- Pages: 544
- Genre: Young Adult Fiction; Drama, Life and Relationships, Coming-of-Age
- Age Suggestion: 14+
- Published 10-9-2018, by Random House Children's Books
This book cover is beautiful. I love all of the colors and especially the design of the letters.
Summary
Let me tell you about our brother. The fourth Dunbar boy named Clay. Everything happened to him. We were all of us changed through him.
Here is a story told inside out and back to front:
The five Dunbar brothers are living with their menagerie of pets in the perfect chaos of a house made by their own rules. Today, the father who walked out on them long ago walks back in.
And so the life of Clay, the quiet one with a harrowing secret, is about to change forever. He is the one who will build a bridge - for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins. A miracle and nothing less.
From a grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still lights up their lives, to a mother and father who fell in love over a mislaid piano, to the present day, where five sons laugh and fight and reckon with the adult world, Bridge of Clay is a sweeping portrait of how a ramshackle family, held together by stories and by love, comes to unbury one boy's tragic secret.
Quotes from the Book
(there's just so many good ones)
"You," she whispered, and "the bridge."
"He belonged as much to each of them. The distance between us was him."
"He lay for a while - the pulsing ground, the starry sky. Then forced himself to walk"
"And Clay looked back, one last time, before diving - in, and outwards - to a bridge, through a past, to a father. He swam the gold-lit water."
"You," she whispered, and "the bridge."
"He belonged as much to each of them. The distance between us was him."
"He lay for a while - the pulsing ground, the starry sky. Then forced himself to walk"
"And Clay looked back, one last time, before diving - in, and outwards - to a bridge, through a past, to a father. He swam the gold-lit water."
Review
Markus Zusak is back and has done it again! I dare say, this book is even better than The Book Thief.
This book is a whole new level of amazing. It is very, very different from other books on today's bookshelf. Something that makes it even more amazing and refreshing and more memorable (also did I mention amazing?).
I don't usually like stories told in the third person perspective, but it worked here. As you already know, if you read the synopsis, there are five Dunbar brothers the fourth is named Clay, the brothers, in order, are Matthew, Rory, Henry, Clayton, and Thomas. This story is narrated by the oldest Dunbar boy, Matthew. The perspective gives this story a quieter, more indirect feeling, which was different, but not bad. (Don't miscomprehend when I say/type "quieter" the story is very powerful, just in a toned down way.) It's almost like a boat horn. Even though what you hear is quiet, you can feel the strong vibrations in your bones.
I know I have probably said this before, but this story kinda threw me off at first. I don't know if it was because of the perspective or because I didn't know what to expect (or maybe both). Once you get used to the rhythm of things, this story gently takes your hand, pulls you inn, and makes you feel like apart of the story.
All of the characters were brilliant. I really liked that the brother's and their parent's (and towards the end Clay's significant other's) story are told simultaneously, both being told every other chapter. It puts things into perspective.
I loved all of the brothers and their strange affection towards each other. I have a soft spot particularly for Tommy. I respect Matthew for how he has handled the situation their father has put them in, and I like his over all character. I'm not particularly fond of Rory, but he is (most of the time) a good brother. Henry is my favorite. I'm really surprised that he is, but he is. I like his relationship with Rory, though. Their the family members that fight and argue a lot, but, in my opinion, are very similar. Obviously, Clay is the better person in the family. I loved his relationship with his parents and his love for their stories. The last, but not the least, Tommy, and I'll say it again I have a soft spot for this character. I admire the love he has for his pets. Also, I think, since he is a younger age than his brothers, he brings an innocence to the story. The positive side of that aspect, is, well, it brings an innocence to the story. On the negative side, I feel really bad that Tommy deals with all of this drama at such a young age. Side note: really like all of their animals, especially Achilles (and not to mention all of the pet's awesome names).
Now, the brother's father, Michael Dunbar. When I first started reading his story I was second guessing myself because the information you are given doesn't match his story the way I thought it would. But shame on me, I was thinking too close-minded. I appreciate the fact that his story addresses: in life, sometimes things just don't go the way you want them to. For Michael Dunbar this is exactly what happened, but in the end he finds something better then what he thought he wanted. I'm very sad for this character because he does find something better than what he thought he wanted, but he also loses it.
In the circumstances I think that Michael made the best of a bad situation. I don't think it was right that he left his sons. I also don't think it would have made a difference if he stayed, either. If he could have pulled himself together then, absolutely, he should have stayed. But he couldn't. So, it made me mad that this was the best decision, but I think that leaving was the best decision.
