DNF - 58%

When i heard this was finally coming out, I was so excited to read it. I absolutely positively LOVED The Book Thief and was ecstatic when I was approved to receive it.

Unfortunately upon reading, Zuzak's latest literary entry was confusing and bland. From the first page, the continuously changing POV was near impossible to keep track of. The characters personalities were lukewarm at best.

I had an inability to connect with any of the characters through out the portion that I read. I made a genuine effort to continue reading but after taking almost a week to read what equates to around 300 pages, I finally gave up.

While the story and its premise had real potential, I failed to find myself motivation with which to complete my reading.

NO SPOILERS

Bridge of Clay is the story of the Dunbars, Michael and Penelope and their five sons, told by the oldest, Matthew. Well, that sounds dull, doesn’t it? But this is such an overwhelmingly insightful novel, so beautifully written with pathos, humour and love that it is as far from dull as it could be. The loves, the losses (heartbreaking at times), the anger, the hanging on, the resolution, the absolution…and all without any sickly sentimentality.

I loved Zusak’s The Book Thief for his non-patronising understanding and recounting of a difficult subject. Bridge of Clay has that same empathetic assuredness. The writing is that of Matthew but the perspective is from all, collectively and individually…even the mule. The story runs backwards and forwards and sideways, always revealing a little more of the hows and whys of the now. A quarter of the way through I literally lost the plot and had to start again but then I hardly put it down. I feel I know every character, they are so heartbreakingly real. The intimate detail is perfectly told and no observation is throwaway; all is important and will stay with me for a very long time.

This book was long time coming and is a masterpiece…I don’t say that lightly. Part of me wishes I had not read it so I still had it to read.

I think if a Dunbar boy has got your back then all is well…you really do have to love them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.

Five Dunbar boys, the eldest was Matthew (who narrated the story), the fourth was Clay, who seemed to be the most sensitive and socially aware. The youngest was Tommy with Henry and Rory somewhere in between. They lived at 18 Archer Street in the suburbs of Sydney, where Matthew took over the job of caring for his brothers after their mother died and six months later their father left without a word. Their struggles were many, their ways of grieving all different.

Bridge of Clay tells of tragedy and loss; of heartache and hope; and insecurities, not just in the five boys but in their father as well. Clay would be the one to build a bridge – but was it a bricks and mortar bridge, or a metaphorical bridge?

As we learn of life before the five Dunbar boys were born; of Michael’s early life, and Penny’s as well, we get to know their individual likes and dislikes; their hopes for the future. It was Penny who said she’d like five children, but Michael who said, let them not all be boys!

I struggled initially with Bridge of Clay – the writing confused me, and I couldn’t get into the flow of the story. I put it aside for a few days, then picked it up again today. Straight away I was into the lives of the Dunbar boys, and couldn’t put it down, and although it jumps around, it’s easy to catch the links. The publisher’s words best sum it up – “Here is a story told inside out and back to front.” Aussie author Markus Zusak has had Bridge of Clay coming for our reading pleasure for some years now – I’m glad it’s finally here. Recommended.

With thanks to Pan Macmillan AU, NetGalley and Picador for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.

I loved The Book Thief so when I heard Markus Zusak was due to publish another book I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, I really struggled to get into it and so I didn’t finish it. I barely made it past the first chapter.

My main struggle with Bridge of Clay was the style it was written in. I am not sure if the problem was me or if the book was just genuinely difficult to get into.

The Dunbar brothers live in a world governed by their own set of rules because there is no adult around to tell them what to do.

As they struggle with the trials of growing up they discover the secret behind the sudden disappearance of their father.

Clay is the linchpin that holds the family together and he will build a bridge for his family, his past, his sins and for greatness.

But how far will Clay go to build it and what will he have to overcome to do it?

Bridge of Clay should have been a good book, but it just wasn’t right for me.

“In the beginning there was one murderer, one mule and one boy, but this isn’t the beginning.”

This was a promising start to the book but by the time I was 5% into the book I decided I really couldn’t continue anymore. I may have tried some more to engage with it but I have a lot of other books to read and nothing in the story suggested to me there was any reason for me to continue.

Very disappointing.

Finally we met with Zusak's new book after Book Thief. He's taken his time, but it was totally worth the wait! Bridge of Clay is about 5 brothers who live alone. Their mother died, and father left. They live in suburbs of Sydney alone. The story is told from the eldest brother's perspective, Matthew. But, the star of the book is Clay, the fourth boy, who is trying to build this bridge. The bridge is physical and symbolic. It takes you 50 pages to get into the book. Suddenly we're thrown into it not knowing who is who, and what's going on. But, be patient, because after you get the hang of it, we're in Zusak's magical world.
His writing is just so rich. He has his own style, and I can appreciate it's not for everyone, but there's no doubt he's very skilful. He has his long descriptions, choppy sentences, clever metaphors. It's not usual, but still captivating. It makes you somehow curious to keep going.
It's a character driven book. Before you know it, you start to feel and care for this family. It's very different than what I grew up in, so it took me some time to adjust to the dynamics of a 5 brothers, big family. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading about them and felt for them.
All in all, this book was a very unique journey. I loved it. I gave it 4 stars because of the hard start, and some parts of the book that were too slow (like the horse racing part).

