oh, hello there! The end of the school year got the best of me and I never wrote my review of this month's book. But it's still May, so I think we're safe.
Katie Connelly has lived in San Francisco all her life. Her late father made his career as an ironworker on the Golden Gate Bridge, and the many stories of him trying to save jumpers still haunt her. When she's asked to write a history about the bridge, her research uncovers a secret journal hidden in her father's desk, pages of familiar advice penned by the hand of a stranger. The scribbled words tell of a promise ring and a distant love, clues that Katie hopes may answer her own unresolved sorrow.
This book follows two different stories and oftentimes that can be a little bit confusing. What I loved though is that the stories were written in different fonts/italics, so it was much easier to decipher which story you were in and get to know the characters more quickly. I also love books you can make connections with! In this book, one of the bridge workers is from Ireland and has a Claddaugh ring that belongs to his wife. My Claddaugh ring is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry so as soon as he started describing the ring, I knew exactly what he was talking about. The other connection I had with the book is the bridges!! The Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge at the time. The next one built was The Narrows Bridge which is right in my hometown.
The discussion questions for this book were fascinating and focused mainly on bridges and the significance they have and metaphors for life. Growing up near lots of bridges, I fully understood that they were a connector. A connector of people, land, and sometimes even continents.
Whether you're building bridges, crossing bridges, or burning bridges, it often involves your relationships with other people or just progression of life. Once you are on a bridge, you have to make it to the other side to get off. If you are burning a bridge, a connection of some sort is lost. If you are building a bridge, you are building something new and moving forward. Isn't it interesting how common phrases we use connect much deeper to our life's journey?
In the book, all of the characters are looking for something. For one, it's closure, another is going through a mid-life crisis, and the last is trying to be with his family again. But they all go to the bridge to find their answers.
What significance do bridges hold for you? As you are crossing the bridge of life, what supports do you have? What keeps you moving forward on the bridge? What is waiting for you on the other side?
