Evan S. Connell
Paperback | Pages: 246 pages Rating: 4.05 | 4479 Users | 670 Reviews
Mention Books To Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1)
| ISBN: | 0865470561 (ISBN13: 9780865470569) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1 |
| Literary Awards: | National Book Award Finalist for Fiction (1960) |
Commentary As Books Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1)
Alternate-cover edition for ISBN 0865470561 / 9780865470569 can be found hereThe wife of a successful lawyer in 1930s Kansas City, India Bridge, tries to cope with her dissatisfaction with an easy, though empty, life.
Before Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique there was Mrs. Bridge, an inspired novel set in the years around World War II that testified to the sapping ennui of an unexamined suburban life. India Bridge, the title character, has three children and a meticulous workaholic husband. She defends her dainty, untouched guest towels from son Douglas, who has the gall to dry his hands on one, and earnestly attempts to control her daughters with pronouncements such as "Now see here, young lady ... in the morning one doesn't wear earrings that dangle." Though her life is increasingly filled with leisure and plenty, she can't shuffle off vague feelings of dissatisfaction, confusion, and futility. Evan S. Connell, who also wrote the twinned novel Mr. Bridge, builds a world with tiny brushstrokes and short, telling vignettes.
Describe Containing Books Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1)
| Title | : | Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1) |
| Author | : | Evan S. Connell |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 246 pages |
| Published | : | 1981 by North Point Press (first published October 1955) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Historical. Historical Fiction. Novels. Literary Fiction. Literature. American |
Rating Containing Books Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1)
Ratings: 4.05 From 4479 Users | 670 ReviewsCritique Containing Books Mrs. Bridge (Mr. Bridge & Mrs. Bridge #1)
Disaggregated, cool, remote. The book has its share of dramatic events, but nearly all of them happen "offstage," with the characters describing what happened or trying to piece together what has gone on. Most of the narrative and dialogue focus on everyday tasks, rainy days, and small talk. Weirdly, this novel reminds me of the nonfiction Love, Loss, and What I Wore, which is not nearly as polished or as powerful but has a similar sense of detachment.Grace Barron is my favorite character (IOriginally published in 1959, this quiet novel is set in Kansas City in the 1930's. The minutiae of everyday life, the ins and outs of the Bridge household, shown in bits and snippets. Mrs. Bridge is vaguely dissatisfied with her life, but can't really put her finger on why. Her husband and three children no longer seem to need her attention. In providing everything for her, it may be that Mr. Bridge has done her no favors. She is at loose ends more often than not.Finely written, it is subtle,
How does this book do what it does so well? In tiny, seemingly mundane chapters we follow India Bridge through her marriage, motherhood, and life in upper middle class Kansas City. The book is set in the 1930s-40s, was written in the 1950s, and published in 1959. But it seems timeless. It all unfolds in a subtle, nuanced way that ends up being so much more than the sum of its parts. I was spellbound. For some reason, it reminds me of a Todd Haynes movie. Or he would be a wonderful director for
This time around I am struck by the fact that the archetype of 1930s intellectually incurious wealthy housewife captured by Connell remains strong now. A woman who is perfectly nice to people of color of poor or foreigners, as long as they know their place. Who will occasionally read a book club novel, as long as it is not too upsetting. Whose life is guided by the decisions of her husband, always. Another thing that never seems to change is how kids are crap to their parents when they are
I can't for the life of me figure out what makes this novel so great, but damn it is great. I wish I knew why.You might protest and cry, "Oh but I have already read so many novels about repressed twentieth-century housewives!" But that is like being offered a plate of chocolate chip cookies and saying, "No thank you. I've tried those before."Chocolate chip cookies are delicious and aren't less so for being frequently baked. And anyway, you haven't had a cookie quite like this one before.Told in
Originally published in 1959, this quiet novel is set in Kansas City in the 1930's. The minutiae of everyday life, the ins and outs of the Bridge household, shown in bits and snippets. Mrs. Bridge is vaguely dissatisfied with her life, but can't really put her finger on why. Her husband and three children no longer seem to need her attention. In providing everything for her, it may be that Mr. Bridge has done her no favors. She is at loose ends more often than not.Finely written, it is subtle,
A quietly devastating portrayal of a housewife shorn of all personality or free will, raising her typical kids in a typical Midwestern breadbasket under the aegis of her all-powerful husband (who has a sequel in which to express his own typicality). The effect is similar to the poetic melodrama of The Book of Disquiet, but with a more lightly mocking and tender-heartedly sympathetic tone, and less insufferable moaning posing as philosophical profundity. In under 200 canny pages this novel slowly
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