Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay is a new release I couldn't wait to read.  I read in Time Magazine, it took Markus Zusak 13 years to write.  I am a slow writer myself but that's a long time to be involved and engrossed in one story.  But the story is complex, he needed to take his time with it.

Bridge of Clay is the story of the Dunbar family.  The parents, Michael and Penny have five sons.  Matthew who is the narrator of the story, Henry, Rory, Clay and Tommy.  They are a family immersed in love.  Michael and Penny's love affair began when her beloved piano was delivered to the wrong address.  The piano serves as a character in the story.  Michael wrote "Marry Me" on the keys and those letters, though faded remained during the years.

What I loved about this book are the characters.  All the boys are rich and vibrant.  Their feelings, likes and dislikes, emotions are felt as painfully by the reader as they are for the boys themselves.  Penny is the glue that holds them all together.  Her drive to make something of herself in a new country is shared not only with her children but with the students she teaches English to in school.

What I didn't love was the structure of the story.  It goes from the present to the past to the future and twirls all around in between.  I never had a good sense of the places that were important or where they were in relation to the story.  It skipped around so much I had trouble following what was going on.  My kindle said I'd read 30% of it and I still didn't know who was who or what was what.  And when I turned the last page, I had to say to to myself I just didn't get it.

My sister loved Bridge of Clay.  She said Clay was the bridge that held them all together.  Okay but did I need to read 500 plus confusing pages to come to that conclusion?  She did and I didn't.  

Bridge of Clay is full of wonderful stories of love and grief.  The descriptions and character development are superb.  Don't get me wrong.  There are portions that are absolutely brilliant.  It was fitting the pieces into the puzzle that drove me crazy.  But if you're of a different mindset, like my sister, you might not feel the same way.  If you're a lover of The Book Thief, as I am, you will want to decide whether to invest the time in Bridge of Clay.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I've been told I've been pretty negative in several of my recent reviews.  The writing isn't any good, I've been repeating over and over.  I took some time to think over this feedback and I came to the conclusion that I've been wasting my time reading alot of books that weren't worth my time.  But that's about to change.

At first glance, you may think this novel is the story of Liesel, a young girl whose mother gives her up to a poor, foster family as Hilter's reign in Germany is on the rise.  On the trip to her new home, she watches her brother die and steals her first book.  She can not read but is fascinated by the words it contains.  Papa teaches her to understand the words while soothing her nightmares.  Mama vocalizes the words that teach her to face head on the hand life has dealt.

And you may think this is another story about the ravages of war and the Holocaust.  But it's not.  The Book Thief is the story of the power of words.  We learn how words are used to exert dominance and control and how words can express fear and grief.  But Liesel shows us how words can build friendships and fill empty hearts with love. 

The Book Thief is set during a dark period of world history.  It is beautifully poetic about how life was viewed through the eyes of an innocent child.  A story, like The Book Thief that can bring me to tears, is a story I want to savor in my mind and save on my bookshelf forever.