Now I'm in mourning because I'll have to wait for her to write her next one. I love this author’s work so much that I had to read this one right on the heels of Crow Lake. Despite the fact that traumatic events scar Ian Christopherson and Arthur Dunn for life, these incidents help them achieve what fate has set in store for them. The second is set in a summer in the 60s, with Arthur, now adult, working their late father farm with the help of Ian, the son of the local doctor who is secretly attracted to Arthur’s wife beautiful wife Laura. Arthur is reticent, solid, dutiful and set to inherit the farm and his father’s character; Jake is younger, attractive, mercurial and dangerous to know – the family misfit. Soon two utterly polarised characters are established: Arthur is slow, reserved, responsible and essentially good; Jake is quick, clever, unscrupulous and bad. The narrative focuses in each story on teenage boys - Arthur and Ian. I did today, when I finished our book club selection, The Other Side of the Bridge, by Mary Lawson. The silent one is silent and plodding but somehow in the right, and the smarmy one is charming and utterly without morals. Her writing style is one of depth and profundity. This appeals to logos as this episode shows the importance of remembering that everyone is different; therefore it is logical that comparison should be avoided at all…, In relation to friendships, there will always be differences that cause dispute between friends no matter how positive the relationship is. Morgenstern ,Buttercup,Westley,Prince Humperdinck and more It's a slow moving narrative which is also compelling and carries an underlying tension that leads to a traumatic climax. The story moves back and forth between the 1930s/40s when Arthur Dunn was growing up and the 1950s/60s when he was manning the family farm and the doctor's son Ian, was a part-time farmhand during high school. He falls in love with Laura and marries her and raises a child that is not his but his brother's. Which of the three main characters—Arthur, Jake, or Ian—do you sympathize with the most, and why? by The Dial Press. He's being honest about how Laura appeared to him. Mary Lawson (born 1946) is a Canadian novelist. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. As the narrative continues, Hurst utilizes three symbols to show the complexity of sibling relationships.…, Juliet’s rebellion enrages her father to a degree to which he becomes cruel and disbelieving of anything that she has to say. It’s a place of families with good sons and bad sons, mothers and fathers who seem to love one child more than the other, young men who lose their lives in the war fighting for their motherland against the Nazis. Such is her gift that even though we are seeing the world through the dumbfounded eyes of the good son who remains on the farm, we still understand the pain and complexity of the emotional life swirling around him, even though it is almost completely lost on Arthur. This displays how inevitable it is for these brother to avoid catastrophes that will befall them. Doesn't like school, thinks it's useless. I'm conflicted on this book. Two coasts. Discuss the novel’s title. His determination for peace with Tybalt, is the opposite of what Mercutio- Romeo’s loyal friend- has in mind, who rather thinks of this approach, as “calm, dishonourable, vile submission!” (3.1.70). "This is a book you will be driven to share with friends. The Other Side of the Bridge Katie Connelly has lived in San Francisco all her life. The biggest tragedy that can occur between, Emily Donaldson writes, “Children forced to cope in the absence of their parents” (Donaldson), this is one of the most important theme and also acts as a tragic event in the lives of the central characters, Ian Christopherson and Arthur Dunn, motivating them to follow their destiny. Furthermore, Brother only wants to help Doodle to correspond with other children because he wants to avoid embarrassment of having a younger brother who cannot walk, this is only a battle with his self worth. However, Hamlet chooses not to avenge his father 's death and within this great window of opportunity causes Hamlet to lose complete control of that very situation. Couldn't put this one down and was hooked from the first chapter. This is the second book I've read by Mary Lawson but it won't be my last. Now I am a convert to Mary Lawson and I will read anything she puts out there. I sympathized immediately with Kate and Dave and desperately wanted them to find what they needed to move on with their lives. Lots of lovely foreshadowing throughout, as well. Her writing draws you in so that you believe that you have travelled there. September 26th 2006 Could Jake and Arthur ever be free of the wounds they inflicted on each other? And the character of Jake was one dimensional. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Samad has the idea that he is the head of the family, but with all of his decisions there comes big consequences. Fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase. Debbie Elliott reports that "Katherine Paterson was inspired to write Bridge to Terabithia after her son's childhood best friend was struck and killed by lightning." This is a well told story of the compromises we make as we go through life. Arthur is reticent, solid, dutiful and set to inherit the farm and his father’s character; Jake is younger, attractive, mercurial and dangerous to know – the family misfit. Likewise, Romeo’s broken identity results in a monstrous conflict. In addition, the realization of the importance of friends and family also plays an important role in carving the path to their destiny. Two strangers. It was as if she had finally seen the awful power of fate, it's deviousness, the way it could wipe out in an instant the one thing you had been certain you could rely on, and now she was constantly looking over her shoulder, trying to work out where the next blow might fall.”, Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize Nominee (2006), See all 3 questions about The Other Side of the Bridge…, Book about two brothers on a farm and their rocky relationship S [s], Mystery Solved: Why Hollywood Is Obsessed with the Whodunit. It’s a small town where the summers are green and young boys fish in Crow Lake and the winters are brutally cold and the roads are so deeply covered with snow that they keep people in. In Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, the friendship between Amir and Hassan is one that can contain less than friendly qualities with Amir’s poor decisions that leave him guilt struck all his adult life. The Other Side of the Bridge by Camron Wright is a book that will keep you engaged