The Bridge

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Summary: GREAT NEW VOICE IN SOUTHERN LIT
Review: A bookseller in Charlotte recommended The Bridge to me as a great new voice in NC lit, and let me tell you, it doesn't disappoint. Told in a voice that is both lyrical and bitingly clever, this book seamlessly offers a vivid portrait of NC, both past and present. The present action begins when protagonist Pick returns in defeat to his native NC, and settles in his family's native village of Eno, which was once a mill town, but now a well-known stop on the brie & white wine circuit. His extended family -- hilariously portrayed, so accurate that every page makes you laugh aloud in recognition -- complicates Pick's homecoming, particularly his strained relationship with his grandmother, Mama Lucy. It is the unfolding of her story that is the heart of this book, a tribute to Marlette's own grandmother, and an intimate history lesson of life in the mills of North Carolina during the Strikes of 1934.

What makes this book refreshing is the fact that all of Marlette's characters, including his artiste neighbors, even his long-suffering wife, are no cardboard sit-com fill-ins, but flawed and colorful and apt to do precisely the wrong thing, given the chance, no one more often than the hapless Pick. Even Mama Lucy, the novel's heroine, is a contrary, determined woman, her character written with such piercing honesty that it could be any of our grandmothers, or grandfathers, and their struggle for dignity in the true South at the first half of this century.

As a southerner, I've almost given up on southern writers, who produce a life that neither I nor my parents even recognize, but about three pages into this book, I realized that Marlette is the real thing.

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Summary: Pat Conroy is Right - You Must Read This Book
Review: For most people, one great talent would be enough
For Doug Marlette, it's just a starting point.
Doug Marlette is a Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist. And he may be even better known as the author of Kudzu, the comic strip that appears daily in dozens of newspapers.
But if his first novel, The Bridge, is any indication, Marlette's greatest talent may be as a novelist.
This is a book you can't put down, a book that leaves you torn between savoring every page and hurrying through to get to the outcome.
The Bridge is a semi-autobigraphical tale that features a gripping story of conflict and violence in North Carolina's not-too-distant textile past. But just as importantly, it is a story of self-discovery and reconciliation. It is a story about people for whom you come to care deeply.
I wept for the last 50 pages.
Some books are great reads. A few books are not only great reads but they also make you think about how you live your life. The Bridge is such a book.
The novelist Pat Conroy says on the jacket cover that The Bridge is the best first novel to come out of North Carolina since Look Homeward Angel.
Pat Controy was right.

Rating:
Summary: What a GREAT read!
Review: I absolutely loved The Bridge, hard to put down and disappointed when I was about to read the last page. Reminiscent of an old Evan Hunter book called Sons, where the story keeps going back to 3 generations of men and weaving it into the current tale. I most certainly will be awaiting an encore from Doug Marlette

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Summary: Funny, Smart and Engaging
Review: I found THE BRIDGE captivating. Marlette's prose, even at its most lyrical, has a straightforward immediacy to it that kept me engrossed, turning pages until well past my bedtime. I couldn't put the thing down. His mission is an ambitious one--create a story that is not only fiction but also semi-autobiographical and historical--and the jumping from past to present could, in the hands of a less-skilled author, frustrate a reader. But Marlette's rhythm keeps it together. Given the fact that Marlette is a cartoonist like his protagonist, Pick Cantrell, Pick could come across as self-serving. Yet Pick is neither romanticized nor glamorized but depicted with all his human weakness. Both Marlette and Pick are editorial cartoonists with similar geographical and, we learn, familial histories. Maybe this is why the book seems so poetic, its phrases able to stand alone--in some ways editorial cartoons are like poetry, using few words but juxtaposing them with creative, surprising images to convey an original message. The collocation of Pick's life with that of his grandmother accomplishes the same task. But unlike a cartoon, the book maintains the roundness of its characters when drawing parallels between them. Marlette's cartoonist skills as an image-builder, a message-sender, translate beautifully onto the page. This is what is most impressive about the book as a first novel, and this is why it succeeds.

