jhayden's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5. I loved the idea of a non fiction graphic novel! I don’t know if I would have read an entire print novel about this subject so a graphic novel was the perfect form to still be introduced to it.
This book is not just about building a bridge. There were true themes in this book, such as the relationship between father and son, and then between the now-adult son and his own son. Also what it means to serve your country at war or through the form of public works. The marvels of technology to construct such a feat and the danger of it all. A strong female character taking on more than people know.
When I tell you I cried when they first crossed the bridge! Wasn’t expecting it but it meant so much to the characters and the country as a whole that I felt I saw the bridge through their eyes. Really makes me want to see it again in person.
This book is not just about building a bridge. There were true themes in this book, such as the relationship between father and son, and then between the now-adult son and his own son. Also what it means to serve your country at war or through the form of public works. The marvels of technology to construct such a feat and the danger of it all. A strong female character taking on more than people know.
When I tell you I cried when they first crossed the bridge! Wasn’t expecting it but it meant so much to the characters and the country as a whole that I felt I saw the bridge through their eyes. Really makes me want to see it again in person.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
4.0
Simply a great read. A gripping story. Good enough art. How accurate is this? It seemed accurate. And this was detailed without being too detailed. You are not going to be able to build a bridge from reading this book.
I don't think I've ever walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I remember driving across it to visit cousins growing up. Like the author, my bridge was the George Washington, and I did get to walk across that once as a young adult.
From the forward it was interesting to hear that, this book was the author's 9/11 book. That event colors things of all sorts.
I don't think I've ever walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. I remember driving across it to visit cousins growing up. Like the author, my bridge was the George Washington, and I did get to walk across that once as a young adult.
From the forward it was interesting to hear that, this book was the author's 9/11 book. That event colors things of all sorts.
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
4.0
I grew up on the West Coast of the United States. The big important bridge here is the Golden Gate Bridge. Many people think that the bridge itself is the Golden Gate, but the bay that it crosses is what bares that name. It was built during the depression, and despite it being there, along with the Bay Bridge, the Richmond Bridge, the San Mateo Bridge, and the San Rafael Bridge, ferry service still happens across the bay.
When the start of this story happens, there are ferries that go across the East River, but because of the ice, they have trouble getting across, or the pilots can not stere, or they are drunk. For whatever reason, the father of Washington Roebling was not happy with the state of the ferry services, and so proposed that a bridge be built and he would design it, along with his son. This all was taking place a few years after the American Civil War, in 1869, and it was not completed until 1883. This was one of the first of its kind, and it killed many people, including, almost killing Washington Roebling himself.
It is all an amazing story, filled with great detail, and tragedy, and joy, and all those things you want in a good story.
That a great thing to have it in such an accessible book. It is a little wordy, for those who want to look at pictures only, you can get the heart of the story, just thumbing through it, but to find out the suffering, and courage it took to keep going, and completing the bridge, it helps if you read all the words.
It was hard to choose which illustrations best represented what you would find in this book, but these are the ones I chose.
A great way to learn about New York history.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
When the start of this story happens, there are ferries that go across the East River, but because of the ice, they have trouble getting across, or the pilots can not stere, or they are drunk. For whatever reason, the father of Washington Roebling was not happy with the state of the ferry services, and so proposed that a bridge be built and he would design it, along with his son. This all was taking place a few years after the American Civil War, in 1869, and it was not completed until 1883. This was one of the first of its kind, and it killed many people, including, almost killing Washington Roebling himself.
It is all an amazing story, filled with great detail, and tragedy, and joy, and all those things you want in a good story.
That a great thing to have it in such an accessible book. It is a little wordy, for those who want to look at pictures only, you can get the heart of the story, just thumbing through it, but to find out the suffering, and courage it took to keep going, and completing the bridge, it helps if you read all the words.
It was hard to choose which illustrations best represented what you would find in this book, but these are the ones I chose.
A great way to learn about New York history.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
I became lost in the story of how one man’s ambitious dreams came true. The graphic novel is really an homage to the sacrifices made, the lives lost, and the unsung heroes who helped bring The Brooklyn Bridge to fruition.
agirlsnametoo's review against another edition
3.0
This book tried to pack A LOT into a slim graphic novel. The story starts with Roebling’s young adulthood and goes all the way through his completion of the Brooklyn bridge. The middle of the story includes some interesting details about how the bridge was actually built, which I enjoyed. The later third is largely about his wife’s role in building the bridge and the political drama surrounding the project, which I loved. The problem for me was that this short little book couldn’t decide where to focus its efforts, and I left wanting more in all three sections. I’m giving it a third star though because of how effective the patriotic hubbub was at the end- as a native brooklynite who has walked across that bridge many times, I did get a little emotional. The story of the Roeblings and the Brooklyn bridge is amazing and more people should know it, so if this graphic novel can be an entry point I’m all for it.
g_e_p's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
I chose this book as part of the 2019 Read Harder challenge. I was really excited to start this book because it combines two of my favorite genres, nonfiction and graphic novels. However, I felt that this story fell a bit flat. I had read recommendations that heralded this as a bit of female empowerment and while Emily had a remarkable role in the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, it never seemed that she worked under her own volition. The artistic style also took me out of the story. There was a moment when there is a close up on Emily's face and it looks like her face and neck are completely different pictures, almost as if they were photoshopped together. This review turned out to be mostly negative, but I did appreciate how much this book was a labor of love for the author. The preface Tomasi wrote was impactful and truthfully showed how the artistic process tends to happen.
