Review of The Bridge

[Molly McLean]

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

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Engineers shoulder great responsibility. Miscalculation can lead to dire consequences, as was the case in the 1907 Quebec Bridge disaster. Many bridge workers plummeted to their deaths after lead engineers left an inexperienced man in charge of the project. Modern Engineers are invited to affirm their commitment to ethics in the mysterious Iron Ring ceremony. The ceremony was created in response to the Quebec disaster and is kept secret from those not in the field of engineering.

In Andrew Palmer’s novel, The Bridge, a young engineering student named Ben learns about consequences and responsibility. Ben is paired with a fellow student, Esther, for their final college project. Through the discovery of an old journal, the students find insight into history and into each other. The journal provides the account of Alec, a firsthand witness to the Quebec Bridge collapse. Ben and Esther are taken back to the path of disaster through the tale of Alec and his role in the historic events.

I enjoyed this historical fiction from the very first page. Palmer begins the tale with a vivid and dynamic description of the bridge worksite. I could picture everything through the descriptive writing. Sights, sounds and movement were nicely laid out. Throughout the novel, I appreciated the attention to sensory detail. Whether at the historic bridge or modern college campus, I could picture every scene clearly.

I was also impressed with the author’s ability to tell parallel stories in two timelines. The modern and historic parts of this novel were both alluring and characters were well developed. The Victorian love story between Alec and Ginette was an interesting contrast to the fraught relationship of Ben and Esther. The relationships play a part in the growth of each character and in the final outcomes of each timeline.

There was not much that I didn’t like about the novel. There was a few sentences that were a bit too long for my taste. Overall, it was well edited and easy to read.

I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. It is a well told story that kept my attention throughout. It seems like this novel was written for young adults, considering the age of the main characters. I would, however, recommend it for any adult interested in historical fiction. I learned details about the study of engineering that were new to me. The creative writing gave me an emotional connection to history.

******
The Bridge
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon