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The Invisible Bridge
2016-19 Activities & Challenges
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Buddy Read for The Invisible Bridge
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Booknblues
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rated it 5 stars
Jul 31, 2019 08:38PM
I want to read this early in the month and move to other challenges. I will be starting it tomorrow, but it may take a while as it is lengthy.
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Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!
I am reading it too this month. And so is DoughGirl, I think. It’s either her or Margie. Thank you for starting the thread. I’m a little nervous to start it because it’s a door stopper, but everyone seems to be loving it. I may give it a few days. But I won’t wait too long to begin
I got a notice that this book is waiting for me at the library. I"ll pick it up on Saturday and plan to start right away. I'm a slow reader so will need most or all of the month.
Amy wrote: "I am reading it too this month. And so is DoughGirl, I think. It’s either her or Margie. Thank you for starting the thread. I’m a little nervous to start it because it’s a door stopper, but everyon..."Amy, I started reading it and I'm pretty sure you will like it. Let's see if I can say that at page 700.
I love a "big" book (JoLene called them chunksters, I like that word!)-looking forward to seeing what you all think as this is on my TBR
I am one third of the way in and it is quite a fast read. I like the two main characters. I can feel a foreboding of what is to come and worry about everyone's safety.
Both the book AND the audiobook came in for me this weekend at the library, which means I will be able to finish it faster. I have a nine hour roadtrip ahead of me this weekend, so will probably listen to a large chuck of it then :-)
I am one book away from starting. I’m going to knock off JoJo Moyes ship of brides, which takes place in Australia first. That shouldn’t take me too long. I spend a lot of time sitting in the sun reading these days.
Doughgirl, I'm glad that you will soon be starting it , as I am looking forward to discussions.Amy, at least you have chosen an Australian book. I'm still up in the air about that.
The Rosie Result has come in from the library. I'm excited... But that will be after Invisible Bridge.
I'm about 60% in the book now.It is really good.
I'm finished and looking forward to discussion.
Here is my review, I tried not to give much away:I was excited to have The Invisible Bridge for the Trim the TBR challenge this month, as so many people whose judgement I trust have rated it highly. In addition, I read Julie Orringer book The Flight Portfolio earlier this year and was impressed by her writing.
What seemed to put me off when I considered it in the past was the length. As an impatient person I like to whip through a book at a certain speed, however I found that the pacing for The Invisible Bridge kept moving at the desired rate and I was compelled to keep reading. In the beginning I thought perhaps we could have moved more quickly but in the end I believed that the time taken in setting up the relationships of the characters in the book was absolutely necessary.
There is of course a sense of doom any time a book is set during World War II, and The Invisible Bridge is no exception. I grew very attached to Andras and Klara, the main characters, so I was concerned about their fate. Andras who is from Hungary is a student of architecture in Paris.
"Andras’s drawing had slipped one of its pins and hung askew from the wall. He looked at it and thought, That’s right. At that moment, everything seemed to hang at an angle by a single pin: not just houses, but whole cities, countries, peoples. He wished he could quiet the din in his mind."
I was impressed with how well Orringer explains the war in Hungary. I had previously read two books, In the Darkroom and The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World which are set in Budapest and became charmed by the tales of that city, so I was eager to learn more about Hungary and its role in World War II.
I recommend The Invisible Bridge for those who like a good historical fiction.
BooknBlues, I am avoiding reading your review until I'm finished. I made good progress on the audiobook during my weekend road trip and finished parts 1&2 (40%). It's getting pretty good!Quedtion for you....Did Andros ever give Klara the letter he carried for her? Seems like should have given it to her right away, but I must have missed the scene when that happened.
Doughgirl5562 wrote: "BooknBlues, I am avoiding reading your review until I'm finished. I made good progress on the audiobook during my weekend road trip and finished parts 1&2 (40%). It's getting pretty good!Quedtion..."
I am glad that you are liking it.
I will put a spoiler around your answer (view spoiler)
Thanks!Can you teach me how to hide text as a spoiler?
