From conception of the idea for a bridge connecting New York City with Brooklyn to completion of the bridge after many years, complications, and even some deaths, this book depicts the story.

As a significant event in U.S. History and an engineering feat unparalleled at the time, this is a topic of interest for students.

I admit, I didn't expect this book to be packed so full of information. This is a very comprehensive, black and white graphic novel documenting the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. At almost 200 pages, it may be a bit of a stretch for some readers, but it's very well done.

A creative approach to telling the story of a bridge, its construction and its importance. I love the Brooklyn Bridge as a structure and have enjoyed walking along it many times, so it was fun to read this well told and beautifully illustrated graphic novel.

The Bridge

Written by, Peter J. Tomasi
Illustrated by, Sara DuVall

The Bridge stands apart from modern graphic novels due to its minimalist, black and white art style, which effectively captures the emotions of each character. The story is an adaptation of historical events, which captures not only factual events but flushes out the values of the major characters, as well. Readers will develop a personal stake in the main characters by empathizing with their struggles, losses, and perseverance in pursuit of the completion of the bridge.

The story describes the design and eventual construction of the Brooklyn Bridge connecting lower Manhattan with Brooklyn. The bridge’s architect, John Augustus Roebling, did not start the work; however, it was his son Washington, who was ill and bedridden for 14 years of the construction, and his wife Emily who completed the project. The story takes the reader through the planning, perseverance, and loyalty not only to family, but to the idea that technology can make people’s lives better. The portrayal of the Roebling family’s altruistic belief in their felt duty to contribute to the country and its citizens came across as preachy; however, it accurately represents the mentality of urban industrial America at the time.

The story moves forward at a consistent place and did not get bogged down by providing an abundance of details. This made some of the transitions feel less flushed out, however, it also kept the major themes from being lost in the minutia and it helped me to remain engaged. While the art captured emotions and the tension in the story well, it sometimes failed to provide tonal variations, which could have been supported through shading or minimal colors. However, the stripped-down black and white art aligned the stark, and sometimes, bleak nature of the endeavor for the Roebling family.

I highly recommend this book for its portrayal of history and its memorializing of the Roebling family’s sacrifice. The artistic portrayal of the family brings the values of the family to life and it reminds of the level of commitment that was required to build this country. In a way, The Bridge makes it acceptable to have altruistic beliefs that technological improvements have the capacity to change lives and are an important part of this country’s advancement in the protection of humanity.

I became lost in the story of how one man’s ambitious dreams came true. The graphic novel is really an homage to the sacrifices made, the lives lost, and the unsung heroes who helped bring The Brooklyn Bridge to fruition.

I think I was expecting a bit more math and engineering than I got in this book. The focus is rather on the designer's life history and the role that played in the bridge's eventual construction. Interesting but a bit niche.

'The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York' by Peter J. Tomasi with art by Sara DuVall is a wonderful non-fiction graphic novel.

This is the story of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built. How a father named John Augustus Roebling conceived it, but also how his son Washington with Washington's wife Emily completed it. There are construction problems as the caissons are driven in to the river bed. There are political problems as the project runs over time and budget. There is scandal as one of the suppliers swaps out good materials for bad. It is about the men who gave their lives to build the bridge.

The story is engaging and covers a lot of time, but moves along fluidly. The art is black and white lines, but perfect in form and fits the function of engineering. I learned things I never knew about the bridge, and I'm so very glad I got a chance to read this.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Abrams ComicArts and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Peter Tomasi's The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York, a graphic novel with illustrations by Sara Duvall, tells the remarkable and memorable true story of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Before its opening in 1883, the father and son team of John and Washington Roebling, of the Roebling Wire Mill, had a vision and made great sacrifices to see the bridge to completion. In fact, the construction of the bridge took many lives, with its innovative and sometimes perilous construction techniques.



