Review of The Bridge
-
Tom Hokanson
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 21 Feb 2023, 18:36
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-tom-hokanson.html
- Latest Review: The Bridge by Andrew Palmer
Review of The Bridge
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bridge" by Andrew Palmer.]
The Bridge by Andrew Palmer is a wonderful historical fiction novel centered around the tragic but true story of the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse. From the very first chapter, the reader is drawn by flashbacks to the construction of the bridge and by the relationship between Ben and Esther, two fictional students, in their last semester of engineering school. Never having worked together before, the soon-to-be engineers find themselves reluctantly paired to complete one final assignment: researching and defining “What the Iron Ring Means to Me.” This is a tradition at the school for all graduating engineering students. When Ben discovers an old, handwritten journal in the school library by an inexperienced bridge engineer named Alec, who is working the Quebec Bridge, the intrigue becomes personal. The students quickly realize they have found something special as they read about the engineer’s sweet love for his new wife and his struggles at the bridge site.
But this is more than a love story built around a tragedy and this what I like about this book. The author expertly develops the students’ characters. Ben and Esther are a total mismatch but somehow a relationship develops as they find out how their past informs the problems each now face. The project they are working on becomes a catalyst for their friendship as they read Alec’s riveting journal together. There is plenty of conflict to go around as Ben struggles between his connection to his newfound companion, Esther, and his loyalty to his childhood friend, and major league slacker, Tyler. For her part, the studious bookworm Esther reveals a beautiful and attractive personality that was just begging to come out. I found myself rooting for these two to overcome their limitations and find their path forward. Esther has a way of bringing out the best in Ben as Ben struggles to find the maturity he will need in his post-university life.
If there is criticism to be found, it is probably in the sometimes sappy dialog between Alec, the bridge engineer, and his new wife, Ginette. Perhaps Mr. Palmer went a little overboard in trying to develop a sweet and innocent relationship between a beautiful young woman and a big, clumsy man who feels inadequate and often makes critical errors in judgment as he tries to please his bride. But, on the whole, the reader will forgive that minor flaw and be touched with the book’s finale.
I give The Bridge a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The book was a pleasure to read and kept my attention from page one to the very end. I also truly enjoyed learning about the tradition of the “Iron Ring” and the historic building of a cantilevered bridge in the early 20th century.
I recommend this book for anyone aged 14 and up. There is a love story for those who like that. There is some history for those who enjoy that. And there is an ending that will make you glad that you picked up The Bridge by Andrew Palmer.
******
The Bridge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Bridge by Andrew Palmer is a wonderful historical fiction novel centered around the tragic but true story of the 1907 Quebec Bridge collapse. From the very first chapter, the reader is drawn by flashbacks to the construction of the bridge and by the relationship between Ben and Esther, two fictional students, in their last semester of engineering school. Never having worked together before, the soon-to-be engineers find themselves reluctantly paired to complete one final assignment: researching and defining “What the Iron Ring Means to Me.” This is a tradition at the school for all graduating engineering students. When Ben discovers an old, handwritten journal in the school library by an inexperienced bridge engineer named Alec, who is working the Quebec Bridge, the intrigue becomes personal. The students quickly realize they have found something special as they read about the engineer’s sweet love for his new wife and his struggles at the bridge site.
But this is more than a love story built around a tragedy and this what I like about this book. The author expertly develops the students’ characters. Ben and Esther are a total mismatch but somehow a relationship develops as they find out how their past informs the problems each now face. The project they are working on becomes a catalyst for their friendship as they read Alec’s riveting journal together. There is plenty of conflict to go around as Ben struggles between his connection to his newfound companion, Esther, and his loyalty to his childhood friend, and major league slacker, Tyler. For her part, the studious bookworm Esther reveals a beautiful and attractive personality that was just begging to come out. I found myself rooting for these two to overcome their limitations and find their path forward. Esther has a way of bringing out the best in Ben as Ben struggles to find the maturity he will need in his post-university life.
If there is criticism to be found, it is probably in the sometimes sappy dialog between Alec, the bridge engineer, and his new wife, Ginette. Perhaps Mr. Palmer went a little overboard in trying to develop a sweet and innocent relationship between a beautiful young woman and a big, clumsy man who feels inadequate and often makes critical errors in judgment as he tries to please his bride. But, on the whole, the reader will forgive that minor flaw and be touched with the book’s finale.
I give The Bridge a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The book was a pleasure to read and kept my attention from page one to the very end. I also truly enjoyed learning about the tradition of the “Iron Ring” and the historic building of a cantilevered bridge in the early 20th century.
I recommend this book for anyone aged 14 and up. There is a love story for those who like that. There is some history for those who enjoy that. And there is an ending that will make you glad that you picked up The Bridge by Andrew Palmer.
******
The Bridge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Bridge by Andrew Palmer
