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A review by cindywindy_blogs
The Bridge by Doug Marlette
5.0
One of my all-time favorites. I'm just so sad that Doug Marlette died in that car accident a year ago. No more of his wonderful writing to look forward to. His other novel, The Magic Time is also excellent.
The main character has a mouth and temper that gets him into trouble, straight away he's fired from his New York job for losing it with his editor. He reluctantly agrees with his wife, Cameron, and moves back to NC, where he grew up, to start fresh. Back in NC he faces the family, mainly Mama Lucy, and memories of his mother. Mama Lucy, is the cantankerous, prickly, matriarch of the family. And Pink has never gotten along with her. He harbors a deep rooted grudge against his grandmother and believes she is responsible for his mother's long hospital stays and eventual death.
Their relationship blossoms (corny word I know) as Mama Lucy tells Pink about her involvement in the mill strike, what happened to her best friend, her brother, her first love, and her husband. And slowly, Pink realizes her grandmother was never responsible for her mother's troubles.
This book had it all-- it was humorous, sad at times, but also uplifting. The history behind the mill strike workers was interesting. The Bridge is set in my local area--Chapel Hill, Elon, Burlington, and Pittsboro, so it was neat reading about all the local places. Just as a side note, the traditional lighted pumpkins still appear on Chicken Bridge on Halloween night.
The main character has a mouth and temper that gets him into trouble, straight away he's fired from his New York job for losing it with his editor. He reluctantly agrees with his wife, Cameron, and moves back to NC, where he grew up, to start fresh. Back in NC he faces the family, mainly Mama Lucy, and memories of his mother. Mama Lucy, is the cantankerous, prickly, matriarch of the family. And Pink has never gotten along with her. He harbors a deep rooted grudge against his grandmother and believes she is responsible for his mother's long hospital stays and eventual death.
Their relationship blossoms (corny word I know) as Mama Lucy tells Pink about her involvement in the mill strike, what happened to her best friend, her brother, her first love, and her husband. And slowly, Pink realizes her grandmother was never responsible for her mother's troubles.
This book had it all-- it was humorous, sad at times, but also uplifting. The history behind the mill strike workers was interesting. The Bridge is set in my local area--Chapel Hill, Elon, Burlington, and Pittsboro, so it was neat reading about all the local places. Just as a side note, the traditional lighted pumpkins still appear on Chicken Bridge on Halloween night.