The Bridge tells of the many conflicts and controversies surrounding the construction of the bridge. Between the political opposition, the skepticism of many New Yorkers, the superstitions of workers, the caution of the board overseeing the bridge, and the many, many extravagant cost overruns, it's a wonder the bridge was ever completed.



Tomasi emphasizes one driving force in the completion of the bridge: the support and persistence of Washington's wife, Emily. Without her, he might have given up or failed, but she supported him throughout all of his opposition, frustrations, and sicknesses.



The Bridge is an informative and enjoyable history of the bridge's construction. The Brooklyn Bridge stands today not only as a New York landmark but as a monument to the Roebling's vision and the commitment of the New York community to see the project through.





Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

As a huge fan of all things New York, I jumped with excitement when I seen this graphic novel on NetGalley. This graphic novel shares the history behind the Brooklyn Bridge, and the family that built it. Starting off with a little family history of the Roeblings, then moving on to the 14 years of hard work and dedication it took to get that beautiful bridge safely standing. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, though i would have liked to see a little color in the illustrations. All in all, this is a recommend from me.

I received this from #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Suprisingly enjoyable! I knew bits of the story, but it was great to see it all laid out as a whole. My interest did wander when things got too technical, but that’s unavoidable in an engineering-based book such as this. I think this graphic novel would be just the thing for a technically minded youngster even if it wasn’t my cup of tea.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley

2 stars based on the effort it must have taken to put this book together.

What I had been hoping for was a story of HOW the bridge was built, not the drama and politics around getting it built. The first 50 pages revolved around an authoritative, militant father who kept his son on a leash, including sending him to Rensselaer to study without telling him why. After that, the father was the one who won the contract and when the father died, few had faith the son would be able to deliver. Any details focused on who said what, the politics around ferries of the day and some around the Civil War.

I'm not sure who the audience is. Surely not HS students, who might really like a graphic novel engineering build-up (involving math, physics, materials, costing, tooling) of how this bridge came into being -- not unlike Cathedral. And while this dove into who was building the bridge, it was less a short biography than how others viewed the workers (criminals?) from afar.

Perhaps this could be better marketed as the story of the guy who got the bridge built? Dunno. Ultimately, I don't recommend it.

Being an architecture and engineering nerd, I found this book very entertaining. The Brooklyn Bridge is a remarkable feat of engineering especially considering it was built in the 1800's. Tomasi gives us great insight into just how dangerous the construction was and the forces needed to be overcome just to build the foundations of the bridge. It's really quite remarkable. Tomasi humanizes the story by focusing on it's chief engineer Washington Roebling and his wife Emily. During construction Washington became debilitated from the bends from coming and going in the high pressure areas needed to build the caissons, the foundations for the bridge. For the last 11 years of construction he supervised the bridge from his apartment with the aid of his wife who acted as the chief engineer on site. Sara DuVall's art is crisp and clear with smooth, clean lines. Highly recommended to anyone curious about the history of New York City or just architecture in general.

Fourteen years, deaths, illnesses, corruption and kickbacks! Who knew a history of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge could be so interesting?

It takes a family (and a lot of immigrants) to build the Brooklyn Bridge in The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York. The story begins when John Augustus and his son Washington Roebling are trapped by ice in a ferry from Brooklyn to New York City. Washington was still a high school student but he figured out how to free the ferry using materials on board. Later, Washington’s life is shown from college to war to marriage to a family of his own. Once the bridge construction begins, it is interesting how many new techniques are used. In the nineteenth century, America was inventive and proud of their new technologies. At times, politics and corruption appeared. However, the bridge continued to be built though behind schedule and over budget. Government hasn’t changed much in the past 130 years.

This is a great adventure story. Sure everyone knows that the bridge was built. Few know the technology used to build it. I doubt that the loss of life and expense in 2018 dollars would allow it to be built today. It is a fascinating look at the hubris of early America, where anything seemed possible. It is also a unparalleled love story between Washington and his wife, Emily. Emily was willing to fight gender prejudice and high-powered politicians to ensure her husband’s dream reached fruition.