Since I am here Doughgirl, I will tell you, ok?Above the comments box, on the right is: (some html is ok)-click on that
you will see a whole list of ways to enhance your post, (bold, italic..etc..) near the bottom is spoiler: so you put the little sideways carrot <,then the word spoiler and then a closing >-type what you want to hide-then another< followed by a / then the word spoiler then close it with a >. I think this sounds jumbled. but I hope it helps
Good job, Joanne. Doughgirl, I had to ask somebody here as well.
Booknblues wrote: "Good job, Joanne. Doughgirl, I had to ask somebody here as well."Which makes you smarter than me (or braver)-I was still too shy and new at the time and I decided to waste a really long time figuring it out myself!🙄
Thanks to all!
I am so glad you both are continuing to read. I was afraid I was going to be the only one who read this.I hope you both are becoming engrossed by this point.
Oh no! Have you ever seen me back down from a challenge? Have fulfilled every single ask and more swine February of 2016!
What an absolutely beautiful and engaging book! I must admit I was a little intimidated to start. At 750 pages, I had a hard time getting to it, until a challenge made it possible and a must. (#16). Plus I had two (at least) companions to read it with. But it was engaging and beautifully done. I was engrossed and enraptured into the story. I couldn't put it down.The story itself traces a young Hungarian man who gets an opportunity to go to Paris for architecture school, and agrees to deliver a (top secret) letter. This eventually leads to an unforgettable love affair and yet another brilliantly written WWII story, where I must admit the losses are guttural, but the resilience and the fortune equals in the roller coaster of the heart. I greatly enjoyed each twist and turn.
I am posting this review on the general feed, in the August Other category, in the Trim Folder (#16), in the Buddy Read for Invisible Bridge thread, and possibly in the Jewish Book Club, if I can find the thread there as well. But for those who have read the book, I just wanted to say that the author had a way of capturing things that absolutely tugged on the heart strings and made you understand its power. Perhaps one of the many favorite stories told, which will forever stay with me, is when Andras described his mother, and how she would care for his wife in his temporary absence, he recalls a memory of himself as a kid, who had received a spectacular present, and whose mother saved the day from a huge devastation with ease and acuity, that was heroic. The story in itself was descriptive and and moving, but what it meant to him in the present, was the link that made me pause in the book, reflect, and sigh with the "aah" of understanding. I felt that. And much of the book was just like that. I laughed in places, cried in others. I hoped, I dared, I dreamed, I grieved, and I lived it - all 750 pages. What a pleasure!
Amy, I am so glad you loved it. I'll admit that I was a little worried about it. It seemed like a book you would love, but I know you were intimidated by the size of the book.
After all the encouragement I gave you, I was afraid.
I loved this book as well and was so interested in the history of Hungary during the war.
I like that in part she borrowed her grandfather's story:
Here is an interview about her story:
https://momentmagazine.wordpress.com/...
(view spoiler)
*Spoiler alert! Joanne, and or others still curious, don't read.....I too was gutted by the losses and the tragic deaths. First the friend, Mendel, then Tibor and his family. I don't know how to hide a spoiler, but I think I was the last to finish. Then when the entire families were gone, and it was just them left I was completely destroyed. On the other hand, when a baby was born, a character reappeared like Polaner or Matyas, the world rejoices anew!
What a beautiful article. I too appreciated the humor in the book. Also the dialogue. And the fierce determination of each of the characters. Every single one of them had a laser focus will to live.
I also love that you picked the book for me as one I'd love, even though its been on my TBR for ages. Interesting how much I never tire of WWII books. I won't read about anything that happens to children, loss, illness, kidnapping, abuse. I really stay away from cancer, alzheimers, war, and prison. I don't read about slavery and oppression. But I have read virtually every WWII book out there. There is something about the resilience, the laser focus determination, the people who risk everything to live, to save. Something about the fortune of events that allows a person or family to survive. Something about the fact that the Jewish people are still here despite that atrocity and that has been going on since the beginning of time, but somehow we are still here. Something about the heightened connections between people that runs deeper than religion and deeper than hate.
