Once, in the tide of Dunbar past, there were five brothers, but the fourth of us was the best of us, and a boy of many traits.

It’s time to come out of unintentional hiding. Rae’s done a bang ‘em up job on the holiday gift guide. Have you checked it out? I’m hoping to add a couple more to the guide before December 25. I finished Mark Zusak’s latest, Bridge of Clay. When Zusak read the final page to me, number 544, I wondered if maybe my mother who says some writers only have 1 masterpiece in them isn’t onto something?  The Book Thief is, in my humble opinion, a magnum opus. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to undertake another fiction—death is a difficult act to follow. 

Bridge of Clay is well written. And the Dunbar boys, raising themselves in a bit of a barnyard masquerading as a house, are memorable. I’m glad I met them, especially Clay. Their lives feel tragic. Young boys should never have to watch cancer painstakingly kill their mother and steal their father. Like Liesel Meminger, the Dunbar brothers are resilient. I’m always a fan of hope in the face of overwhelming despair. At times, the story felt a little bit slow to me. But it was worthwhile. I completely agree with the reviewer who said, “This is a novel that requires time, patience and attention — just like the Dunbar boys, just like Clay’s bridge—to reap the inevitable reward.”

*Be warned: Boy will be boys—I needed Spongebob’s dolphin noises in lieu of the Dunbar boys’ sailor mouths. :/

Posted by Tracy