Surprisingly, this is the first graphic novel to tackle the Brooklyn Bridge’s story. I think the beautiful art and color work add to the story. With only words, it would be difficult to imagine the toughness needed by the men to risk death and illness to dig the caissons that support the bridge. The partially completed scenes in The Bridge were particularly instructive. It didn’t take long to start to see its familiar shape.

The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York is highly recommended for both graphic novel readers, students writing papers about the bridge’s construction and to anyone who wants a good read. 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Abrams Comic Arts, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This was an enjoyable graphic novel about the building of Brooklyn Bridge. I literally knew nothing about this feat before starting the book and with that being said, i feel a hell of a lot more educated now. However, I'm still not the biggest fan of non-fiction but this did make the reading more enjoyable being in this format.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2328049270

Dry, dull, though informative, bio-comic on a guy who built Noo Yawk bridges. Ok if you’re interested in architecture but won’t have a very wide appeal beyond that. Not at all compelling reading.

The Golden Gate suspension bridge in San Francisco is one of the most widely known icons of America for non-Americans. But the Brooklyn Bridge is not too far behind, with countless movies familiarizing it for those of us who have never visited New York or Brooklyn.

The Bridge recounts the story of how this icon of America was built, and we see it through the wonderful sketches of Sara DuVall, and words of Peter J. Tomasi. It was a project of epic proportions, and one of great responsibility but it appears that the Roebling family was the one best suited to execute it. Designed and envisioned by John Roebling, and made a reality by his son, Washington, the Brooklyn Bridge took 14 years to finish. In the process, workers fell sick and died, and Washington himself was rendered ill due to long hours spent at the site.

Tomasi details the painstaking work that went behind the building of the bridge with a great passion, and I immensely enjoyed reading it. It is very clear that Tomasi himself is very invested in the city, and its landmarks from the minutiae that the book is filled with.

But at times the same details, particularly concerning the engineering, made my mind wander. It did give an in-depth feel of what went into the building of the bridge but sometimes I wish there was more of the family in it. It was great to see that Washington's wife Emily played an important role in making his dream of building the bridge a reality but that aspect somehow felt incomplete. Emily was, no doubt, an exceptional woman given that she was able to handle complicated architectural desgins and make sense of them as well as manage the workers on the site, all of which was unheard of for women in those times. I wanted to know more about Emily other than the fact that she was a very devoted wife. What made her unconventional? What was Emily as an individual? I would have loved to know some of these aspects of her.

Otherwise, this was a delightful read for me, and I look forward to more from Peter J Tomasi and Sara DuVall!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book :)

The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most iconic and oldest bridges in the United States. Although it was the brainchild of John Roebling, but it was his son Washington, and daughter-in-law Emily, who oversaw its construction and completion. However, when Washington's health deteriorated by Caisson disease, Emily with the guidance from Washington acquiescently became the engineer for the whole project until its completion. Behind every success story, there is a story of love, passion, determination, hope & sacrifice waiting to be told. Thus, through the black & white illustrations of this inspiring graphic novel, the author brilliantly chronicles this historical event from the bridge's inception in 1869 to its completion in 1883.

I am quite the history buff and always enjoy history told through beautiful illustrations. The illustrations in this graphic novel accurately captured the era's setting. My only wish is that the illustrations are in colors. I enjoy the storytelling part albeit it was a little confusing for me in the first few pages. But read on! You will find that the story is intriguing specifically when Emily had to be the hands and feet of Washington. She had so much faith and hope in Washington's dream and was such a support to her husband. Their love for one another is an admirable one. The story on bridge construction (materials, calculations, etc) were quite insightful. I didn't know there were so much involved and the workers could also be at health risk, as they were infected with Caisson disease.

In a nutshell, this graphic novel is a good way to learn about the history of Brooklyn Bridge. It is brief but insightful, and the language used was clean.

