The next meeting is on Wednesday 9th April chez JTL at midday. Mary Lawson's "The Other Side of the Bridge" is this month's chosen book.
"Like the great 19th-century novelists of provincial life, Mary Lawson is fluent in the desperate intensity of the small, individual dramas of respectable people - and she paints an eloquent picture" said the Sunday Telegraph.
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jujulilo
- Monday, Apr. 14, 2008 @ 08:45:00
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- Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2008 @ 10:49:37
Interesting ,how many books and films have a ,bridge ,in their titles...
From the philosophy point of view,this would be first decision we have to make in life:cross the bridge or not to cross .To be or not to be...
Later on in life ,or should I say ,when we have been educated,we learn that, we can actually make other choices;(like beeing at multiple crossroads),we may then end up not asking ourselves later ,what if,.
I have liked the book a lot,reminded me of the work of Erskine Caldwell,in its rural community,family drama,location and certain darkness of characters.
Well recommended.
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This book generated plenty of discussion and was generally appreciated by the book club. The Prologue was considered to be very effective at setting the tone, establishing the characters and creating the dramatic tension. There was some suggestion that the basic story line was a little too predictable and "old hat", but it was generally agreed that the quality of the writing took it to another level. Was the final, terrible accident just a little bit too much? Personally, I don't think so, but I can see how, for some, it may have taken things just a little too far. The other slight reproach was that all the ends were perhaps tied up too neatly, although we never do find out for sure whether Jake and Laura had any kind of second affair. There was some sympathy for Jake, but I didn't feel any. I felt Arthur was an incredibly powerful character in his reticence and the whole story was extremely poignant. I liked Ian as the "needle" pulling the different threads together. The women seemed to be the ones who suffered most and were least content with their lot. Despite Laura being the central pivot for the love story, even she comes across as something of a background character. Maybe that just reflects the attitudes to women at the time.
Finally, what does "the other side of the bridge" refer to? Does it represent life after the incident on the bridge or is it physically and metaphorically the fact that they never made it to the other side? (and what happened to the cow that was there at the time........?)