I always thought my TBR was heavy with "Tudor", anything court regency related. But if I count up the WW2, it might probably explode in percentage. Could it be close to a fourth? 100 books? Not bad, for the girl who likes to escape in historical and contemporary fiction. No wonder I like a bit of magic. Lightens the load. Wonderful book that wraps you up. Now I need something lighter. Good that I have the Rosie Result (#3) for Australia. That will most certainly lighten me.
*Spoiler alert! Joanne, and or others still curious, don't read.....I too was gutted by the losses and the tragic deaths. First the friend, Mendel, then Tibor and his family. I don't know how to hide a spoiler, but I think I was the last to finish. Then when the entire families were gone, and it was just them left I was completely destroyed. On the other hand, when a baby was born, a character reappeared like Polaner or Matyas, the world rejoices anew!
What a beautiful article. I too appreciated the humor in the book. Also the dialogue. And the fierce determination of each of the characters. Every single one of them had a laser focus will to live.
I also love that you picked the book for me as one I'd love, even though its been on my TBR for ages. Interesting how much I never tire of WWII books. I won't read about anything that happens to children, loss, illness, kidnapping, abuse. I really stay away from cancer, alzheimers, war, and prison. I don't read about slavery and oppression. But I have read virtually every WWII book out there. There is something about the resilience, the laser focus determination, the people who risk everything to live, to save. Something about the fortune of events that allows a person or family to survive. Something about the fact that the Jewish people are still here despite that atrocity and that has been going on since the beginning of time, but somehow we are still here. Something about the heightened connections between people that runs deeper than religion and deeper than hate.
I always thought my TBR was heavy with "Tudor", anything court regency related. But if I count up the WW2, it might probably explode in percentage. Could it be close to a fourth? 100 books? Not bad, for the girl who likes to escape in historical and contemporary fiction. No wonder I like a bit of magic. Lightens the load. Wonderful book that wraps you up. Now I need something lighter. Good that I have the Rosie Result (#3) for Australia. That will most certainly lighten me.
*Spoiler alert! Joanne, and or others still curious, don't read.....I too was gutted by the losses and the tragic deaths. First the friend, Mendel, then Tibor and his family. I don't know how to hide a spoiler, but I think I was the last to finish. Then when the entire families were gone, and it was just them left I was completely destroyed. On the other hand, when a baby was born, a character reappeared like Polaner or Matyas, the world rejoices anew!
What a beautiful article. I too appreciated the humor in the book. Also the dialogue. And the fierce determination of each of the characters. Every single one of them had a laser focus will to live.
I also love that you picked the book for me as one I'd love, even though its been on my TBR for ages. Interesting how much I never tire of WWII books. I won't read about anything that happens to children, loss, illness, kidnapping, abuse. I really stay away from cancer, alzheimers, war, and prison. I don't read about slavery and oppression. But I have read virtually every WWII book out there. There is something about the resilience, the laser focus determination, the people who risk everything to live, to save. Something about the fortune of events that allows a person or family to survive. Something about the fact that the Jewish people are still here despite that atrocity and that has been going on since the beginning of time, but somehow we are still here. Something about the heightened connections between people that runs deeper than religion and deeper than hate.
I always thought my TBR was heavy with "Tudor", anything court regency related. But if I count up the WW2, it might probably explode in percentage. Could it be close to a fourth? 100 books? Not bad, for the girl who likes to escape in historical and contemporary fiction. No wonder I like a bit of magic. Lightens the load. Wonderful book that wraps you up. Now I need something lighter. Good that I have the Rosie Result (#3) for Australia. That will most certainly lighten me.
Amy, when you make a comment , on the top right box it says (some html is ok) if you click on that it tells you how to do a variety of things, among them the spoiler.Or you can put these thingies <> and write spoiler in between and when you end it > and put spoiler in after the back slash.
(view spoiler)
Well - I spent much of the weekend with friends at an out of town concert (Reba McIntyre - it was wonderful!) so that delayed my finishing the novel. Plus I was getting into some of the really sad stuff and had to take a break. I should finish tonight - and then will be able to join in on the conversation.
