Bridge to Terabithia
October 15th 2007 10:53
Bridge to Terabithia
My girlfriend lent me her copy of this book because I wanted to read it before I saw the film. It's a 'kids' book, obviously, and quite thin, but I read it as slowly as I could to savour it. I don't like to use the word 'beautiful' often as it seems to be one of the more girly adjectives at my otherwise manly disposal, but I really do have to call this book just that: beautiful.
Jesse is an 11 year old boy amongst four sisters. His father is always away, working hard to support his struggling semi-rural family. Jesse's mother seems to have little patience or time for him, and the bulk of the house's chores seem to fall on the boy's uncomplaining shoulders. Jesse is an impressive drawer but his talents are unappreciated by all except his music teacher, and more than anything else in the world he wants to win the lunchtime race at his school.
But Jesse's loner-ish world is broken wide open by the arrival of Lesley Burke, his new next-door neighbour, a clever and imaginative tomboy-type who has learnt early in life to be herself no matter what others say or think. The two form a fast friendship that feeds roots into their secret place, the imagined world of Terabithia - where they are King and Queen.
Everything about this book is perfect. There are no wasted sentences and each chapter is a work of perfection in itself, thoughtful and memorable - stained through with echoes of life-experiences, calling to mind our own childhoods and the trials and tribulations that help us grow up. When I started reading I kept thinking, "When will they get to the Terabithia bit?" but when I eventually got to the beginnings of this part of the book, I found myself every bit as attached to the school-set sequences and the various other subplots that weave in and around the book's central premise.
Without trying to give anything away, the core of the book itself is quite emotional and I found myself a bit teary at some points (but not in a girly way!) Aside from dealing with schoolyard and sibling bullying, and a boy's need for attention, the book's crux is almost traumatic. It says a lot about Katherine Paterson's skill as a writer that she is able to move things along so organically and realistically without leaving the reader disappointed or betrayed, and to deny this would be to miss the point of the book altogether. I loved every page of it.
| 51 |
| Vote |
Shared on
Comments (7)
Add Comments
