The Bridge of San Luis Rey

By: Thornton Wilder

Narrated by: Sam Waterston

Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize Winner, The Novel, 1928

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, first published in 1927, was Thornton Wilder's first major work and won him instant international recognition. The story concerns the lives of five people who fall to their deaths on July 20, 1714, when a rope bridge breaks on a road near Lima, Peru. A humble Franciscan, Brother Juniper, witnesses the accident and determines to learn about the lives of the victims in order to find out whether this accident happened by chance or by plan.

Again and again, the novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder explores in his works the connections between the commonplace and cosmic dimensions of human experience, always returning to fundamental questions about the meaning of life.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one of the true great American classics, has been translated into more than 30 languages. The book won Wilder the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes.

©1927 Albert and Charles Boni Inc., 1955 renewed by Thornton Wilder (P)1997 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

• Pulitzer Prize winner

"A masterpiece." (New York Herald Tribune)
"A melancholy narrative of great power, simplicity and beauty." (AudioFile)

Compact novel about fate, destiny

I highly recommend this novel, and enjoyed it thoroughly.

The story begins with the end – in Peru in 1714 a bridge collapses, killing five people. Brother Juniper, a monk who witnesses the disaster and is also fascinated with the idea of scientifically proving God’s existence, collects and analyzes the evidence of these victims’ lives, hoping to witness God’s plan.

We then are taken into the lives of the individuals who died on the bridge – who they were, how they lived, and what forces drew them to cross that bridge at that fateful moment. Though seemingly unrelated at first, they are in fact indirectly related to Camila Perichole, a former Peruvian actress.

Upon reading, I had initial fears that TBOSLR would depict the predictable 20th century existentialist world, where “God’s plan” is synonymous with “panacea” and that each of our lives is purposeless. Though I will not reveal the ending, Wilder steeres clear of this conclusion.

Sam Waterston’s voice (Law and Order) is excellent. Perhaps some do not like his plodding, tired style, but I feel it fits this novel perfectly.

Wilder's masterful accomplishment rests upon his proficiency in theatre. Limiting himself to only a few short scenes for each character, he perfectly encapsulates their motivations, dreams, fears, and essences. Readers will enjoy the depth of characters enclosed in such a brief novel.

Sam Watterson

The story is beautiful and is undiminished by the reader. Sam Watterson is a horrible actor and even worse narrator.

Technical Issue Within My Recording

It appears Chapters 3 and 4 have been reversed in my version of the recording. Otherwise, I was very pleased with the book and Sam Waterston’s performance.

Intimate insight into lives

Interesting story, and I seemed to enjoy it a little better by speeding up the playback a little.

Avoid this Performance

I seriously thought about asking for my money back because this performance is awful. The recording is muffled and low. Was this narrator wearing a mask giving the performance? I could barely understand him. I tried turning up the volume but the sound quality was so poor it quickly distorted. What little I could understand and follow in the book was good, but quite frankly I was lost trying to listen to a narrator with cotton balls in his mouth. I have over 200 titles in my library, this is the worst performance by far of any of them.

Wonderful story, worst audio quality

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would have them read it

What other book might you compare The Bridge of San Luis Rey to and why?

This book was unique; it had features of Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea

How could the performance have been better?

Sam Waterston did a good job, but the audio quality made listening a challenge

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No; it is an introspective story

Beautiful Story

This American classic transcends the years and lifts up my heart. Unfortunately, the poor sound quality, and the dragging slowness of Sam Waterston's stiff, superficial reading were a bit distracting. Thank goodness Audible has a speed adjustment!

A beautiful, fearless examination of life.

This story is a pleasure to listen to because it is written so well. The author reveals the souls of the characters in a way that is uncontrived and effortless. Sam Waterston reads this beautiful work in an understated way so that he never gets in the way of it. Highly recommend!

Beautifully Written Book About Love & Loss

The narator has a good voice, but the recording quality itself is not the best. This is a beautify book about human nature, love, loss, and fate.

narration enormous disappointment

If you could sum up The Bridge of San Luis Rey in three words, what would they be?

disapointing garbled narration

What was most disappointing about Thornton Wilder’s story?

The story is good.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Difficult to understand his words in several parts.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no emotions except frustration