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and the Publisher for granting a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - 30%

This is the first time in a while that I've actually not finished a book. I should mention that I was one of the few people who liked but didn't love The Book Thief, but I find it hard to believe that Bridge of Clay will be as well-loved as that book. More power to you if you can actually finish and enjoy it.

At times it felt like Zusak deliberately went out of his way to make the story more confusing and difficult to enjoy. It's a painfully cerebral metaphorical wandering through the lives of five Australian brothers - Matthew, Rory, Henry, Thomas & Clay. The prose is full of the kind of bloated overwritten description that doesn't quite make sense.

Inside, the house was oven-like.
The furniture all was roasted.
The pictures just out of the toaster.
They had an air conditioner. It was broken.


There's some Homerian aspects, too, the most obvious of which being the boys' mule Achilles, but there are illusions to Homer's work throughout.

I'm not going to go on too much in this review, especially as I didn't finish it. I noticed some readers saying it took a while to get going so I pushed through, but I think 170 pages should be more than enough for a book to grab me.

Well, what can I say about this book? I found it totally mesmerising! It took a while to get going, but suddenly you find you can't put it down!
It follows the lives of the five Dunbar boys, told from the point of view of the eldest Matthew, but it concentrates on the fourth boy Clay. After their mother dies and their father abandons them, the boys are left to raise themselves in the suburbs of Sydney. Markus Zusak tells a remarkable tale here, the bridge of the title being both physical and symbolical. The timeline does jump around a bit, but this doesn't really detract from the story.
It also touches on horse racing, and having an interest in the Sydney racing scene it was a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. I did laugh at the racehorse called Engadine (yes Markus and I share the same hometown, though I don't personally know him!)
All in all, Bridge Of Clay is a wonderful, riveting book,and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the Book Thief and I was so looking forward to this new novel Markus Zusak. I have heard great reviews of this book. Bridge of Clay is a completely different writing style from the book thief.
The story is about the 5 Dunbar boys living in a house with a few animals and their father long gone. It’s a coming of age story of love and loss and forgiveness. The story describes each of the brother lives and the way they settle their problems with their fists.
For me I struggled through this book. I thought the writing was good but, it didn’t gel together. The writing was just all over the place. It went from one thing to another in one sentence. I just didn’t get it. Because of this I stopped reading it after 60 %. Life is too short reading books you don’t enjoy.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House Uk for a copy of this book

Forgot how much I loved Markus Zusak's writing. His prose is a joy to read, his way with words is incredibly impactful, creating memorable imagery no matter the meaning. Just a genuine delight to take in.

The story itself is told in a non-linear format, and with a large number of characters it takes a little while to get to grips with what’s going on – or at least it did for me. When it does come together, a rather moving tale of coming of age, loss, abandonment, and forgiveness is revealed.

Granted, there were one or two things that didn’t quite work for me, but in the wider story they were negligible.

This was an ARC in exchange for an honest review. With kind thanks to NetGalley and Random House.

I really loved, “The Book Thief,” and was excited to read the latest novel by Marcus Zusak, “Bridge of Clay.” To be honest, this was a bit of a struggle at the beginning, as it took me a while to settle into the book and I would say that readers need to persevere and get used to the style, and flow, of the writing. Although, as you would expect, the language is beautiful, I still found this took a while for me to really get truly invested in the story.

The novel centres on the five Dunbar brothers, the eldest of whom narrates the story. At the beginning, the brothers are living alone, having been deserted by their father, who returns home as the novel opens. At first I found the parts about running, and racing, quite uninteresting and the general flow of the storyline quite confusing. Fairly early in the novel, one of the brothers, Clay, decides to give up school and becomes obsessed with bridges – and in building one. Of course, though, that is not all that the novel is about. It is about five brothers, left parentless, who have to cope on their own, of belonging, family and forgiveness.

This has deep themes and is, ultimately, very moving. I am not sure why I struggled so much in the beginning, but I found the style very difficult at first – it jumps, stops and starts. However, keep going and you will be rewarded. I received a copy of this from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

The writing style of Markus Zusak is extraordinary. He paints with words, not flowery pictures but real and down to earth images that stand out, enhancing the story and the characters. Take this phrase:

“A button was missing where his guts surged forward with great determination.”

It just typifies the language the pervades the whole novel. As is the varied use of sentence lengths that create a range of different tempos - sometimes slow and drawn out and other times short and sharp; creating an atmosphere and mood of the story or character at that time.

The imagery here is very powerful:

“She’d started leaving us that morning, and death was moving in: He was perched there on a curtain rod. Dangling in the sun. Later, he was leaning, close but casual, an arm draped over the fridge; if he was minding the beer he was doing a bloody good job.”

The story told is not in chronological order; it jumps around incredibly but it flows and the links stand out. As the publisher’s blurb says “Here is a story told inside out and back to front”. At times it is a nickname that is the focus like ‘Mistake Maker’ or ‘Murderer’ or it is an object like the book The Quarryman or the TW (typewriter) that gives you an anchor in following the story. A story of a family, of their parents, their parents pasts and futures and where it takes the five boys.

