jessie_roz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Abandonment, Death, and Death of parent
jfield351's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
I read this book as part of the dymocks challenge, this was the dymocks book of the month july 2018. i don’t think i would have read it otherwise. i feel like maybe i was too unintelligent to enjoy this book, as some parts i understood that i hadn’t really grasped what was going on. it wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t my favourite. it was slow paced and felt like i was watching a movie. it’s definitely the opposite of what i usually enjoy reading, which is fast paced fantasy. but i liked how there were about 4 or 5 different time periods, my favourite was the reflection of the mother growing up. it was a sad book and really showed the full life of many of these people. by halfway i felt like i was a dunbar boy, because it was written in such a way that i could see them all around me and know their personalities. i was a bit confused about the bridge thing, why the father left and what happened to the mother but i eventually understood. this book had a calming effect on me. Read 17 to 19 jan.
edit: it was better in hindsight than when reading it. Looking back i did enjoy the book and giving it only 2 stars seems harsh because i’ve realised it was a beautiful story so i’m going to move it up just a tiny bit to 2.25.
edit: it was better in hindsight than when reading it. Looking back i did enjoy the book and giving it only 2 stars seems harsh because i’ve realised it was a beautiful story so i’m going to move it up just a tiny bit to 2.25.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Cancer, and Death
averagemark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I picked up this book because I liked the works of Marcus Zusak in the past, and I was not disappointed by this. The story follows 5 boys living on their own, the killer and the memory of their mother.
If you’re a fan of action packed fantasy, then this book is not for you. It has a slower pace and deals with everyday problems of a broken family. Like in real life, there isn’t a definite end to the story, but at the end of the book, you feel like you’re part of this big family. You’ve lived through their tragedies, you’ve coped with them, and you’ve grown, and in my opinion that’s the best part of this all.
Some might also find the book challenging because of the way it is written: one chapter takes place in the past, and one in the future. Although, with such writing, it would normally be harder to keep up with the story, The Bridge of Clay avoided that fate. Coming back to the past a lot makes sense for a grieving family, and as readers it’s interesting to put a story together piece by piece.
The characters all have a distinct personality, influenced by their past. For me, one of the worst things an author can do, is provide the readers with questions, and not answer all of them by the end, here it is thankfully not the case. All the mysteries laid out before us in the beginning of the book, eventually make sense.
If I had to sum my review up, this is not a very action packed book, at first, you’ll need to to get into reading it, but by the end, the characters, the journey you took with them, will make all of the inconveniences worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, and Grief
rlinnyc's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
jesslemreads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Death
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
As much as I love Zusak, this book just wouldn't end. The main plot was confusing and the B plot was out of order and dragged on about details that didn't matter. Maybe it's a good read to someone else, but it wore me down to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
cosmicsapphic's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcoholism and Eating disorder
Minor: Animal death
sarasbookmark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Violence
Minor: Cursing
sibling relationship, parent-child relationship, flashbacksmanarnia's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think I might have liked this book more if I had read a physical version. Not that the audiobook was poorly narrated, I just think I would have enjoyed seeing the writing written down.
I fell in love with the Dunbar boys, but certain parts of the story didn't sit right with me, and I didn't love the order in which the story was told.
I fell in love with the Dunbar boys, but certain parts of the story didn't sit right with me, and I didn't love the order in which the story was told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, and Violence
rachelsheplak's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
simply written, but beautiful and impactful
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Terminal illness
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, and Medical content
Minor: Animal death, Death, and Grief