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readacorn's review against another edition
3.0
Die Idee und die Intention sowie auch das Konzept dieses Buches haben mir sehr gefallen. Allerdings konnte es mich stilistisch nicht gut erreichen.
Die Erzählweise Bruder Junipers ist sprunghaft und abrupt. Im Nachwort erfahren wir die Gründe dafür. Wilder fängt die Atmosphäre Perus sehr gut ein, man hat das Gefühl es schreibt ein Peruaner. Wohl nicht zuletzt deshalb hat er hierfür den Pulitzer Preis bekommen. Dennoch hätte meiner Meinung nach der äußere Rahmen der Erzählung mehr Raum einnehmen dürfen.
Die Erzählweise Bruder Junipers ist sprunghaft und abrupt. Im Nachwort erfahren wir die Gründe dafür. Wilder fängt die Atmosphäre Perus sehr gut ein, man hat das Gefühl es schreibt ein Peruaner. Wohl nicht zuletzt deshalb hat er hierfür den Pulitzer Preis bekommen. Dennoch hätte meiner Meinung nach der äußere Rahmen der Erzählung mehr Raum einnehmen dürfen.
ehays84's review against another edition
4.0
I am gradually trying to read more Pulitzer Prize winners, so that was one reason I picked this up. It is also on the shorter side, and I was kind of in between longer reads, so this worked well. I also was intrigued by the setup and questions posed by this novel. And finally, I loved Our Town in high school, but had never read anything else by Wilder, which I had to remedy since he is certainly one of the greatest ever American authors.
I will start at the end. I can see why this quote has lived on and been used at countless funerals and memorials of tragedies.
“Even now…almost no one remembers Esteban and Pepita, but myself. Camila alone remembers her Uncle Pio and her son; this woman, her mother. But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love.”
The message of the book can be contained into those memorable lines, and this is about as well as anyone could do trying to answer the question, "why do tragedies happen in a seemingly random way to seemingly random people?"
I found the writing to be beautiful. I found the characters to be very well drawn. I found their stories often heart-breakingly beautiful. But the part that fell flat for me was the idea of the priest researching them and trying to use the research to prove God has a purpose behind these things. I like the idea of that, but I don't think Wilder really carried that out. I think he ended up just telling their stories without the need of the priest, but then bringing the priest in here and there. I just thought that could have been worked in better.
Anyway, I can definitely see why this won the Pulitzer Prize, why it cemented Wilder's legacy, and why the book has lived on in the literary ether. We are almost to its 100th anniversary which is hard to believe. It's interesting that so many of the greatest American authors and books came out of the 1920s. Many wiser heads that mine have speculated on that, but I think people in that time had seen a lot of tragedy and were also dealing with a lot of change all at once. Those factors I believe created a sort of literary primordial ooze out of which great literature could spring. And spring it did.
I will start at the end. I can see why this quote has lived on and been used at countless funerals and memorials of tragedies.
“Even now…almost no one remembers Esteban and Pepita, but myself. Camila alone remembers her Uncle Pio and her son; this woman, her mother. But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love.”
The message of the book can be contained into those memorable lines, and this is about as well as anyone could do trying to answer the question, "why do tragedies happen in a seemingly random way to seemingly random people?"
I found the writing to be beautiful. I found the characters to be very well drawn. I found their stories often heart-breakingly beautiful. But the part that fell flat for me was the idea of the priest researching them and trying to use the research to prove God has a purpose behind these things. I like the idea of that, but I don't think Wilder really carried that out. I think he ended up just telling their stories without the need of the priest, but then bringing the priest in here and there. I just thought that could have been worked in better.
Anyway, I can definitely see why this won the Pulitzer Prize, why it cemented Wilder's legacy, and why the book has lived on in the literary ether. We are almost to its 100th anniversary which is hard to believe. It's interesting that so many of the greatest American authors and books came out of the 1920s. Many wiser heads that mine have speculated on that, but I think people in that time had seen a lot of tragedy and were also dealing with a lot of change all at once. Those factors I believe created a sort of literary primordial ooze out of which great literature could spring. And spring it did.
reachant's review against another edition
4.0
What a lovely examination of relationships and fatalism, dependencies and power shifts.
wildgurl's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of 5 people, all who lost their lives when a bridge in Peru collapsed. The events of their lives leading up to this are engaging and relevant, I felt the loss of their lives, although,obviously, complete strangers. This was a great read and I will be searching out his other novels. Awesome book, recommended.
mangliu0130's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/5，chatgpt推荐的书之一
通过嘲讽又有点魔幻现实（我的最爱）的写法把死亡、信仰、命运、母女关系、文学艺术等等紧密又平衡地编织在160页里。神父列表打分计算不幸死去的人的客观价值企图破解宗教这门“精确科学”特别搞笑，故事本身又很沉重，太喜欢这种矛盾的阅读感受了
通过嘲讽又有点魔幻现实（我的最爱）的写法把死亡、信仰、命运、母女关系、文学艺术等等紧密又平衡地编织在160页里。神父列表打分计算不幸死去的人的客观价值企图破解宗教这门“精确科学”特别搞笑，故事本身又很沉重，太喜欢这种矛盾的阅读感受了
melmogle's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed the story and the theme of randomness vs. retribution vs. free will. I enjoyed the portrait Wilder painted of each of the characters. I just wasn't the biggest fan of the writing. It wasn't bad by any means, but this book was written in 1927 and this is evident in its formal, detached style, which is not my cup of tea. Overall though, I thought this was good and I'm glad I read it.
sloatsj's review against another edition
3.0
This novel tells the stories of three characters who die in the collapse of a bridge in Peru - a rich woman obsessed with her far-away daughter, a distraught labourer who's already lost his twin, and the mentor and admirer of an actress who grows decadent. A monk --Brother Jupiter-- attempts to discern a reason why these particular people were fated to die. It's an unsatisfying enterprise.
My mother was tossing the book out in a purge so --having heard it referenced many times-- I figured why not. Quick reading, not dull, but not super sparkly either. Solid writing and touching ending.
My mother was tossing the book out in a purge so --having heard it referenced many times-- I figured why not. Quick reading, not dull, but not super sparkly either. Solid writing and touching ending.
socorrobaptista's review against another edition
3.0
Uma narrativa intrigante, na qual se misturam personagens das mais diversas origens, todos ligados por uma tragédia: a queda da ponte de San Luis Rey, na cidade de Lima, no Peru colonial. Uma leitura bastante interessante.
petitfoix's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mariewordaddict's review against another edition
5.0
I don't remember much about this book except that it was very moving to me when I read it as a teenager. Would like to re-read one day.