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Jul 24, 2018RogerDeBlanck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Julie Orringer’s epic novel The Invisible Bridge captures a glorious and heartbreaking story about the bonds of family, the power of love, and the horrors of war. Spanning the events that led up to and through the Holocaust, Orringer’s narrative immerses you in both the joy and pain of a wide cast of memorable characters as they confront the brutal forces of history. Foremost are three brothers from a middleclass Hungarian-Jewish family. The novel’s central figure is the pensive middle brother, Andras Levi, who wants to be an architect. His high-minded elder brother, Tibor, seeks to study medicine, while the youngest of the three, Matyas, a free spirit, yearns for success as an entertainer. The inevitable war and the crimes inflicted upon the Jewish population halt each of the brothers’ dreams. But before the war derails the normalcy of everyone’s life, the love story that endures between Andras and Klara ranks among one of the most enthralling in all of modern literature. Along with many other fascinating side stories that chart family secrets and lasting friendships, this brilliantly-composed novel is a triumph of survival and a celebration of the human spirit to retain dignity and hope during some of the world’s darkest years. The spellbinding beauty of Orringer’s prose makes every page a marvel of detail, insight, and intrigue. Splendid in every literary facet, The Invisible Bridge is the type of mesmerizing experience that pulls at the heartstrings and alters how we remember the past.