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A review by unfetteredfiction
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
5.0
“Some say that we shall never know, and that to the gods we are like the flies that the boys kill on a summer's day, and some say, to the contrary, that the very sparrows do not lose a feather that has not been brushed away by the finger of God.”
- Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey
This little book seemed perfect to me.
There once stood a bridge in Peru, situated over a gauge, that one day, without sign or warning, broke. Five people fell to their end, five people each making a journey from one side of the bridge to the other, only for their journey to be suddenly and irrevocably altered.
Brother Juniper is fascinated by this. Brother Juniper wonders why this these five were chosen, why God willed these five to no more lead their earthly lives. There must be a reason. Brother Juniper spends years of his life pondering this question, asking friends, family and acquaintances of the deceased what they were like, how it could have been that God saw fit to do what he did. What he found he compiled in a book, and a very good one at that.
Although the premise is a religious one, this story feels more about people. We learn of such rich and developed characters whose lives overlap in intriguing ways. Wilder gives us just enough time with each character’s story, before concluding it neatly. I’d love to read this again, I’m already thinking about it.
- Thornton Wilder, The Bridge of San Luis Rey
This little book seemed perfect to me.
There once stood a bridge in Peru, situated over a gauge, that one day, without sign or warning, broke. Five people fell to their end, five people each making a journey from one side of the bridge to the other, only for their journey to be suddenly and irrevocably altered.
Brother Juniper is fascinated by this. Brother Juniper wonders why this these five were chosen, why God willed these five to no more lead their earthly lives. There must be a reason. Brother Juniper spends years of his life pondering this question, asking friends, family and acquaintances of the deceased what they were like, how it could have been that God saw fit to do what he did. What he found he compiled in a book, and a very good one at that.
Although the premise is a religious one, this story feels more about people. We learn of such rich and developed characters whose lives overlap in intriguing ways. Wilder gives us just enough time with each character’s story, before concluding it neatly. I’d love to read this again, I’m already thinking about it.