Bridge of Sighs

By: Richard Russo

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 26 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

Six years after the best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls, Richard Russo returns with a novel that expands even further his widely heralded achievement.

Louis Charles ("Lucy") Lynch has spent all of his 60 years in upstate Thomaston, New York, married to the same woman, Sarah, for 40 of them, with their son now a grown man. Like his late, beloved father, Lucy is an optimist, though he's had plenty of reasons not to be - chief among them his mother, still indomitably alive. Yet it was her shrewdness, combined with that Lynch optimism, that had propelled them years ago to the right side of the tracks and created an "empire" of convenience stores about to be passed on to the next generation.

Lucy and Sarah are also preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy, where his oldest friend, a renowned painter, has exiled himself far from anything they'd known in childhood. In fact, the exact nature of their friendship is one of the many mysteries Lucy hopes to untangle in the "history" he's writing of his hometown and family. And with his story interspersed with that of Noonan, the native son who'd fled so long ago, the destinies building up around both of them (and Sarah, too) are relentless, constantly surprising, and utterly revealing.

©2007 Richard Russo (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Largehearted, vividly populated and filled with life from America's recent, still vanishing past." ( Publishers Weekly)

Sad it's over!

I really enjoyed this book. My wife thought it was ok, somewhat boring. But I loved the characters and the development of their lives and relationships. Some reviewers thought it was too slow, but I liked the deliberate pace. While each character was important to the story, I especially liked Bobby, Lou, Sarah and Ikey Lubins!

Not Empire Falls, but better than most.....

Empire Falls was better, but this still stands head above most other books. How a 27 hour book can have no wasted words is huge. Loved the story and the characters.

Narration was a bit sticky at first for me especially on the heals of Empire Falls narration but by hour three, when things really began to take off, it was spot on.

Another Gem

I've listened to Empire Falls, Nobody's Fool and Bridge of Sighs and I loved each one of them. John Irving used to be my favorite for this genre of novel, but Russo has nudged him aside. Until someone else comes along, Russo is the best at revealing human nature in such a creative, unexpected, close to the bone, sad, serious, humourous, and relateable way. For more on Richard Russo read my review of Empire Falls.

Slow place

I loved the book. I got used to the narrator. Not the worst I've heard -- his tone is fine, not annoying, but he speaks soooo slooowly. As I say, I did finally get used to it but it took quite awhile. That said, just loved this book.

Epic Story and Characters

Ultimately, awesome story with deep rich characters. Took me a while to be on board with novel. The narration was good - a few chapters confusing, felt almost out of place. Stay with story - wonderful journey of a small tannery town in upstate New York. Deeply moving character studies... Russo fabulous writer. Narrator was intermittently very good.

Peace in death

Small towns like Thomston may be dying, but Russo find the grace and dignity in those deaths. Far from maudlin, a story of decay becomes a story of triumph.

You feel like you know these characters, that you have met them in your past. The narrator brought them richly to life.

Ikey Lubins will stay with me for a long time. This may be Russo’s best so far.

Another Richard Russo Masterpiece

I must confess I spent the first few hours wishing Ron McLarty was narrating this book because I enjoyed him so much in Nobody's Fool and The Memory of Running. But by the end of the novel I found Arthur Morey to an excellent choice.

The book does start out slow but if you have read Richard Russo before, you have confidence the gems are there. This book delivers. A story of ordinary extraordinary people lovingly told. If you enjoy a story with people you can relate to and care about you will enjoy and be enriched by the Bridge of Sighs.

I Didn't Want It To End

This is wonderful tale, about more than small town America! Who hasn't had a friend that don't like us as much as we liked them? Who doesn't remember those junior high dances in the upstairs gym of a YMCA? These characters are so real. The stories are so delightful. And Russo takes so many of each and keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to hear more!! Yes this has a "happily ever after" endng (sorry to spoil it for some), but there is lots of pain and drama that makes it real.

The narration is superb. Morey does a masterful job of differentiating the characters, male and female, young and old. I will look for more read by this man.

I have read Nobody's Fool (loved it!) and the Straight Man (it was so-so), but this is tops. I didn't want the story to end.

Give me Drama

I just love a good drama. Have you ever seen Who is afraid of Virginia Woolf with Elizabeth Taylor. It is one of my favirite movies. Two hours of film, one night of time elapses, the movie barely leaves one room, and the dialogue is incredible.

OK so now to this book. The book is one of thoes go nowhere stories. It is all about the lives of a few characters. We are taken into their past to explain their present. After so many hour of listening we should be totally enveloped in their phycosis. But I was not.

The book just fell flat. It never quite made me squirm or feel for any one of them.

The only character that intrigued me was Bobby, a kinda "sex on a stick" guy, someone that everyone is drawn to with equal and intimate desire.

And even with Bobby there was just no real finish. Ya know what I mean?