Painting Bridges: A Novel

While Lou is sharing his memories with the reader, other voices is added as a back drop to his memories. Bobby Marconi is one of them and later his wife's voice is added nearer to the end of the tale. As Lou's memoir unfolds, the more it turns into something he did not anticipate. As did our family. All of this, every word, is true. Now, today, after the Bridge of Sighs, if I continued to write, it would end up being the story of my betrayal of the woman who has saved my life not once but over and over again. A betrayal that began, I fear, with our marriage. The book centers around the visit to Italy.

How it came about and what the consequences would have been. Lou was not ready to go, for various reasons. He felt threatened, his world ripped apart by the idea of leaving his town for the very first time in his life. The well-established rythm of their adult lives will soon be violently interrupted when he and his wife leaves for Italy. He first has to finish the lifestory he is busy writing. His fear of the unknown prevents him from going to Italy with his wife Sarah.

In fact, he has a militant aversion for everything Italian. Sarah is the one force-feeding him bits of information from the travelbooks she has gathered around her. Lucy lives a life in a stack of boxes, like Matryoshka Nesting Dolls. One fitting into the other. The smaller the box, the happier he is. Yet, the tale is also the family history of the Lynches, three generations, who owned three convenience stores, called 'the Lynch Empire' by Owen, Lucy's son. The tale starts out with Lucy Lou and expand to his family members, his friends, and then the entire town.

There is an interesting mix of blood: There is paradox in almost every part of the story. For instance, the Cayoga Stream, flowing through the town, emptying into the Barge channel, five miles outside town, is both life giving and life taking. The dyes and chemicals in the water caused cancer, yet provided jobs to most people.

When the stream was clear, the town was worried. No polution, meant no jobs and lay offs followed by hardship. A leather factory kept many people employed, but also left most of them sick from the polluted water resulting from the tanning process. The factory has been closed for forty years and the town is slowly dying. There are many autobiographical elements in the book. It was, sort of, obvious since the very beginning.

The author and his mother is an omnipresent in the story. The female characters play an important role in the lay of the land. Both genders form the eccentric multifaceted building blocks of the narrative. It is clear from the insight into the female characters that the author had a special relationship with his own mother, an umbilical cord that never snapped. It enriches the story tremendously and brings a depth of color to the bucolic narrative, most often accentuating the dark corners of the female psyche.

His mother suffered from bipolar disorder , as well as OCD and he had to take care of her since a very young age. Alternatively, the male characters are present in all aspects male - an exhibit of the good, bad and evil in the hamlet of Testosterone. Apart from that, there is also the character of Bobby, who is rougly based on the life of Robert Noonan, who wrote the famous book The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists under the pen name Robert Trussel.

He grew up in Thomaston. The protagonist's character has a Norman Rockwell-feel - a complicated simplicity which is fascinating and captivating. Richard Russo is known for animating the interior lives of the burgs and hamlets of smalltown America. From the easy familiarity and security it can provide, to the eccentricities and cruelties it can spawn - Marcia Franklin in 'Dialogue' Idaho Public Television. Russo also has a keen interest in the class system within the small town environment and manage to incorporate it into the towns, as characters, in his books.

Small towns become the crucibles in which the poorest of the poor interact with the richest of the rich both in the positive and negative way. Since I was so aware of the autobiographical elements in the book, I went off to find more information on this compelling and compassionate writer.

It doesn't often happen that the author demands more attention after being introduced to his stories for the first time. When I closed the book, I hopped onto the internet, discovering the author behind the complex and captivating saga. He created such complete people. He was born in Johnstown, and embedded his own experiences in the story, without giving his character a name. In fact, there is a little bit of himself in all the characters. His honesty is so refreshing. His insight into the human psyche is remarkable. While reading the story, I was thinking how great it would have been to be on the same level as this author as far as wisdom and attitude towards life is concerned.

He understands the power of reading and how it changes lives. He was of the opinion that his mother cheated herself out of her own existence by becoming a voracious reader. She escaped depression and loneliness that way. It was a way out of being captured in a body and a mind she could not escape otherwise.

