steveatwaywords 's review for:

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

4.0

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Wilder is at times a bit too tidy, too pat, and almost always moralizing. In the case of Bridge, he offers us a theme--perhaps sentimental theology--like a baseball bat in the closing paragraphs. Setting aside that "bridge," his uncompromising refusal to allow more than a smidge of ambiguity to remain, the stories themselves are poignant and painful, of a simple people struggling with meaning and connection, during a time when distances are huge, families are easily scattered, and community relationships are nearly always temporary: what can endure? I can't say that this novel was worthy of a Pulitzer, but its topic, its question, and its execution through the framing of Brother Juniper's work from the eyes of a far-sighted narrator make it extraordinarily memorable.