I chose this book as part of the 2019 Read Harder challenge. I was really excited to start this book because it combines two of my favorite genres, nonfiction and graphic novels. However, I felt that this story fell a bit flat. I had read recommendations that heralded this as a bit of female empowerment and while Emily had a remarkable role in the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge, it never seemed that she worked under her own volition. The artistic style also took me out of the story. There was a moment when there is a close up on Emily's face and it looks like her face and neck are completely different pictures, almost as if they were photoshopped together. This review turned out to be mostly negative, but I did appreciate how much this book was a labor of love for the author. The preface Tomasi wrote was impactful and truthfully showed how the artistic process tends to happen.
icameheretoread's review against another edition
4.0
I had no idea about this story, and it's embarrassing because I live 20 minutes away from the town of Roebling and Trenton. I need to get my butt to the museum.
That said, I loved the story in this graphic novel. I loved the art, but there's something about Tomasi's writing that just doesn't gel for me. I found myself reading pages over and over again and feeling like something was missing. He says, in the preface, that he struggled with fitting the story into the short, graphic novel format of about 200 pages. Maybe that's it. Maybe his writing needs room to breath. I am left with a feeling that the Roeblings (all of them) were quite weird and didn't understand some of the actions they took. With more exploration, I may have understood some of their motives.
I was most interested in the construction of the bridge and the health effects on the workers. Truly fascinating! I was less interested in the board meetings and the politics, but I get that they are a part of it and had to be covered. I also would have liked to have known more about how the people felt about the bridge, I only caught a glimpse of how the people connected to the ferries felt.
If anything, this graphic novel just set me on the path to reading more about it, so...success!
That said, I loved the story in this graphic novel. I loved the art, but there's something about Tomasi's writing that just doesn't gel for me. I found myself reading pages over and over again and feeling like something was missing. He says, in the preface, that he struggled with fitting the story into the short, graphic novel format of about 200 pages. Maybe that's it. Maybe his writing needs room to breath. I am left with a feeling that the Roeblings (all of them) were quite weird and didn't understand some of the actions they took. With more exploration, I may have understood some of their motives.
I was most interested in the construction of the bridge and the health effects on the workers. Truly fascinating! I was less interested in the board meetings and the politics, but I get that they are a part of it and had to be covered. I also would have liked to have known more about how the people felt about the bridge, I only caught a glimpse of how the people connected to the ferries felt.
If anything, this graphic novel just set me on the path to reading more about it, so...success!
lindsayb's review against another edition
3.0
While my attention often strayed at the engineering details, I really liked the overall recounting of this historical endeavor. I became more invested as the story progressed and the stakes steadily rose. I liked DuVall's artwork as well and look forward to checking out more of her work as her career takes off.
Thank you to Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
Thank you to Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.
bluepigeon's review
5.0
A thorough graphic novel about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, especially about the people who designed and built it. John Roebling designed the original and won the contract to build it, but died before construction even started. His son, Washington, was the chief engineer who made all the alterations and built the bridge, but in doing so got sick (decompression sickness, i.e., the bends, from working in the compressed environment of the caissons) and had to oversee from his house in Brooklyn Heights as his assistant worked on the site and his wife, Emily, helped with everything from writing letters to making adjustments to plans and dealign with the problematic board of trustees (who were meant to be problematic, since their main concern was how the money was being spent, which is a good thing.)
The art is not really my style with the glossy look, but otherwise beautifully colored. The story does touch upon the politics of the day and how it shaped the politics around the bridge, too, but not too much. Washington's relationship with his father is perhaps the most interesting personal relationship in the story, and is explored quite a bit.
Overall, The Bridge is an accessible and fun way to learn how the Bridge was built and is a good reminder to us all that utilize this bridge about all the people who built it and some who even died doing so.
The art is not really my style with the glossy look, but otherwise beautifully colored. The story does touch upon the politics of the day and how it shaped the politics around the bridge, too, but not too much. Washington's relationship with his father is perhaps the most interesting personal relationship in the story, and is explored quite a bit.
Overall, The Bridge is an accessible and fun way to learn how the Bridge was built and is a good reminder to us all that utilize this bridge about all the people who built it and some who even died doing so.