Book about Edith and her husband. Building a bridge or making a tunnel. The couple die... Published in England? before 1936. Spoilers ahead.

[Dudana]

it is an old English book or novel, i don't know. My grandmother was named after this character called Edith. I want to find out the name of the book so please help me. All i know about this book is that
1) character's name is Edith
2) plot revolves around building a bridge or making a tunnel
3) book is English
4) Edith and her husband die at the end in this tunnel. :/
Please help me. thanks

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Dudana, is Edith the MC? If so, we need to change your header since her dieing at the end is a major spoiler.

How old is your Grandmother--this will give us some idea on when the last date of (original) publication would be, since the book would have been written before her birth. So, is she 50-ish, 60-ish, 115-ish (that last one would be my Gran's age if she were still alive.)

When you say "old English" do you mean published in England, set in England or just written in English? Or was it a book that had to be read for English class?

[Dudana]

i think it was published in England. I think her and her husband where mainc characters. i can change the title but that is all i know :( my grandmother will be 82 in two months.

[Kris]

Note: Book was published no later than 1937.

A real long shot - "A Bridge of Fancies" (1909) by Edith Mary Steane Story. Publisher: R. Culley, London. 317 pages, fiction.
http://www.worldcat.org/title/bridge-...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Dudana is still looking for this and wrote:

"My great grandmother was reading a book, where a character was called Edith and she named my grandma after her. It is an old English (as my grandma remembers her mom telling her) book or novel, I don't know. I have been searching for this book for years already. My great grandmother passed away when grandma was little, so she never knew what the book title was. She just remembers some facts her mother told her. She always talks about it and would be so happy if i found it.
All i know about this book is that
1) one of the character's name is Edith
2) plot revolves around building a bridge or making a tunnel
3) book is English (as my grandma remembers)
4) Edith and her husband die at the end in this tunnel, they are buried in concrete.
My grandmother is 84 years old, so obviously book is at least older than that."

[Crystal]

Is the book character definitely Edith or could Edith be the name of the author? There's an author named Edith Wharton who wrote a book called Ethan Frome in 1911. It's a classic and at the end of the book the two main lovers get into a horrible accident/crash in the snow

[Crystal]

Also Emily suggested The Railway Children in your other thread which also sounds very possible:

I wonder if she is thinking of The Railway Children.
It is a famous book that a lot of people would have known about.

The author is E. Nesbit, her first name is Edith and it was published in England in 1906.

Plot summary from Wikipedia:
The setting is thought to be inspired by Edith's walks to Chelsfield railway station close to where she lived, and her observing the construction of the railway cutting and tunnel between Chelsfield and Knockholt. There's a part in the story where a boy is injured in a tunnel.

You can read The Railway Children online for free here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1874

[Etta.n]

Edith in Beautiful Losers dies in an elevator shaft, I wonder if there's a connection between the two books because it was very referential / maximalist

[Kris]

I added some details to the topic header. Feel free to update it by clicking the small “edit” link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website – not the Mobile website or app.

There aren't a lot of details, so we can remove the spoiler in the header about the couple dying after the book is found.

Etta.n, are you thinking of Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen? That was published in 1966.

[Bir]

Edith Cavell was a British woman who worked as a nurse in Belgium during World war I. She helped allied soldiers escape through a secret tunnel under the hospital. Eventually, this was discovered by the Germans and she was executed. C.S. Forester wrote a play about her 1933.