Review of The Bridge

[Zuzana Dybalova]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bridge" by Andrew Palmer.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Bridge, Andrew Palmer

The historical fiction The Bridge by Canadian writer Andrew Palmer tells two stories that are connected. The engineering students Ben O’Betany and Esther Emami are paired together to do a project about the Quebec bridge disaster that happened in 1907. They are not really happy about this pairing because Ben is more interested in partying than studying in comparison to Esther who takes studying very seriously. As they start working on the project, they not only reveal hard moments in the history of engineering, but they learn something about themselves.

With Ben and Esther, the readers also follow the story of Alec Durant, a worker on the bridge who became a site engineer. Alec’s story is discovered through his diary that Ben and Esther find in a library, and we learn the whole process of building the bridge and how the wrong leadership can cause a tragedy.

The book was very well written and exceptionally well edited. The story about the bridge is tense and the reader experience the reaction of the students on the story which makes the book interesting, and it gives you a feeling that you are reading with someone else, and they are sharing with you what they think about it. I liked how between the historical parts of the book you also followed the life of present students who deal with their own problems, and you got to experience how the past affected them in their lives. Furthermore, even though there was a romance in the book, it was not the focus of the plot which made the book refreshing in comparison from other books.

I did not find much to complain about in this book. The first few chapters could be slightly confusing if a person does not realise straight away the two timelines that takes place in the book, however the start makes you curious and you just want to continue reading to unravel what has happened in the past and what is going to happen in the present.

Overall, the book was very gripping and an enjoyable read, therefore I rate it 4 out of 4. It also teaches a reader a lesson about responsibility which is important.

The book was fast paced, easily written which makes it accessible for readers who prefer storyline over facts. Despite the fact that the book is about engineering, it is great for amateurs because there is no hard engineering terminology.

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The Bridge
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