The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Sandra:  Written by Thornton Wilder this book was published in 1927 and won the Pulitzer in 1928.  It comes in at #37 on the ML list.  It takes place in and around Lima, Peru in the early 1700’s.  This is one of those books I’ve always heard of but have avoided up to now because all I knew about it was it was about five people who fell to their deaths when the rope bridge of the title breaks.  That sounded awful and for the precise reasons Brother Juniper investigates the lives of the people involved.  Why did these five people come to be on the bridge at the precise time it failed?  Juniper looks for evidence of God’s plan in the events and is burned at the stake for his pains.  It is a frightening prospect that anything can happen at any time for no reason and the established religious authority can’t have people questioning God’s plans or more precisely if there is a plan. 

I found this to be a really well written book, easy to listen to (as we listened to this rather than reading it) and comprehend.  The stories of the lives of the five souls lost on the bridge kept my interest.  Also, it wasn’t incredibly long like some of these books.  Thornton Wilder is able to raise his questions and tell his story pretty succinctly.   I really liked this book and would recommend you give it a read.   

Ernie:  I also recommend this book and would say that it is a great novel.  Unlike some novels, there is very little plot or exposition.  You pretty much know how it will all turn out before you even start.  This is the first sentence of the book--On Friday noon, July the twentieth 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travellers into the gulf below.  But as I listened to it, I found it fascinating to learn about these people and the lives they led.
 

The writing is great.  I had some dread about The Bridge of San Luis Rey since my only experience with Wilder was from reading Our Town about thirty years ago.  At the time, I was not a big fan but after this, I’m ready to give that another try.  Wilder’s strength is developing and exposing characters.  Regardless of their station in life, these are real people with real problems that they face the best way they know how.  I found it similar to Death Waits for the Archbishop.  Wilder sets a scene simply and directly, much as Ernest Hemingway does in his stories.  The Bridge of San Luis Rey tackles some pretty deep issues about family, religion, fate and responsibility without getting maudlin or melodramatic. 

I would like to say more about this book but I really don’t want to tell too much about it.  You should read or listen to it yourself.

Next week:  Oh who knows?  Our reading schedule has gotten so messed up there is no telling who will finish what book for the next post!!