The Great Bridge

The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 27 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

This monumental book tells the enthralling story of one of the greatest accomplishments in our nation's history, the building of what was then the longest suspension bridge in the world. The Brooklyn Bridge rose out of the expansive era following the Civil War, when Americans believed all things were possible.

So daring a concept as spanning the East River to join two great cities required vision and dedication of the kind that went into building Europe's great cathedrals. During 14 years of construction, the odds against success seemed overwhelming. Thousands of people were put to work. Bodies were crushed and broken, lives lost, notorious political empires fell, and surges of public doubt constantly threatened the project. But the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge is not just the saga of an engineering miracle; it is a sweeping narrative of the social climate of the time, replete with heroes and rascals who helped either to construct or to exploit the great enterprise.

The Great Bridge is also the story of a remarkable family, the Roeblings, who conceived and executed the audacious engineering plan at great personal cost. Without John Roebling's vision, his son Washington's skill and courage, and Washington's wife Emily's dedication, the bridge we know and cherish would never have been built.

Like the engineering marvel it describes, The Great Bridge, republished on the 40th anniversary of its initial publication, has stood the test of time.

Please note: The Great Bridge (Unabridged) is available for just one credit until June 20, 2012, after which point it will be priced at two credits.

©2007 David McCullough (P)2012 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

“The impact of the soaring structure upon the American imagination and American life has now been measured with sagacity and style by David McCullough.... The Great Bridge is a book so compelling and complete as to be a literary monument, one of the best books I have read in years. McCullough has written that sort of work which brings us to the human center of the past.” (Robert Kirsch, Los Angeles Times)

" The Great Bridge is a great book. . . . What David McCullough has written is a stupendous narrative about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, with a cast of thousands (give or take 100), whose major characters come alive on the page as authentically, as creatively, as would their fictional counterparts if one had the imagination to dream up such a yarn. Once again, truth is not only stranger than fiction but a hell of a lot more entertaining. Get your hands on The Great Bridge...This is the definitive book on the event. Do not wait for a better try: there won't be any.” (Norman Rosten, Newsday)

“David McCullough has taken a dramatic and colorful episode out of the American past and described it in such a way that he sheds fresh light on a whole era in American history.” (Bruce Catton)

Highly Technical!

I love books by David McCullough, and this was no exception. He does everything within his power to make history interesting and alive, and he does without fail in my experience. This book was highly technical, however, and it was especially difficult to follow as an audible book (while driving in the car). I plan, however to get more information from other resources (hopefully with diagrams) and then read it a second time with a little more background. With that I will surely understand the use of caissons and basic features and principles of suspension bridges.

David McCullough really knows how to write a book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone that has any interest in history and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Washington Roebling was my favorite character. Taking over for his Dad, and being in his shadow and to do what he and his wife did was amazing.

What about Nelson Runger’s performance did you like?

Nelson Runger did a very good job of narration. David McCullough is a fine narrator and I think Nelson did him proud.

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

How detailed it was and the history that was brought into the book.

Any additional comments?

Five star book and narration from me.

Amazing story of the Brooklyn Bridge

Loved the book in paperback and the audio rendition as well. The narration is a bit old style in that it's not a performance of the individuals featured, but more of a narrative style, which lessens the impact somewhat.

Pssst, Buddy. Wanna buy a bridge?

Any book by David McCullough lays out more material than most people want to hear. But he also tells you things you ever knew and you feel you should. Like, did you know that Brooklyn was the third largest city in the United States when this bridge was built? Or how important Brooklyn was because of it's Naval yards? Or that Brooklyn was more than a joke on radio quiz shows? And why then Yankees vs the Dodgers was such an intense rivalry?

I had read a bit about the Roebling family and that is took the entire family to get the bridge built. Yet I did not know enough to not be surprised at what I learned about other prominent characters of that time. It took a railway man to really know how important the bridge would be.

You will suffer with the Roeblings and the horrific death of the father. You will be astonished at their ignorance of the "bends." You will rejoice in their eventual triumph and gaze in awe at the opening day celebrations. At least, I did.

Brilliantly Techy!

Another excellent McCullough story! Amazingly accurate re-telling of the relatively unknown saga behind the building of a beloved historical landmark. I finally understand the Tammany Hall scandals that rocked NYC! The only downside for me was a little too much technical description of the actual building process, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment in the least (just left me feeling a bit dazed!) I heartily recommend this book to any and all history buffs, lovers of architecture, and Brooklynites!

Entertaining and educational

The performance was perfect at any speed from .75 to 1.5 and could be adjusted to reading conditions. An admirer of The Bridge since childhood, I found the history of the area interesting and the construction details amazing but most of all it was a study of personalities, perseverance, courage and an education of how mean spirited and petty some people can be. It is the same today in politics with some high minded people of great moral fiber and some at the other end of the spectrum.

Fascinating story

This book not only told the fascinating history of this engineering marvel but perfectely represented New York in the era. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Outstanding Writing

You will feel as if you are there, alongside Roebling, working to complete the Great Bridge. This book will make you want to travel to NYC just to see it first hand.

Wow what an excellent book!

There are so many great things to say about this book it's hard to know where to begin. Not only is it a great story about the Brooklyn Bridge it's also a story about the larger than life man that built the bridge. Fantastic book one I shall never forget.

More about people than the bridge

I enjoyed the story. It entertained me. It was as much to me about the people as it was about the bridge. I now appreciate the Brooklyn Bridge tremendously more and I visited it twice while I was listening to this audio book. That was great too.