- Hardcover: 384 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition First Printing edition (Oct 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060186305
- ISBN-13: 978-0060186302
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 3.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 4,414,247 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Synopsis
Returning to his hometown of Eno, North Carolina, with his family after he is fired from his job in New York, newspaper cartoonist Pick Cantrell must face the ghosts of his past in the form of family matriarch Mama Lucy.
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The cartoon showed a close-up of the pope wearing a button emblazoned with the words No Women Priest.""" Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
The cartoon showed a close-up of the pope wearing a button emblazoned with the words No Women Priest.""" Read the first page
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58 reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Voices of Truth
8 Nov 2001
Format:Hardcover
One of the main things I look for in a novel is the "voice" that propels and pervades the storytelling. Marlette's The Bridge matches character and voice perfectly. Main character and narrator Pick Cantrell looks at the world through the eye of a cartoonist, but this rich novel is far from being a cartoon. In the contemporary settings, Pick "picks" his images of the people around him. We see them focused through his "lens." Through this narrative device, we become involved with well-developed characters who happen to have a cartoonist's microscope run over their quirks, making them all the more fascinating. This extra-dimension to the writing is true to Pick's own character voice and a tribute to Marlette's skill as a creative artist. Not only is the whole scope of the story adroitly presented, but his sentences are just loaded with little "cartoonist concepts" that make me laugh out loud. Pick's reference to his family reunion as a "coagulation" is a brilliant image of bloodlines clotting around the picnic table. Everyone who has ever been to a family reunion knows exactly what he means.
But, this novel is not simply Pick Cantrell's story and voice. There lies within it a greater gift of truth: giving "voice" to the "voiceless." The mill workers of this country whose struggle was all but lost to history's emphasis on the New Deal and the rise of fascist Germany also have a story to tell. That voice is embodied in Mama Lucy, and Marlette has created a bridge back to a forgotten past that touches us all. It is The Bridge which I hope many, many readers will cross.
But, this novel is not simply Pick Cantrell's story and voice. There lies within it a greater gift of truth: giving "voice" to the "voiceless." The mill workers of this country whose struggle was all but lost to history's emphasis on the New Deal and the rise of fascist Germany also have a story to tell. That voice is embodied in Mama Lucy, and Marlette has created a bridge back to a forgotten past that touches us all. It is The Bridge which I hope many, many readers will cross.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
I agree with KamaKama....
23 Nov 2001
Format:Hardcover
This is not an easy book to read if you come from a family who (1) keeps secrets (2) has interesting members or (3) lived through some turbulent times. Time and time again I found myself listening the Marlette's characters say the EXACT SAME things my grandmother/mother/cousins said to me and to each other. Situations in the book strangely resemble situations in my family....and reading about them in a published novel made me a bit uneasy.
I loved the way Marlette intertwined the present with the past. In the present, Marlette tells the story of Pick Cantrell, who moves home from New York City and struggles to put his life back together. Waiting to collide with Pick's story is that of his prickly grandmother "Mama Lucy." Seems she has quite a story of her own to tell. Until the ghosts of Pick's present and Mama Lucy's past are put to rest, nothing will be settled in either of their lives. Watching the two storylines converge was a pleasure.
This book is a strong testimony for anyone who has struggled with their family tree, burned/destroyed bridges and would like to re-build them.
This may be Marlette's first turn at fiction, but, to me, THE BRIDGE is in the same league with the likes of THE PRINCE OF TIDES.
Enjoy!
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful writing
19 Jan 2002
Format:Hardcover
This is a first book and it is phenomenal. Reminded me of the power of the writing of John Irving.....I haven't cried while reading a book since his "Cider House Rules". It's powerful writing that can make you do that. Marlette's characters are all unique and strong and realistic and the stories of everyone are all woven together wonderfully. Plus you learn the history of our country's Southern mills and the union which had to break the terrible working conditions in the 30's. Excellent read....I'm the type that reads so much non-fiction, that it is a rare novel that can hold my interest. This one is unique.
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