She was literary enabled to live more than one life, while being jailed and caged not only in her own body, but also in a small town. With this information in mind, it is understandable why the book have so many interesting characters. The small-town environment not only provided a rich harvest of raw material, but also delivers enough challenges to build a great story. It is also reflected in the individuals in the book.

Some have enormous challenges, but no resources to address them. They will not make it. Then there are the people who have these astonishingly privileged lives, without any challenges, which diminishes their moral scope. This book is my introduction to this author, and a great discovery. A rich and colorful landscape of America and its human investment. The only gripe I had was that it could have been shorter. The prose was excellent. I will read more books by this author for sure. View all 23 comments. Jan 30, Kim rated it it was amazing. When I finished reading Richard Russo's wonderful novel Empire Falls for which he won the Pulitzer , I wondered - how will this novelist do this again?

Turns out, he just keeps getting better. One thing I've always admired about Russo is his ability to write about small towns in a way that honors the provincial nature of small town life while exploring all of its intricacies and nuances, its complexity and heartache - the way a person can live a wide life in the smallest of ponds. Perhaps this When I finished reading Richard Russo's wonderful novel Empire Falls for which he won the Pulitzer , I wondered - how will this novelist do this again?

Perhaps this is because Russo understands that the human heart is the widest of oceans. In Bridge of Sighs, Russo explores another small town, in this case Thomaston, NY - but he widens his own palette with one of his small town characters moving away and living in Venice, Italy.

Of course, a person can't escape his own heart, even when he changes geography. In all of his novels that I've read, Russo unfolds a story slowly and Bridge of Sighs is no different. Russo's patience as a novelist is perhaps his biggest asset. This is a novel to be savored, to be pondered. But what I find most remarkable about Russo is his ability to be unexpectedly profound. I told my husband that he is like the sweetest of sensibilities masked in a Budweiser and day old stubble. He is at once all rough edges and masculinity but also deeply sweet and emotive.

His beauty is in the details, in the way he wraps this world around you with words and makes you take a long swim in this story alongside all these lives, all fully formed, all deeply complex, all flawed. Ultimately, this is a novel of redemption and great sadness, of happiness in the small details that make up a life - the search for greatness within the smallness of ourselves. It's about finding our way. Of course, this all sneaks up on you. Russo infers in the novel that people seek "a small, good thing" - that this is what the human heart yearns for.

That ultimately, a person's happiness often hinges on recognizing what this "small, good thing" is - and on letting it fill you up, sustain you. Letting it be enough. One of my small, good things is reading a novel like yours for which I can marvel and be grateful. View all 4 comments.

Oct 28, Dorian rated it it was ok. Enthralled all the way through the Maritimes and Quebec--laughing aloud in that half-empty compartment.

And love them, esp. Nobody's Fool, which must surely be Russo's best work. And enjoy it, though in a more muted way than the earlier books. Is Russo off his game? Or am I just not that into him anymore? Well, here's the follow-up, The Bridge of Sighs.

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And I read the whole damn thing, all odd pages of it. Despite the fact that Russo here sidelines the kind of character who in his earlier works would have had center stage, and thus shows himself game to try something new, I have to say the book is a failure. Nice to see Russo writing about upstate New York again though the bits in Venice are a bit painful , but the book feels nostalgic, self-satisfied and padded.

I'm led again to wonder whether anyone edits anymore--the book could easily be pp shorter. Oct 03, J. Grice rated it it was amazing Shelves: Once again, Russo hits one out of the park! Just a marvelous story surrounding these rich characters. Oct 05, Cheri rated it it was amazing. This is the type of book that, had I had the luxury of not having to do a damn thing other than read, I would have read this in a day or two.

It's so easy to find something engrossing about his characters, both good and bad. As it was, I read this book in between trips since it's too big to fit in my carry-on luggage, so I've managed to drag it out for some time. Now that I'm finished, I'm only sorry about that. I feel like I've just walked away from an old friend knowing that I'll never see the This is the type of book that, had I had the luxury of not having to do a damn thing other than read, I would have read this in a day or two.