***Sincere gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

This was not the story that I anticipated. I admittedly expected a work that focused on the technical aspects of building the Brooklyn Bridge. What I found instead was a far more comprehensive story that not only told me everything that I needed to know on how one builds a massive bridge in the late 1880's, but told me this through the lens of an engaging, at times heart-rending, and beautiful story of the family that saw this project through from start to finish. If anyone wants to know about how this iconic New York landmark came to be, I would highly recommend this work that so skillfully tells it on such a personal level.

I received this as an advanced copy from Netgalley.com for an honest review.

There are countless stories rich in history interlaced in the concrete, wire, and foundations of human civilization;  whether it be a tower in Pisa or a bridge that spans the waters between New York City and Brooklyn; every brick, trestle, and pylon could tell a story.  It is up to us, the stewards of the past, to recognize, learn from, and appreciate these works.  We would not be where we are as a society without people like the Roeblings. I can now say after reading this novel the Roeblings are added in my mind to the likes of Guggenheim, Olmstead, and Vaux.

The novel is not the dry telling of pounds per square inch of pressure in the caissons or the tensile strength of the wires; It is the story of a monumental project and the people who dedicated their lives to see it through. Specifically, a husband and wife team whose love and respect for each other are tantamount, as well as their mutual intelligence shines throughout the story much to the credit of the author Peter J. Tomasi. Graphically it is beautiful. They set the historical tone without being overly fussy and fastidious to detail. Sarah Duvall did her research into the period. Pictures of the bridge are not overly technical. I would assume this is a stylistic choice, yet they convey all the necessary information to the reader. This allows the story to move at a good place and pause when necessary for reflection. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who appreciates a good history lesson that is so intriguing it could be written as a work of fiction. I look forward to reading many more works by the author and enjoying the art of the illustrator.

Peter Tomasi (author) Sara DuVall (Illustrator)

Abrams ComicArts

Pub Date: April 2018

ISBN: 978-1419728525

208 Pages



At a glance, we can look at buildings, memorials, and landmarks and immediately sense their place in the world. In this stunning graphic novel, The Bridge tells the story of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge through the family that made it all possible. Originally designed by John Augustus Roeblings, the Brooklyn Bridge became more than just one man’s obsession, but a family quest to see it through in a monumental vision of the impossible. In fact, it was John Roeblings son Washington who came back from the Civil War to take up this colossal municipal project. After working on the caissons and suffering from what would eventually be termed “Caisson Disease”, Washington Roeblings was bedridden with his chronic condition. Not to be defeated, he explained everything to his wife Emily who went to the site, supervised the construction, contractors, shifty politicians, and carried the weight of all those naysayers as they pushed to finish the project.

While this book chronicles the historical elements of the bridge and its complicated engineering feats - this is a story of two people who married and brought their unending admiration for each other to this epic feat of design and engineering. While it spans over more than fourteen years, the story moves with clarity and purpose and it feels like no scene or idea is wasted in the telling. This is far from a historical lesson on the bridge construction, this is a story about two innovators, husband and wife, working together. It is their vision together that makes this story so compelling. This is a defining story about love and respect as much as it speaks to structural engineering and caisson building.



Peter Tomasi, a superb storyteller known for his DC Comics influence and his distinction as a New York Times best-selling author, has shaped a stunning and epic story that turns an average, kind, and smart couple into a different kind of superhero, one based in history and the fate of a great city. Sara DuVall’s artwork is more than a compliment to this story. It seems that a story about engineering and building is illustrated with the precision and vision of a beautiful schematic for the story. The black and white illustrations are intentionally tall and elongated and really speak to a vision and style that matches the vision of the story being told. It is through the story and the illustrations that this story is a woven detailed history of two unlikely heroes and their journey from the shores of New York over a bridge to Brooklyn. This excellent graphic novel belongs on your spring reading list.