Review of The Bridge

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Bridge" by Andrew Palmer.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When engineering students, Ben and Esther, are forced to work together on an assignment about the Quebec Bridge disaster, neither is very excited. But preconceived notions are challenged when they find themselves enjoying the time together.

The two unearth an exciting discovery—the journal belonging to an engineer who worked on the Quebec Bridge before its collapse in 1907. As they delve deeper into the entries, it becomes clear that the engineer was rightfully concerned about the bridge’s construction.

As shocking truths are revealed, so are Ben’s true colors, and Esther wonders if she was right about him all along. Then, through Alec’s journal, Ben makes a sobering discovery of his own that has him questioning everything about his past.

What will Esther and Ben do with these shocking revelations, and what does it have to do with the bridge?

The Bridge by Andrew Palmer is a thrilling novel about friendship, integrity, and the value of hard work. It is an all-encompassing piece of fiction with actual historical events woven into it. The book is told from the third-person perspective alternating between characters. Readers will follow Ben and Esther as they navigate university life and be transported into the past through Alec’s journal entries.

I enjoyed many things about the book, but my favorite was the relationship between the two students. Their initial interactions were quite stilted, as each had judged the other harshly. But as the story unfolded, the dynamic between the two changed and evolved delightfully. A great example of this was when Esther made a hilarious impression which proved to Ben that she wasn’t all business—she had a playful side that Ben was desperate to get to know.

Another thing I appreciated was how effortlessly the author interspersed fact and fiction throughout the novel. I had to keep reminding myself that while the tragedy of the Quebec Bridge was real, the characters that I had grown so fond of were merely a figment of Andrew Palmer’s imagination.

There was nothing to dislike about the book, and I am happy to report I found no errors in The Bridge. The novel was exceptionally edited; my only qualm was that the ending seemed a little abrupt. I would have liked the epilogue to have been more extensive, but that could just be a matter of preference. It didn’t negatively impact my reading experience. With that being said, I have chosen to give the book a rating of four out of four stars because of its rich portrayal of history and its stellar character development.

I think The Bridge would be embraced by those who enjoy historical pieces as it is bursting with fascinating facts about the history of the engineering profession and the Quebec Bridge. I would also recommend the book to university students as Esther and Ben’s relationship would resonate with that audience.

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The Bridge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Mbenma Esther 080]

As an undergraduate, this will be a cool read for me. Thanks for the review.

[Blessing Odii]

This sounds like a book I would love to read. Especially Esther and Ben working together. Nice review.

[Pauls_]

The book seem like a good read. But I prefer book written in first person point of view. Nice review.

[Aisha Yakub]

This story seems to have a lot of twists. Great review.

[Sarah Sonbol]

The book looks really entertaining. My only problem with this kind of books that it is sometimes hard to separate the real historical facts from the fictional ones. Thanks for the great review.

[Kayla Archer]

This book was so interesting and captivating. I loved reading it, and I also think it’s a great modern work to enter a high school literature classroom.

[Vicyo57]

I found while reading this book a sense of urgency and foreboding for Alec. His years of training to become an engineer were laid before him in this enormous job of being the low level engineer who wanted to sound the alarm to his bosses and yet wanting to be careful of not overstepping his new boundaries. Alec was put in a difficult position by his own calculations, take in mind during the early 1900's there were no calculators, computer programs only the Arthometer. A rudimentary way of calculating figures.
Alec's life is woven into his home life with his beautiful bride Ginny a woman whom Alec always felt had married below her worth but she adored and loved Alec into believing in himself to accept his responsibility as a gift to provide for his family and cement their future.
After, all attempts to get proper attention to the grim facts Alec had forewarned the owners the inevitable happened and tragic collapse of the Quebec bridge devastated the families and the country right before everyone. Alec out of this tragedy became a hero twice by saving the life of his coworker, and sounding the alarm that the calculations on the bridge were far off.
I found my reading was more interesting focusing on the period piece of the story and not the modern day events that brought us the story. I definitely gave this 4 out of 4 stars. I found nothing offensive in the language or text of the authors writing.

[Kayla Archer]

I loved this book! I loved the research that went into the story. I loved the frame story that took place. I really just enjoyed this book. I also think this would be a great read for an upper classroom setting.

[Hugo Ofoegbu]

I loved this book this book, the switch from reality back into the past was lovely, imagining it was fun.

[Leen282]

This review made me curious to find out about the history of the Quebec bridge. Having fond memories of my own university days, I am sure to enjoy a book in this setting and am curious to discover what the shocking revelations are, as mentioned by the reviewer.

[AntonelaMaria]

This seems like such a compelling story. I don't know much about the history behind the Quebec bridge. Great job with the review .

[Kelsey Roy]

This sounds like an intriguing historical fiction novel. I don’t know much about the tragedy of the Quebec Bridge but I would love to learn! Thanks for your review.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

I'm curious about Alec's journal. It seems the content is shocking. I think I would like to find it out, so hopefully, I can read this amazing masterpiece! Congratulations on BOTD!

[Riya Sarkar]

Thank you for the wonderful review. I'm sure going on this journey with Ben and Esther will be an enlightening and exciting read about the Quebec bridge disaster.