I feel like I've just walked away from an old friend knowing that I'll never see them again. But, that's Russo's magic. Every day in Russo's narrative world has all the ingredients to make it captivatingly comfortable. View all 6 comments. Nov 23, Karen rated it liked it Recommends it for: The Bridge of Sighs is one long-ass bridge. I suppose once you win a Pulitzer Prize, you don't have to submit to pesky things like editing. In this case, though, it would have been beneficial.

The book was too long, and weirdly repetitive. I still dig Russo's writing, for the most part, and the way he can describe all the unspoken things that go on within people's relationships. But I was done with the book about pages before he was. I finished, but only because I had some fo The Bridge of Sighs is one long-ass bridge. I finished, but only because I had some fondness for the characters and wanted to see what happened to them, not because I was relishing the book anymore. In particular, Sarah's journey that starts in the chapter called "The Blue Door" was really annoying to me -- it felt very Oprah's book-club-ish, not in keeping with the rest of the book.

Anyway, I'm glad I'm done. I am glad i put this one on my reading list. It is beautifully written and has a lot to say about our daily lives and our relationships between parents and children. It covers three generations of a story about two boys growing up in the s. Though a slow but dense plot, it has a lot of memorable characters with imperfect hearts living in an imperfect world. Oct 20, Elizabeth Alaska rated it it was amazing Shelves: There is a stone bridge in Venice, Italy they call the Bridge of Sighs. Mark's Square, where there are interrogation rooms, to an adjacent prison.

Crossing this bridge, the convicts - at least the ones without money or influence - came to understand that all hope was lost.

According to legend, their despairing sighs could be heard echoing in the neighboring canals. Strangely enough, I never felt that "all hope was lost" while reading this book. Louis Charles Lynch was called Lucy all his life. The kindergarten teacher, calling the roll, called out Lou C. Lynch, he answered "here", and a student asked, "his name is Lucy? We learn this because Lucy begins writing a memoir. As with every childhood, there is both joy and sadness. What Miss Rosa didn't seem to understand was that this accurately described not only most children but also the scared child that lives, at least part of the time, deep inside most adults.

Would you say you know them as well as you know yourself? And how well would you say you know yourself? And when you do, you're likely to come back feeling much better about yourself. View all 9 comments. May 03, Jess The Bookworm rated it it was amazing. This book was not what I was expecting at all. I confess that I picked it up in the library because of the name, because I am going to Venice in a few months' time. It is not set in Venice, but rather it is set in the small town of Thomaston, New York. This little town has residents which love it, despite the fact the river runs red and causes cancer.

One such resident, Lou C. Lynch Lucy , is the main character of this book, a man who idolises the town and his father, choosing to see the most po This book was not what I was expecting at all. Lynch Lucy , is the main character of this book, a man who idolises the town and his father, choosing to see the most positive side of everything. This book is more about its characters than an intricate plot, delving deeply into complex human relationships. It is done so well that, even though I didn't necessarily agree with a character's choices, I felt very connected to them, and thought about them for a long time afterwards.

It's only afterwards that you think more carefully about the underlying themes of this book, and I think that this is the true sign of a great novel. It was wonderfully written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the story of Lou C. Lynch aka Lucy, unfortunately who grew up in upstate New York before Civil Rights and the women's movement. The setting and the characters will remind you of Russo's previous work Empire Falls, again borrowing from his own biography.

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As Lou and his wife Sarah prepare for a trip to Italy, he is remembering the childhood friend whom they hope to visit The interactions with people from all walks of life are a constant reminder of where their place once was and could be again, if dealt a bad hand. The parallel story of Lou's old friend adds another dimension, and we see the value of longtime friendships.

Russo is expert at delving into the dynamics of relationships, and, especially in the books that I have read, mother-son relationships. Usually I have detested his mother figures whom the sons seemed to patiently endure. Here I really liked his mother a lot--a strong, sensible woman; but Lou empathized more with his father, a sweet gentle soul who was either incapable of making a decision or always seemed to make them poorly. As others pine to get out of town, Lucy is perfectly content and has spent all of his 60 years there. I was glad to have shared some time there these last several days that it took to listen to the book.

