through 4) where it was a series of short stories more than an continuous story. It allows for the exploration of each character to meet their fate on that bridge, and yet there isn't much exploration. The characters felt muted and yet somehow caricatures of people.

I can see giving this a reread in the future. Maybe I'm just not in the right place for this story at this time. It was still good, though.