Bridge of Sighs is a very long and sometimes engaging novel of three families in small town America (New York State instead of Maine as in Empire Falls). Tracing a history of some 50 years of optimistic or violent men and mostly dour women interspersed with some racial tension and hints of homosexuality. Not my favorite Russo novel. ( )

Pretty good, but not as good as Empire Falls ( )

(#42 in the 2008 Book Challenge)

What a joy this was to read. I am a big Russo fan and this exceeded expectations. The story flips between two men, in their 60s, who grew up in the same small upstate NY town; one stayed and one left never to return ... with one narrative going forward in time and the other going backward (for the most part, it's not that rigid). The plot is very much "stuff happens in a small town" and I was hanging on every word. The events that unfold are fairly standard: kids get picked on by bullies, black people get shafted in 1950s America but kindly old black people are still nice to little kids, parents keep secrets from their children, there is a wacky teacher at the high school, etc etc etc. It's not so much what happens though, but more the way the author successfully rations the information out to you -- not only do you get the plot elements in an order that makes sense despite all the back and forth, but your emotional response is delicately built up as a result of having received the details in a shuffled order. The biggest fault in this novel, and it's not overly intrusive, is that the female lead is practically perfect in every way, and it's a little much at times.

Grade: A+
Recommended: To people who like the "Turbulence Beneath the Surface in a Small Town" genre.

A thorough and sympathetic story of three generations of three familes in a small town in upstate New York. Russo takes the time to fully develop the characters and the place. This luxury makes for a longish but satisfying and memorable book. ( )

I didn't like this book as much as Empire Falls, mostly because the characters weren't really likable. I almost stopped reading the book, and I agree with another reviewer, the book started to make me feel depressed about my life. But the last 50 pages or so saved the book for me, I couldn't wait to find out what happened to each of them, and the ending was satisfying. ( )