It did feel drawn out toward the end, and in a book concentrating on the minutia of small town America, it is a risk to go on so long. Despite my thinking there was too much minutia, Russo still delivers, throwing in some surprises, although nothing earth shattering. View all 5 comments. Jan 02, Josh rated it really liked it. I was a little apprehensive about this book after reading the press it received. I knew I would enjoy it, but I seeing that involved a middle-aged man reflecting on his life in a dying New England town, I feared a retread of Empire Falls.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Many of the elements you would expect from Russo are there, the quiet politics of small towns, the relationship between parents and children and even the tainted river are all present. But Russo expands on these and builds them i I was a little apprehensive about this book after reading the press it received.

But Russo expands on these and builds them into an amazing work, which may be his very best. The story focuses on three friends in a small upstate New York town. In many ways, it is a coming of age story twice-over. We gradually see how they grow up and grow together, but this is told as all three of them deal with their changing lives entering their 60s. In the beginning of the book, he is setting out to recount his childhood.

We learn through the involvement of his best friend and future wife, as they recount their lives, that what he remembers as a child is largely a matter of perception. As opposed to Irving's manner of portraying the same idea by telling the story of a childhood, and then going back through it a second time with the main character learning the truth, Russo builds the revelations almost seamlessly into the story. One of the most important themes of the book is what we take away from our parents and our relationship with them. Do we know who are parents are? Do we slowly become them? What do we take from them?

Each of the central characters is faced through their young lives with elements—sometimes contrary ones—of their parents personas, and for each of them, the growth of the story is reconciling this as adults. This might be my longest review ever. Here we go, in bullet points I like Russo's work a lot, esp. Nobody writes about rundown small towns better than Russo. In the three books already mentioned Russo doesn't overshoot his purpose; he's funny and psychologically incisive without becoming ponderous, although he can be rightfully accused of painting a rosier picture than his settings warrant.

Bridge of Sighs, also set in a small town, aims higher an This might be my longest review ever. Bridge of Sighs, also set in a small town, aims higher and sometimes but not always succeeds. Bridge of Sighs, a fairly long book pages , interweaves many characters and multiple generations. Russo is particularly strong with secrets and the ways in which individuals discover their own truths over longer periods of time. He also tackles artistic processes, particularly painting, as insights into the minds of some characters' evolution.

I sometimes think Russo will be the kind of guy read in colleges years from now when people want to learn about America in the early part of this century. The possibility has pros and cons.

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I think Russo does an excellent job with his subject matter but some metaphors slap you in the face. Oh, I get it! He writes well about subjects e. However, if you've never read Russo before, I'd probably start with one of his earlier and shorter books to see if he's your thing. Feb 13, Carrie rated it liked it Shelves: I am finally done -- thank GOD. This is the longest book in the history of mankind. It was good, but not good enough to read every single word. I honestly skimmed the last 30 pages; I couldn't take it anymore.

Jun 18, Julie Christine rated it it was amazing Shelves: Reading this book is like slipping on your favorite pair of jeans- the ones you never wash to keep them perfect softly and loose, donning a beloved sweatshirt and thinking "I wish I lived the sort of life that I could wear these clothes every day Which isn't to say that there aren't surprises, that it isn't fresh, nuanced and captivating. It's a been Reading this book is like slipping on your favorite pair of jeans- the ones you never wash to keep them perfect softly and loose, donning a beloved sweatshirt and thinking "I wish I lived the sort of life that I could wear these clothes every day It's a been a definite page turner for me- only work and the other vagaries of life have kept me from finishing it over the weekend.

Jan 05, Marialyce rated it it was amazing.

First book by Mr Russo and it was in a word wonderful. What a way with characters this author has!

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I loved each and every one of them. It was so very different from the previous character driven novel Truly, Madly, Guilty I read which bored me to tears. Goal for read more of his novels Sep 27, Nancy Hrdcovers rated it it was amazing. Are you also someone who tries to analyze the title of each book you read as I do? Built in the 16th century in Venice, The Bridge of Sighs is the last thing a prisoner walks over before reaching his cell.

