OK, it’s
personal evaluation, but I set up several dichotomies: London, England,
Charles, Cromwell versus Lima, Peru; the lengthy examinations of moral values
and human ethics so popular three centuries ago, thoughts now drowned out by
the hedonism of the 21st century versus conversations on buntlines
and clewlines, winds, and tides, which still evoke the macho battle between man
and the elements.
OK, yes, I was in my eighth grade “Our Town” play
presentation, and even then we thought it was pretty dated. [senility thought – if I were still in
school, I’d be graduating from the 68th grade!] Whereas, we might see a “Pirates of the
Caribean-LXVIII before I die, if anybody still teaches Latin counting. OK, so adventure trumps religious
contemplation; point for the ship. But
what about the love story in each? The
Ship book’s female scenes suck! An
undescribed loveless marriage, and an unconsumated shipboard flirtation. That’s it, so Bridge had an open field, but
it also sucked with all that old “please leave it on the pedestal” unrequited
love garbage. I mean I guess that crap
was our 1950’s equivalent of twin beds for married couples and transitions to a
blackened screen and then a “the next day” sign. “Ship” didn’t even try and “Bridge” just did
more ad nauseum hand-wringing. So no
points on either side for love story: still
1 – 0 for the Ship.
Now I’ve got
to think hard about the historical background plotline, as this is where the
historical novelist can overcome all other shortcomings and dominate the
reading with fascinating, but true {maybe} vignettes and colorful depictions of
characters representative of the era being described. Of
recent books I’ve read, this is true of “On the Road to Las Cruces” by
Pat Nolan, and certainly of the whole of Jason Goodwin’s “Investigator Yashim”
series; and likewise Isabel Allende’s “Island Beneath the Sea”. These are examples of what I search for in an
historical novel: compelling characters; thorough research into the historical
period; and a knack for telling a good story.
Russell Banks
wrote the foreword to this edition and urged us, the readers, to appreciate the
book as an étude in old style writing,
specifically the moral fable. Yeah, well
maybe for a college student studying in the Arts, this is cute and historically
interesting, but of late, I’ve seen too much published with the marketing flag
of “Classic”. The “Test of Time”: yes,
books must pass the test of time. And
when looking at older historical novels, an attribute that cedes points these
days is historical research. The digital
age has changed novelistic research so much in the past two decades. Thus I give the Ship a full point, but the
Bridge only a half point on its merits in telling a good story.
Overall, I would give “Bridge” a three out of ten.
