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Bridge of Sighs
By Richard Russo
Russo is one of my favorite authors, with Straight Man at the head of the list, until now. Bridge of Sighs grabs hold and doesn't let you go, even after the last page is turned. Its been six years since his last novel appeared and won the Pulitzer: Empire Falls. Now, at the end of 2007, the Lynch family takes center stage.
This novel is a hefty volume, and it begins with "Lucy Lynch, now sixty years old, who is writing a history of his town, his life, and the people that lived in Thomaston, New York. He's been married to his wife, Sarah, for 40 years, and they have a grown son, Owen.
Sarah is quite different than Lucy ( alias Louis Charles) ; she is an artist, her parents divorced, and she has spent summers with her Mother on Long Island, NY and felt at home in New York City as well. Lucy's parents have stayed in Thomaston, finally buying a meat market and deli. They make a success of it and now there are three convenience stories known as their "empire".
They have moved to the right side of the tracks, but the bare outlines of their lives do not even begin to tell the story. The characters involved in their lives are priceless, and the different personalities come to life in a remarkable way.
The reader will find that Lucy's best childhood friend, Bobby Marconi, leaves town when he is 18, to escape the nightmare of his home life and lives in Europe as an expatriate and a renowned painter. Bobby has been a big part of their lives as he appears and then vanishes, but even when he is gone he remains in their memories and influences their actions and decisions.
This book is filled with contradictions, adventure, a terrific slice of humor, and devastating life experiences. However, the heart beating all through this story is what makes it special and unforgettable.
Published: BORZOI BOOK
ALFRED A. KNOPF
a division of Random House, Inc. New York, NY
Copyright: © 2007 Richard Russo
Reviewed: 11/30/07 - 237
Copyright: © 2007 by Joan G. Smith 237
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