The idea behind the name is that the last view a convict sees before imprisonment is a beautiful Venetian canal which must cause him to sigh at its beauty, never to be seen again until said prisoner is released -- if ever. The setting of this book is not Venice but Thomaston, New York, site of a prosperous tannery in post-war America but now, many years later, is a company that polluted the Cayoga Stream.

The main character is Lou C. Lucy Lynch and Russo tells us, right off the bat, that Lucy has never left Thomaston in all his sixty years. Unlike the prisoners in Venice, Lucy is certainly not a prisoner, although it could be viewed, that he is, in fact, a prisoner of his own choosing in a town he just can't leave. Russo is so great at writing about small town America and living the American dream. He's right up there for me with my other favorite authors, Pat Conroy and John Irving. Some might complain that there's too much prose and not enough dialogue in his books but, for this reader, I could read Russo's prose all day long.

After three hundred pages, Russo decides to give another point of view in the voice of Sarah Berg, Lucy's future wife. I don't usually like when an author does this but, in this case, it works and it works well. I love when an author has one of his characters writing a book about his own life because it makes it easy for him to easily offer a glimpse of his past life and, in this case, that of the town as well.

In Lucy's past life, we come to understand all the workings of the Lynch family, a family who can only be admired for their pursuit of the American dream. While Lucy's father is the eternal optimist and Lucy's mother the eternal realist, their son is tried and true like his father and refuses to believe that there can be bad in the world. Perhaps this is the reason he never leaves his hometown.

Unlike Lucy, Bobby Marconi does leave and becomes a famous artist in Venice. My one complaint here is, in doing so, he changes his name to Robert Noonan his mother's maiden name and I could never justify this change in my head and couldn't relate to Bobby as Robert. Of course, the choice of Venice brings us back to that famous Bridge of Sighs as Bobby has been released from the hold of Thomaston while his boyhood friend Lucy still remains. I could analyze Bridge of Sighs until I'm blue in the face but then I'd feel like I'm writing yet another English paper. I highly recommend this book as I would highly recommend any Richard Russo book.

I felt very invested in all the characters and did let out a sigh of my own when I had finished the book So I guess, in essence, I walked over my own Bridge of Sighs in finishing this book. Jan 14, Jeremy rated it it was amazing Recommended to Jeremy by: This is Russo's best book. He does a couple things in this book that are impressive on both a technical and human level.

That Russo can lovingly create deep and human characters has been established in all of his novels. What's truly amazing about Bridge of Sighs is the amount of depth he gives to nearly every character in the book. At the beginning of the novel we see the story from the perspective of only a couple characters.

During this time, many of the characters seem predictable and shallow, This is Russo's best book. During this time, many of the characters seem predictable and shallow, conveniently slotted into the traditional roles of good guy, bad guy, supporting cast, etc. As the novel moves on the perspective changes and the reader is forced to change the way they think about nearly every person as we learn more and more about them.

It seems like Russo truly cares for every one of his characters and wants the reader to as well. He wants to make sure, however, that you know what you're getting into by loving these people, so there flaws are clearly displayed. Bridge of Sighs is, at it's core, a psychological novel. The character's motives for their actions and their reaction to events are the heart and soul of the novel. The major plot points are often recounted several at a time in single paragraphs, while the build-ups and aftermaths have entire chapters devoted to them.

In spite of this fact, Russo manages to make this novel compelling enough that you'll not want to stop reading. One of the recurring theme's in Russo's work is the creation of characters. We create a role for ourselves through choices that we make on a daily basis. In the end we wind up somewhere we'd have never imagined, playing a role we'd never dreamed. Russo manages to embrace the beauty and peace-of-mind that playing such a role brings us, and at the same time remind us that stepping out of our roles is often the best way to truly be ourselves.

Aug 05, Eric rated it it was amazing. This was my first Russo novel and won't be the last. Sometimes the dynamic of a family in a small town makes for the some of the most interesting stories. In the beginning, it is teased that the main action of the story may move to Venice as the title implies , but that never really happens. This story is about a small town in New York, and the coming of age and old age of Louis C. It's also about his wife, his best friend, his parents, small town prejudices, and how love is co This was my first Russo novel and won't be the last.

