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The Invisible Bridge

Julie Orringer,

Arthur Morey (Reading)

Start date: December 1, 2010

Finish date: January 31, 2011

Discussion: Group Book Discussion

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What Members Thought

Jun 01, 2011 Merry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is it! The book you want to read if you are one who steers clear of that horrific time in history, where millions of men, women, and children were brutalized, tortured and marched to their deaths because they were Jewish.

I understand what happened and I don't want to read any more details of the insane treatment of these human beings as I find it so painful. Therefore I shy away from the subject, but this book was mostly a joy to read. My compliments to the author, Julie Orringer, who can This is it! The book you want to read if you are one who steers clear of that horrific time in history, where millions of men, women, and children were brutalized, tortured and marched to their deaths because they were Jewish.

I understand what happened and I don't want to read any more details of the insane treatment of these human beings as I find it so painful. Therefore I shy away from the subject, but this book was mostly a joy to read. My compliments to the author, Julie Orringer, who can take this subject matter and teach us something good and valuable.

This is a work of art. The author's literary skills are like poetry. She thoughtfully writes at an engaging pace and with perfectly placed details that draw you in.... I smiled at the beautiful imagery, I often stopped to ponder what I just read, and I placed myself in their lives. I could feel the wind, their pain, their happiness, smell the trees...her detail writing was cinematic. I walked the streets of Paris and Budapest, dug the trenches with the dying, and I was a witness to a love that last forever, a family bound by war and a yearning to survive, so they could all someday reunite.

Extraordinary writing through out, but one of my favorite examples of this author’s ability to write a story within a story, is her description of a tree being cut down in the forest (page 322). The author takes a mundane task of woodcutting, and as you read, you realize, she has told you so much more than just simply how the cast of characters cut down the tree. Describing it as "the true death of the tree" and how that death can be used as a metaphor for the lives of the people, the boundary of their country, the destruction of war, and the end of many things. It is so much more, and you the reader, can see it and feel it...the words make you think...by describing one task of cutting down a tree, the author is teaching.

We all know how the story ends...the war ends, but you now have a chance to live their lives, without fear, from the beginning to the end. Go ahead, take this journey. The history is educational, but the people are inspiring.

Filled with life, survival, sacrifice, inspiration, humor, love, heartache, devastation, courage, strength, friendships and family...this book has it all and it will teach you so much more than just another social lesson on the injustice of this horrific time in history.
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Mar 28, 2011 Aylin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: _reviewed, fiction-historical, by-of-in-france, by-of-in-germany, by-of-in-hungary

I didn't know much about the Hungarian experience leading up to and in WWII and this book set that straight. One experiences events in Hungary and France through the life of Andras, a Hungarian Jewish student from a family of very modest means.

The year is 1937 and Andras has the opportunity to go to France to Study Architecture at a well known school. Life goes on as usual, but change is already in the air. People rarely expect life/ world altering changes in their lives and they plod on from d ...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Janet rated it it was amazing

I listened to the audio. This was my second attempt as it is a slow starter but I'm so glad I tried again. Thanks to Ann for the great recommendation. Yes, it is a holocaust book and I always roll my eyes and say "oh no, not another holocaust book" but then I feel ashamed because there is a reason to read this and it is so that we never forget what happened and make damn sure that it never happens again. Orringer writes heart wrenchingly real characters that I will not soon forget. ...more

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May 12, 2011 Denise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: world-war-2, historical-fiction, holocaust, knocked-my-socks-off, arc, history, female-author

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Dec 10, 2011 Lladroluv rated it it was amazing

Once again, a Jewish WW11 novel. I've tried to stay away from them---but I am always drawn back. I will always remember Andras Levi & his family. ...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: plus-11-in-11

Finally read this debut novel about Hungary before and during World War II. The story of Andrasz and his family was compelling and Orringer is a very good writer. The beginning of the novel which took place in Paris was a very intersting glimpse of pre-war time, but the war which was most of the rest of the novel was at times excruciatingly long. It could have been more tightly edited. For a story of Hungary in World War II, I highly recommend this novel.

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