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Brdige of Sighs
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Linda
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Jan 31, 2009 08:59AM
I really enjoyed this book. It's a long one which follows some people from childhood to adulthood. It kept me turning the pages wondering what was going to happen to the main characters, watching them grow up and watching how things that happened in our childhoods affect what kind of adults we become. On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, I would give this book an 8.
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I read this a few months ago, and actually just found myself thinking about it again this weekend. I sometimes flash on the boys riding in the back of the milk truck, and sometimes, when I drive past a ratty hotel, I think about the end of the book. I've loved most of Richard Russo's stuff -- "Straight Man" was the first thing of his that I read, and I've devoured everything else I could put my hands on since -- and this is definitely one of his best.
I discovered Richard Russo through reading Straight Man and made up a list of his previous books to get to when I can. I checked online about The Bridge of Sighs and the reviews are glowing. I will try that next.
I read Bridge of Sighs with a book group last year & liked it but not glowingly so. I liked it enough to later try Empire Falls, which i liked better. I hadn't researched what else Russo has written, so thanks for the comments & titles shared here.deb
deborah wrote: "I read Bridge of Sighs with a book group last year & liked it but not glowingly so. I liked it enough to later try Empire Falls, which i liked better. I hadn't researched what else Russo has writte..."
A friend told me he read Bridge of Sighs and was disappointed with the ending. He highly recommended Nobody's Fool by Russo, so that will probably be my next choice.
"Nobody's Fool" is really good; "Empire Falls" is, too.
There are so many recommended books I want to read, but I attend a book discussion group once a month and don't seem to find much time to get to "my own" books. For the group, I am currently reading We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates, and it is interesting but somewhat big. I have two new bestsellers from the library and don't know if I will get a chance to read them before they are due. I am a slow reader so it poses a dilemma. Quite frustrating.
I'm a slow reader, too, and when I was in a book group, I felt the exact same way you do.
Deborah wrote: "I'm a slow reader, too, and when I was in a book group, I felt the exact same way you do. "On average, how many books do you read a month now that you no longer participate in a discussion group?I'm not obsessed with the amount of books I read but there are so many I want to get to. With this Oates book I'll be lucky to fit one of my own selection in before the next required reading is due.. Btw, how many of you like this author (Oates)? I read one a long time ago and didn't care for it and am now finding We Were the Mulvaney's quite depressing. Maybe that's why I didn't like her other one.
Jan wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I'm a slow reader, too, and when I was in a book group, I felt the exact same way you do. "On average, how many books do you read a month now that you no longer participate in a..."It depends on what else is going on in my life, but I probably read 2-3 a month. And I feel like that isn't enough, because I feel the same way -- there are HUGE numbers of books that I know I'm never going to get to.
I haven't read any of Oates' stuff -- that's another author on my massive "to read" list."
>>I haven't read any of Oates' stuff <<Who are some of your favorite authors?
Jan
Jan wrote: ">>I haven't read any of Oates' stuff <<Who are some of your favorite authors?
I like David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, Michael Chabon, Margaret Atwood, Sara Paretsky,John Irving, Sandra Cisneros and Christopher Moore, off the top of my head. Who are some of yours?
Jan"
<I'm partial to contemporary fiction, although I like a change of pace sometimes. Some of my favorite authors are King, Grisham, LeHane, Connelly,Deaver. I also enjoy well-written authobiographies.
I like some of Stephen King's stuff, and "Mystic River" is one of my favorite books. I haven't read anything else by Lehane -- any recommendations?
>>Lehane -- any recommendations?<< Anything by this author. One of my favorite books is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Another is The Kite Runner by Husseini. Girl With a Pearl Earring (historical fiction) by Tracy Chavalier was another excellent book. There are so many others!
I'll have to put those on my "to read" list! Are you reading anything other than the Oates book right now?
<< Are you reading anything other than the Oates book right now?"<<I'm trying to. :-) I have Jeffrey Deaver's The Bodies Left Behind (pub.2008) and Grisham's The Associate (pub.2009), and they are both due back at the library on February 21st. I'm still plodding my way through the Oates' book. The writing is okay but the book is quite depressing. We will have a good discussion about it, because we do with any book we are assigned, but I'll be glad when it comes to an end. It certainly won't be on my favorite's list.
I have a good friend who's a big fan of Oates, but she tends to like depressing stuff. (Of course, I probably should admit to being a big fan of Wally Lamb's, and he's not exactly a laugh riot, either.) I just started reading "The Deportees and Other Stories," a collection of short pieces that Roddy Doyle wrote for a newspaper about the changing face of Ireland. I borrowed it from a friend, and it looks pretty good so far.
I read Deaver's The Bodies Left Behind back in December, and thought it was a very good thriller. The main character is an interesting female deputy sheriff. The story moved along quickly, and it turned out that things were not always as they seemed. Try to get to this one.
I'll put it on my list -- thanks for the tip!
>Carolyn wrote: "I read Deaver's The Bodies Left Behind<Now I really want to finish the Oates book so I can get to this one and hopefully finish it before it is due at the library.
I find Oates depressing on the whole and after The Mulhanney's book decided not to read her again. As far as mysteries and thrillers go I loved In The Woods by French. Really gripping and good literature as well. I like Sue Grafton too.
I read IN THE WOODS by French and liked it, BUT, I was not happy about the unsolved mystery!
A funny thing happened to me on the way to checking out In The Woods. I thought it was The Woods and went to Amazon to see the reviews. This book is by Harlan Coban. While I was there, I checked out that book and found it to be intersting, so I'm putting it on my TBR list. Then I went back and checked In the Woods by French. I read the excerpt and it sounded interesting, but now that I know the mystery is unsolved, I probably won't read it. I don't enjoy a book when I know the ending.
The main mystery is solved but there is one that isn't. It's a great read. I wouldn't pass it up.
>>The main mystery is solved but there is one that isn't<< I thought you meant the how and why the original crime was committed. Maybe I will add it to my list after all.
Cathey wrote: "I read IN THE WOODS by French and liked it, BUT, I was not happy about the unsolved mystery!"-----
ditto!!!!
A lot of folks say that's the way the book "needed to be" but it bugged me...Great book though.
Jan wrote: ">Carolyn wrote: "I read Deaver's The Bodies Left Behind<Now I really want to finish the Oates book so I can get to this one and hopefully finish it before it is due at the library.
"
I really really like Oates; this past year I have read/listened to about everything she has written and she is prolific! I'd love to meet her. As for Bridge of Sighs, I found it a bit tedious but I like Russo and enjoyed Nobody's Fool and Empire Falls. I'm one of 'those' who after enjoying a book tries to read everything the author has written.
I remember a few years ago someone on the old AOL board picked up "The Moaners' Bench" instead of the intended "Mourners' Bench"--or vice versa.
