Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to Markus Zusak narrate Bridge of Clay; it was a wonderfully sad story of 5 boys who lost their beloved mother, Penny and also their father (they refer to him as The Murderer) who abandons them. Because the story bounces back and forth between past and present often, it was sometimes disconcerting to listen to; I liked Zusak's narration but I think I might have gotten more out of it by reading the book. It is up to their brother, Clay, to go help their father build a bridge; he is the only one their mother told ALL the history and stories to before she died. It is also Clay who is best friends and later more with Carrie Novack, a jockey. I enjoyed all the animals, the references to the Iliad and the Odyssey; recalled Zusak's earlier books (Fighting Ruben Wolfe and Getting the Girl) about boxing brothers and loved Zusak's beauty and sadness in this story of family, the plot and the very human characters.

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