It's also about his wife, his best friend, his parents, small town prejudices, and how love is complicated by other feelings. How unresolved ambiguities are part of life. How life is bittersweet and all the more worth it for that reason. Russo understands all of his characters on a deep level, and makes sure that we do too.

By the time you finish this book, there are no villains, and everyone has taken his or her shot at being a hero. Like Lou's mother, Tessa, we see both the bad and the good in all the characters, and love them anyway. That's the way it should be. Tip for fans of Pat Conroy: Richard Russo is probably right up your alley.

Reading this novel, with its depiction of small city life, prompted me to give my son a driving tour of my home town, East Liverpool, Ohio yesterday after our workout. I don't know if my ramblings and looking at the much-changed city helped him imagine what it was like to grow up there, but I made the attempt. Mar 12, D'Anne rated it liked it Shelves: I really love Richard Russo and really enjoyed this book but felt it went on a little too long at the end -- like a good friend who you love to spend time with but who stays maybe a day longer than he should because as much as you love him you've got work to do.

And yet, you can hardly be too upset because this friend says things like: The ghostly others, no matter how real they seem, no matter how badly we need them, are phantoms. The one I really love Richard Russo and really enjoyed this book but felt it went on a little too long at the end -- like a good friend who you love to spend time with but who stays maybe a day longer than he should because as much as you love him you've got work to do.

The one life we're left with is sufficient to fill and refill our imperfect hearts with joy, and then to shatter them. And it never, ever lets up. A strange coincidence, I thought. Russo's is by far the better book when compared to Run , but not nearly as good as Russo's own Straight Man or Empire Falls. Oct 10, Megan rated it liked it. I am a huge fan of Richard Russo, so I wanted to love this one. Although, as usual, Russo paints a vivid picture of small town life, somehow the story never grabbed me. Centered on Lou "Lucy" Lynch, a typical Russo lovable loser, we hear the story of his life in a class-conscious upstate New York town.

We also get snippets of the life of his best friend, a painter in Venice who escaped the small town. But the story, while solidly told, is never particularly moving. Nothing much happens, and ther I am a huge fan of Richard Russo, so I wanted to love this one. Nothing much happens, and there is not much growth in Lou, despite our following him from early youth to late in life. He starts out an amiable, but gullible kid, and grows into an amiable but gullible adult.

I will be waiting for Russo's next novel, and maybe re-reading my early favorite The Risk Pool. Apr 25, Chris Gager rated it really liked it. I decided to read this one before tackling "Beloved". This is her first novel. This is a moving, beautifully written novel. It examines loss and renewal in a story that keeps you reading. The characters are richly drawn and unforgettable. This is a poignant story of two individuals, widow and child, abandoned and grieving in different ways, and how they find each other. Both isolated from the world and speechless, they return to the world together, first, in silence and eventually, in love I heartily recommend this book.

Patricia Averbach is one good writer! Without plot gimmicks or tired technique, she seduces us into this story. She makes us care about its characters. And along the way, she rewards us with universal truths. Somewhere in Southwestern New York, a young widow, indifferent to the world except for the at-home graves of her late husband and daughter stumbles into the lives of another little girl, this one almost entirely deaf, her policeman father, an her estranged, rebellious mother.

Alternately pushed and pulled by her too-cheerful recovering alcoholic mother mother in law, her comically overbearing family of M. Painting Bridges leads us from Samantha's determined seeming static ways through a chapter of unlooked for change to the future of what is still a very young life against a backdrop of controversy over the treatment of the deaf in the s. Averbach makes it clear that then as now, we the individuals will not be kept out of our own lives.

This novel, yes, is one of redemption and grief, and all of the descriptions above, but what caught and moved me was the use of language. Subtle variations in phrasings and descriptions gave a textured feel to interactions and emotions. An intelligent and pleasurable read. There's a problem loading this menu right now. Learn more about Amazon Prime. Get fast, free shipping with Amazon Prime. Get to Know Us. English Choose a language for shopping. Amazon Music Stream millions of songs. Amazon Advertising Find, attract, and engage customers.

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