Acquiring books by chance is something I enjoy as much as when I specifically choose a book. One that I rescued from a lonely sidewalk is The Bridge of San Luis Rey. It is a good book for character development and description as it has vignettes about each character.
Set in Peru, Thornton Wilder opens by narrating the breaking, in 1714, of a rope bridge which spans a deep riverine chasm. Five people were crossing the bridge when it broke and they fell to their deaths. An eye-witness to the break, was Brother Juniper who, being religious, wonders whether the deaths of these five particular people had some meaning or was a random act of nature. To that end Juniper decides to collect the details of their lives. In so doing he hopes to form a picture of each person and understand why they died.
The following four chapters bring these characters to vivid life, though Brother Juniper's question does not really seem to be answered. Though I enjoyed the stories of each character and learning how they intersected with one another, the conclusion appears to be that there was no plan. Brother Juniper's compilation of facts addressing the deaths is burned publicly as is he at the end of the story.
Set in Peru, Thornton Wilder opens by narrating the breaking, in 1714, of a rope bridge which spans a deep riverine chasm. Five people were crossing the bridge when it broke and they fell to their deaths. An eye-witness to the break, was Brother Juniper who, being religious, wonders whether the deaths of these five particular people had some meaning or was a random act of nature. To that end Juniper decides to collect the details of their lives. In so doing he hopes to form a picture of each person and understand why they died.
The following four chapters bring these characters to vivid life, though Brother Juniper's question does not really seem to be answered. Though I enjoyed the stories of each character and learning how they intersected with one another, the conclusion appears to be that there was no plan. Brother Juniper's compilation of facts addressing the deaths is burned publicly as is he at the end of the story.
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