Doughgirl, we are looking forward to having you join this conversation.
Finished last night and have been digesting since then. Here's my review. I'm posting it here first, and will copy it to the Trim and other pages later (in case I want to edit it). I haven't read any of your thoughts yet because I didn't want my review to be influenced .. yet. My rating is 4.5* (round up to 5*).Description: In 1937 young Andras Levi, a Hungarian Jew, travels to Paris to study architecture. He carries with him a mysterious letter that he has been asked to deliver to a K Morgenstern. "k" is Klara Morgenstern, who carries a dark secret of her own. This epic novel is the story of their romance, relationship and lives- and the lives of their families. It's told against the backdrop of a Europe in which the evil of anti-Semitism and Nazi Germany's nationalist ambitions are bubbling to the top, eventually exploding into a world war. Part of the story is set in Paris, and part in Andras and Klara's native Budapest and Hungary.
My review: A year ago I spent a few days in Budapest, Hungary while on a Danube river cruise. While there I made sure that I visited a certain memorial on the banks of the Danube River. The memorial isn’t big. It’s actually quite small. But the meaning of the memorial is huge.. The memorial is a number of pairs of empty shoes molded in iron. That’s all. Just lots of shoes. Very realistic, everyday, worn shoes. Men’s shoes, women’s shoes, and even some children’s shoes. The sign by the memorial reads "To the memory of the victims shot into the Danube by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45”. (The Arrow Cross were homegrown Hungarian fascists who aligned with the Nazis.)
It really hits you in the gut doesn't it? How on earth did it come to this?
This novel does several things excellently. One of those is to give the reader an idea of the steps that led to WWII - and show the growth of anti-Semitism in Europe. (or should I say the growth of blatant and open anti-Semitism?). Step by step, bit by bit. First Germany states that it just wants the parts of Europe back that used to be theirs (and England and France let them!) - then it takes more .. and more … and more. First anti-Semetic thoughts and actions are in the dark and secret, then those with these thoughts start having meetings and gatherings, and form organizations and political parties. And their actions become worse and more blatant, until … ..
On the positive side though, is the resilience of the human spirit - especially shown in many of the characters in this book. They carry on with their lives in as usual a way as they can - facing each challenge as best as they can. Living day by day as best as they can. Loving each other .. as best as they can.
That's not to say that all characters in the novel are shining examples of humanity. One of the things I liked best about this novel is how real the characters seemed. They have their shining moments - and their not so shining moments. This world is full of shades of grey, and this author showed that well.
If anyone is planning to visit Budapest, I urge you to take this book along or read it shortly before or after. And be sure to visit the Shoes memorial on the Danube River and say a prayer for the souls of those lost in this tragedy.
Andras was such a great character. Such a decent young man who clearly was talented and seemingly destined to rise in his field.I loved his brother who was going to be a physician. I was devastated that he didn't survive after all he did to insure everyone else's survival.
Klara too, was a natural survivor. She did so well in Paris at such a young age against all odds.
I have lots more to say but didn't want to make my review too long. For now I'll ask what you all thought the meaning of the title is - The Invisible Bridge. Bridges are very important in Budapest, as the city is literally divided by the Danube and connected with bridges over the Danube (with Buda on one side and Pest on the other). But I think the title referred to the invisible connections. The connections between family members - and even between the Jewish peoples.
DG
When I read it, I highlighted the section:"(Engineering Marvel! Paris-trained architect-engineer Andras Lévi has designed an invisible bridge. The materials are remarkably lightweight and it can be constructed in almost no time. It is undetectable by enemy forces. Tests suggest that the design of the bridge may still need some refinement; a battalion of the Hungarian Army mysteriously plunged into a chasm while crossing. Some argue, however, that the bridge has already attained its perfect form)."
I was 55% into the book at that point, I'm wondering if it was in one of their newspapers.
I'm wondering if it is talking about survival.
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Invisible Bridge (other topics)The Flight Portfolio (other topics)
In the Darkroom (other topics)
The Great Escape: Nine Jews Who Fled Hitler and Changed the World (other topics)