It is a compelling story that unfolds with a huge amount of emotion and leaves you drained.

The publisher’s blurb is excellent introduction to the story and I don’t intend to summarise a story which holds a lot of tragedy but is, at the same time, uplifting.

While this isn’t an easy read, it is worth reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher, Transworld Digital for a complimentary ebook copy to read in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bridge of Clay. Having adored the Book Thief I was thrilled to see a new book by Markus Zusak , and delighted that it lived up to expectation.
Clay was an interesting character and Zusak's writing once more had that indefinable something that makes his books so readable.

I found Bridge of Clay hard work at first to be honest but once a couple of chapters were read I got pulled in. Five brothers, all different, all with great characters. I great read that I definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing me with a copy for review.

Bridge of Clay is an emotional coming-of-age novel that centres of family and tells the story of a group of brothers who were left by their parents when they were young. However, the sudden reappearance of their father and his request for them to help him build a bridge changes everything for them.

I was a little unsure if I would like this novel at first and mostly wanted to read it because I love The Book Thief so much, but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Marcus Zusak has an incredibly unique writing style that always gives his writing such a strong voice and interesting vibe, even at slower points in the plot. It makes it fairly easy to read, despite how long the novel actually is.

The story was a little dull at points, though I think that's more because I don't usually like reading realistic novels, but I still enjoyed it overall and how the story developed. It is an unexpected and great story about family, growing up, and change and one that I can definitely see many people enjoying.

An epic novel about five brothers. It took me a while to get into this book, my first read from Zusak as I have not read The Book Thief, but it paid off greatly. Once my confusion about the characters were over, I was amazed by the world building skills and the richness of Zusak's language. The references, the characters, the plot, it's all magnificent.

This book. This. Book. I veered from loving it to hating it, to it breaking my heart in two and stomping all over it. In hindsight, I should have seen that coming - given what happens every time I read The Book Thief.

I think one of the reasons I didn't like this as much as I liked the former book was because I couldn't relate as much to the main characters, teenage boys. I have read books with male protagonists that I have enjoyed but I prefer a female protagonist if I'm given the choice. As the story unfolds, however, what becomes apparent is that this story is not just centred on these young men, but also on the women who shaped what they became. Those were the parts of this story that spoke the most to me personally, but there are so many different ideas and characters woven into this narrative that I imagine every reader would be able to take away something entirely different.

This isn't a fast read. At 464 pages in hardback, it isn't that long but it isn't exactly a walk in the park either. It took me a little while to get into the story properly, Marcus Zusak is very good at bouncing around in time, giving you different pieces of the narrative at different times, a throwaway comment on one page may become something hugely significant even a hundred pages later. While that makes for incredibly satisfying (and don't forget heartbreaking) reading later on in the book, it makes the early pages stupendously confusing. My advice, stick with it, give yourself the time and space to let your brain absorb the information you're given, trust me it'll all make sense eventually.

This review is incredibly difficult to write, largely because I can see that this story is going to be pretty polarising. Some people are going to love it, some people are going to loathe it. Personally, upon reflection, I've decided I loved it. I think it's a book that requires a re-read, which was also true of The Book Thief if I'm perfectly honest. It's a book that grows on you, a book that you have to read to truly understand. The summary doesn't do it justice, it honestly needs to be read to be believed.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The start of this book just didn't pull me straight in so I struggled but perservering did pay off.!
The Book Thief still remains one of my most favourite books ever so I had very high expectations for this one which I did not feel were met but still I am glad I read it.
The latter part of the book was what really made it for me as it was so emotional and the language used brilliant. A touching story about forgiveness.

I hadn't realised how much I'd missed Markus Zuzak's writing style, since The Book Thief. I've read few people who write children so beautifully or truthfully. The intensity and enormity of their thoughts, feelings and relationships, the depths of sadness and heights of joy. It was a real pleasure to be introduced to the Dunbar boys and this book has stayed with me long after reading.

Too many characters, would have preferred to follow a few of them rather than having each of their stories covered in less detail. Liked the main character's story - just wanted more of it.

This story centres on five brothers, left by their parents to fend for themselves at home very young. Through the eldest brother’s narration, skipping back and forth in time, we learn how this comes about and the effect the father’s sudden reappearance has on them all. Of the five brothers, though, for most of the book we focus on Clay and all the way through I couldn’t really see why he should be more interesting than the others - the running and horse racing sections he features in were the dullest parts of the story. By the end, though, I’d warmed to him.

Even though it ends on a positive note, I found this book depressing. I wanted to enjoy it so much more than I did. That’s not to say I didn’t find some scenes very moving, even beautiful, and the writing exhilarating. It’s a tale of grief, camaraderie, love, forgiveness, more grief and, though I think the author intended there to be some, I didn’t find many light moments - even relatively happy times and robust sibling banter are shadowed by sadness.

It is difficult to get to grips with the author’s style at first, often delivering short, punchy impressions rather than description. This gives it a cinematic feel that is perhaps intentional. It is certainly strong on atmosphere and dialogue. I’d probably give this book 3 stars if it weren’t for the quality of the writing.