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Summary: The Best Book I've Read in a LONG Time!!!
Review: I happened upon THE BRIDGE at my local library and was intrigued by the cover illustration. Upon reading the jacket information, I signed it out, thinking it sounded interesting. What I discovered was not only an interesting book, but one that kept me so intrigued by its compelling characters and events that I couldn't wait to see what would happen next! The characters are human beings, with quirks and unique personalities--I could relate to them, as well as to the intricate family dynamics. Doug Marlette is a talented writer--expressive, as well as keenly observant and insightful toward people and life itself. I was impressed with how well he wrote a story-within-a story, and I was both entertained and educated.
I highly recommend this novel and look forward to another book by Doug Marlette!!

Rating:
Summary: One for my Favorites Shelf
Review: I have a shelf in my library for books that either changed my life, or that I would like to re-read. It is not a big shelf nor is it full. Few are the books I would ever read more than once simply because life is short and books are many. But The Bridge is among the volumes there. I loved this book. I loved Pick Cantrell, his crazy grandmother, his idiosyncratic southern family; the small town of Eno with its eccentric characters; the history of the mill workers whose stories deserved to be told; the grand old house, the sweetly self-deprecating yuppie-ness of Pick's life and marriage, his weaknesses and foibles, his beautiful rage, his tender heart, his grandiosity and his generous, forgiving spirit. I re-read The Bridge from time to time, in sections, by sentences, word by word, because there's soul in there and too little of it elsewhere. The Bridge is a grand story, an amazing first novel, a testament to an irrespressible human spirit. The unfairly talented Doug Marlette is a gift.

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Summary: One of the Best Book Club Books I've Ever Read
Review: I just finished the Bridge and I'm still awed by how good it is. I am in two book clubs and we've read all kinds of books, fiction and non-fiction. This book is funny, sad, historical, scary, thought-provoking, and has beautiful descriptions of scenery. It makes me want to be in the story and see the things that the author describes, especially Chicken Bridge on Halloween night with all the jack-o-laterns lighting the sky and illuminating the river. I am recommending this book to everyone I know. Check it out - it's a great book for a man or woman and one of those hard to put down books you'll not want to see end.

Enjoy!



Rating:
Summary: Intrigued from the negative
Review: I read an editorial about this book in our local newspaper. The jist was great book, but poorly received in the literary field due to Mr. Marlette's type of employment. I decided this was reason to read this book. Great book. Wonderful storyline, believable characters. I was engaged from page one, but enjoyed how the author's writing matured. I am sure some of these characters are from my own family. I love a good hope story. I will look forward to more from Mr. Marlette.

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Summary: Engaging with Substance
Review: If your regular reading consists of Harlequin romances and V.C. Andrews novels, don't even go here. I loved this book. It has substance. True, it does have a lot of characters, a lot of entertwined plots, and a long, unfolding storyline, but those are exactly the things I loved about it. I like a book that entertains, but I also want to learn something new or be immersed in a culture that I would not otherwise have a chance to explore. This book did both of those things for me. I had zero knowledge of the textile mills and the strikes of the 1930's. The author brought his characters to life in a unique way that made not only their personalities spring to life, but also the flavor of the era and the political climate at the time. By the time he gets to the end of the work, he has also drawn a great parallel between the generations and their respective plot lines reminding us that our lives (and our humanity), are not so far removed from our ancestors. It was a page turner for me, but I can see where it would stymie some who are used to lighter reading. This is a thinker's book. If you like this, check out "Ahab's Wife," "Corelli's Mandolin," (the book, not the movie) and "Galileo's Daughter." Also great reads for thinkers and people who like historical novels.

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Summary: Where's the homophobia?
Review: Mr. Marlette obviously has other talents besides being a first class cartoonist. He tells a fascinating tale here. It's about family history, the plight of workers in the South, the cruelty of small towns. The plot meanders and loops around, but Mr. Marlette connects all the dots eventually. His attention to detail is great. For instance, I had forgotten that women of my grandmother's generation in the South dipped Tube Rose snuff. I notice that Pat Conroy gave this novel a glowing review. I can see why. This is a novel he could have written in his leaner, less wordy days.

Some reviewers find this book homophobic. I did not. This is a fine book indeed.

Write on, Mr. Marlette.