from start to finish. This is the fictitious place that Mary Lawson has created for all three of her novels, but you could swear this must be a real place. The other is the son of the town doctor who is trying to forget his mother who left for life in the big city. He still does not understand how to cause it healthily even after speaking to Emma Goldman. And a bridge that silently beckons them both. There is a place in northern Ontario, Canada called Struan. The Other Side of the Bridge is an accomplished successor to Mary Lawson’s widely acclaimed first novel, Crow Lake. … It’s what we’re all searching for, in one way or another.” —Camron Wright, The Other Side of the Bridge “Life … [is] worth living. Skip to main content.sg. • Arthur Dunn: Protagonist for even-numbered chapters. Welcome back. this story encompasses so much: unstated sibling rivalry, the effects of one's hometown, interpersonal relationships, family dynamics, guilt, expectations, rebelliousness, all mixed in with a bit of drama. It was absolutely the best book I have ever read -- at least that’s how I feel today. With all the life changing events that could put Samad’s life on hold, Samad chooses to let the little things dominate him. Big, heavy, slow, sloping shoulders, neck like an ox, broad meaty feet. It’s a place of families with good sons and bad sons, m. There is a place in northern Ontario, Canada called Struan. Arthur, stolid and strong, takes after their farmer father, which is a great help as the Depression hits even their self-sufficient village of Struan. Mary Lawson did an excellent job with all the story lines and character development. I also liked the story of Ian, the child of a country doctor, destined to be one himself, but fighting against it tooth and nail. Camron Wright is a descriptive story teller and a master at bringing his characters … When a beautiful young woman comes into the community, the fragile balance of sibling rivalry tips over the edge. The premiere theme of the novel is personal loss. Arthur Dunn. Comparison really makes a bold presence in this episode and causes the mother to realize that it is not logical to compare her children to one another because they have their own maturity levels. There are many characters in the novel and they build relationships with one another that eventually become intertwined. Jake encourages Ian to go further away than Toronto, which is Ian’s half-hearted plan for college. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published I needed to see inside Jake's head, but that wasn't forthcoming. One is the hulking, quiet, empathetic farmer's son who has a competitive, trouble-making brother. About The Other Side of the Bridge. Both of them are young men. Figuratively, there are two Arthur Dunns in the book. I did today, when I finished our book club selection, The Other Side of the Bridge, by Mary Lawson. Her late father made his career on the Golden Gate Bridge, and the many stories of how he saved jumpers still haunt her. ", i keep going back and forth as to whether 3 stars is appropriate for this book - it wasn't a page-turner with incessant drama that kept me up reading late into the night; the pace was slower, with a meandering path that not only told the tale of the characters, but gave life to the fictional town of struan. Was this how it was going to be then? You can’t stop watching. In White Teeth, Samad Iqbal distracts his family’s “destiny” by his selfish actions impact Magid and Millat’s psychological behavior into different paths following into their early adulthood. In this one, I found the plot cloying and predictable. Another note-perfect take on coming of age in northern Canada, as beautiful as the landscape is stark, from Lawson (Crow Lake, 2002). What does it mean for the characters to reach the other side of the bridge? I read this book because I loved Crow Lake and just loved how it was written. (White) Oak Park, IL journalist Kotlowitz is best known for his story of south side Chicago black youth in the eighties, There Are No Children Here. She was fearful about everything now. “Suddenly he saw himself as others in the crowd must surely see him; a silent, solitary figure, standing apart from the rest. I like Lawson, the portrayal of Struan, and of its people. The Other Side of the Bridge - Synopsis Growing up on a farm in Northern Ontario in the 1930s two brothers, Arthur and Jake Dunn, are polar opposites. Start by marking “The Other Side of the Bridge” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Mentally tortured by the sins of his childhood, Amir looks to make amends from his…, First of all, Hamlet’s loss of control beings within Act 3, scene 3, when the perfect possibility arises to avenge his father 's tragic death by his uncle 's great jealousy. She (the instructor) had picked Lawson's book for the class because, as she put it, “it's a bit more accessible than what we would normally read.”. Mary Lawson’s 2016 novel, The Other Side of the Bridge, tells the dual stories of Arthur and Ian, two men separated by a generation but in love with the same woman: Arthur’s wife, Laura. Set in a small town in the far north of Canada, This astoundingly simple but complicated story of sibling rivalry is the stuff of Greek tragedy, or Shakespeare, or Eugene O'Neill in the form of Mary Lawson's inimitable storytelling. I felt for the challenges faced by both generations and the damage done to the town’s young men by the war. I guess I had no problem since I always saw Laura through the eyes of Ian. Read 10 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The Other Side of the Bridge is a lovely little book. 2. You have things to do, children to feed, even work you get paid for. Just as with her book 'Crow Lake', I was instantly immersed into the two parallel story lines - one set in the past when Arthur and Jake are brothers growing up in Struan, Northern Ontario, two boys that couldn't be more different but nevertheless are tied by their family bond and outside expectations; the other set in the future where Arthur is a father and farmer, married to Laura, both seen through the eyes of their young farm help Ian, a boy who has to make his own difficult decisions and has to deal with his painful past as well. I could see and smell everything as if I was there. Two brothers, Arthur and Jake Dunn, are the sons of a farmer in the mid-1930s, when life … I loved this sequel to Crow Lake. This is a superb book. The main characters are the Dunn brothers: Arthur and Jake, as different as they could be, one plain, quiet and dependable, down to earth worker, the other handsome, risk taker and adventurous but also a trouble maker. 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