Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

Ordinarily I don’t read the inside jacket flap to find out what the story is about—the story should do that and this one does but---because the author takes the reader from “then” to “now” often, I initially found it hard to follow. I’ve read many authors who use this technique and frankly I don’t like it. Just about the time I’ve become used to a thread, familiar with the characters, guessing about the outcome, I’m thrown into a different location, discourse and characters, it’s mind-boggling to say the least and interrupts my flow.

Bridge of Sighs is about a man who has lived in a town in upstate New York for all of his life. It is a story about losses and achievements, about taking risks within the security of having lived there forever. There are also mysteries to be uncovered and the author serves his reader well, keeping them hidden until he chooses to reveal them.

Although this book was not a bad book, it did not seem as interesting to me as his prior title Empire Falls.

Ladybookbug!