The brother's mother, Penny Dunbar, the many named woman. I love how sassy and tough she is. I also really like her history and I respect her for the hard decision her and her father make. Her story just makes you cry and ask why this person and why this family. (note: I loved the historical flare her story adds to the table)
Carey Novac, Clay's friend or significant other, or whatever you want to call her. She is a force to be reckoned with. I especially admire her determination. Just once again, you have to ask why this character. After Clay finds out what happened to her, the spot that follows is, I found, very hard to get through, just because everything is so slow and depressing.
I liked the setting of the story and all of the Australian accents. Be warned their is a fair amount of cussing used in this story, especially compared to the Book Thief. But, I mean, I think it's pretty realistic since there are five boys that have been left to navigate life on their own.
This book actually took me a lot longer to read. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I thought there was so much to take in. Kinda like when you're watching a really complex movie, and your afraid to blink out of the fear of missing something.
This book doesn't have the animation of other book genres like science fiction or fantasy, but it brings it's own set of cards to the table.
This book shows the determination and beauty of the human spirit. And of family bonds that have been broken, but are put back together again by one boy.
This book isn't very wide, but it goes very deep.
I don't usually like stories told in the third person perspective, but it worked here. As you already know, if you read the synopsis, there are five Dunbar brothers the fourth is named Clay, the brothers, in order, are Matthew, Rory, Henry, Clayton, and Thomas. This story is narrated by the oldest Dunbar boy, Matthew. The perspective gives this story a quieter, more indirect feeling, which was different, but not bad. (Don't miscomprehend when I say/type "quieter" the story is very powerful, just in a toned down way.) It's almost like a boat horn. Even though what you hear is quiet, you can feel the strong vibrations in your bones.
I know I have probably said this before, but this story kinda threw me off at first. I don't know if it was because of the perspective or because I didn't know what to expect (or maybe both). Once you get used to the rhythm of things, this story gently takes your hand, pulls you inn, and makes you feel like apart of the story.
All of the characters were brilliant. I really liked that the brother's and their parent's (and towards the end Clay's significant other's) story are told simultaneously, both being told every other chapter. It puts things into perspective.
I loved all of the brothers and their strange affection towards each other. I have a soft spot particularly for Tommy. I respect Matthew for how he has handled the situation their father has put them in, and I like his over all character. I'm not particularly fond of Rory, but he is (most of the time) a good brother. Henry is my favorite. I'm really surprised that he is, but he is. I like his relationship with Rory, though. Their the family members that fight and argue a lot, but, in my opinion, are very similar. Obviously, Clay is the better person in the family. I loved his relationship with his parents and his love for their stories. The last, but not the least, Tommy, and I'll say it again I have a soft spot for this character. I admire the love he has for his pets. Also, I think, since he is a younger age than his brothers, he brings an innocence to the story. The positive side of that aspect, is, well, it brings an innocence to the story. On the negative side, I feel really bad that Tommy deals with all of this drama at such a young age. Side note: really like all of their animals, especially Achilles (and not to mention all of the pet's awesome names).
Now, the brother's father, Michael Dunbar. When I first started reading his story I was second guessing myself because the information you are given doesn't match his story the way I thought it would. But shame on me, I was thinking too close-minded. I appreciate the fact that his story addresses: in life, sometimes things just don't go the way you want them to. For Michael Dunbar this is exactly what happened, but in the end he finds something better then what he thought he wanted. I'm very sad for this character because he does find something better than what he thought he wanted, but he also loses it.
In the circumstances I think that Michael made the best of a bad situation. I don't think it was right that he left his sons. I also don't think it would have made a difference if he stayed, either. If he could have pulled himself together then, absolutely, he should have stayed. But he couldn't. So, it made me mad that this was the best decision, but I think that leaving was the best decision.
The brother's mother, Penny Dunbar, the many named woman. I love how sassy and tough she is. I also really like her history and I respect her for the hard decision her and her father make. Her story just makes you cry and ask why this person and why this family. (note: I loved the historical flare her story adds to the table)
Carey Novac, Clay's friend or significant other, or whatever you want to call her. She is a force to be reckoned with. I especially admire her determination. Just once again, you have to ask why this character. After Clay finds out what happened to her, the spot that follows is, I found, very hard to get through, just because everything is so slow and depressing.
I liked the setting of the story and all of the Australian accents. Be warned their is a fair amount of cussing used in this story, especially compared to the Book Thief. But, I mean, I think it's pretty realistic since there are five boys that have been left to navigate life on their own.
This book actually took me a lot longer to read. Not because it was boring or anything, but because I thought there was so much to take in. Kinda like when you're watching a really complex movie, and your afraid to blink out of the fear of missing something.
This book doesn't have the animation of other book genres like science fiction or fantasy, but it brings it's own set of cards to the table.
This book shows the determination and beauty of the human spirit. And of family bonds that have been broken, but are put back together again by one boy.
This book isn't very wide, but it goes very deep.
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