The Other Side of the Bridge

Such a beautiful story, so well written with lessons for life lying on almost every page.
There are really two stories told in alternating chapters, each one separate from the other except for the focus on the Golden Gate Bridge.(Thanks to a compelling narrative,the Bridge takes on an almost living quality.)
Each story deals with a person grieving, one for the untimely death of his wife and children and the latter a beloved deceased father. (Both tales weave together near the conclusion of the book.)
The author shows how the bridge can become a metaphor for our own lives.
As in the story, each one of us has a personal bridge to cross, looking for answers or solutions. And, like the characters in the novel, the answers we find may not be the ones we expect.
Great people populate this book, but the bridge is the true star, bringing life and hope to all who cross it!
Wonderful novel!

#TheOtherSideOfTheBridge #NetGalley

A wonderful read with tones of love, loss, and life's purpose with the backstory of the history of the Golden Gate Bridge. The book’s two characters both dealt with grief and loss, with only the bridge in common.

The book was well written and brought in both characters, who were joined by a single person. Kate, a researcher, found herself looking for the author of a journal who documented the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. Patrick, having experienced a great loss, who was searching for meaning. For most of the book, it seemed like it would have a formulaic end. I was relieved the book didn’t follow the predictability of many books and sink into a bland ending.

You know it is a good story when you feel in touch with the main character and his search for purpose in life. Losing everything you love makes you question life and meaning.

I want to thank #netgalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book in advance of the publishing date.

I thought I knew where the novel was going but I was pleasantly surprised. THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE is a story with emotional resonance and deep wisdom. Never preachy, the author brings the reader along for the ride -- and what a ride it is. I sympathized immediately with Kate and Dave and desperately wanted them to find what they needed to move on with their lives. The bridge provides lovely symbolism and I found the history of it to be quite fascinating. The author approaches weighty life and death issues with a sure hand and the writing here, particularly the character development, is both admirable and entertaining.

Thanks NetGalley and Shadow Mountain for the advanced reading copy.

I have always had a fascination with the Golden Gate Bridge. Cameron Wright knows how to write in a way that kept me turning pages late into the night. This book has two stories, one of a woman who is trying to cope with the loss of her father when she finds a journal written by someone who helped build the bridge and is determined to find the owners family. The other story is about a man who is going through a midlife crisis and is trying to be the best husband and father he can be, then tragedy strikes and sends him in a spin cycle, that is not sure he will be able to come out of. A great story with a powerful message.

When Katie Connelly, a research assignment, is supposed to be putting together a report about the Golden Gate bridge, instead she is caught up in the pages of a diary she finds among her deceased father's things--a diary written by Patrick O'Riley, who helped build the bridge. Knowing that her father tried to track down Patrick or his descendants, Katie takes up his search, hoping that she'll find some measure of peace after her father's death.

Dave Riley, a New York marketing exec, is haunted by the loss of his family. Barely holding it together, when an opportunity to represent a motorcycle company comes along, Dave jumps at the chance to win the account. In the process, his vague dream of driving a motorcycle of his own across the Golden Gate Bridge on the Fourth of July becomes more and more important to him.

Two people are searching for answers--but will the bridge give them what they seek?

This book was terrific. I loved seeing how things played out. (I was a little worried the book was going to head a certain direction, which would have been overly cheesy in my opinion, so I was really glad it didn't go that way.) I was really pulled in by Katie's story and her search first; the idea of searching through an old journal and trying to find the author really appealed to the librarian in me. I thought both characters were realistic and I really enjoyed following their journeys.

I read a copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#TheOtherSideOfTheBridge #NetGalley

We drive, ride, or walk over massive bridges all the time, but how frequently do we think about all the people whose hard work made the creation of that bridge possible? Having a friend work as an ironworker in New York City has changed the way I look at skyscrapers, but Wright's novel will give you something extra to think about the next time you go over a bridge. I loved The Orphan Keeper and had high hopes for The Other Side of the Bridge; Wright did not disappoint with his latest! He throws the descendants of those who worked on the Golden Gate Bridge into the spotlight; one, an ironworker's adult daughter whose father died trying to save a suicidal eighteen-year-old from jumping, while the other descendant has heard stories about how his grandfather found answers at the bridge and wonders if it'll work for him too. Both of these characters live with trauma and as their stories begin to connect, readers get to see how this trauma slowly gets overshadowed by hope.

When my editor was approached by the publisher with this book she knew that I was something that I would read. I had previously read, reviewed and adored his book The Orphan Keeper.

The book revolves around just two characters. Katie a twenty-something woman who lives in San Francisco and sticks with things that she knows and makes her comfortable. She admits she is socially awkward and scares men away. The other character is David Riley. David is approaching 40. He loves his wife and three kids but feels trapped in his job sometimes. He starts to question everything. All of this is shattered when driving along a road with his family. A boulder falls into the road and before he can do anything the rock slams into the wheel of their van and pushes it over the embankment. When David finally wakes up out of a coma his best friend from work tells him that he is the only survivor. He falls into a deep depression. Katie is working doing her grad work for another degree. She is tasked with researching the Golden Gate Bridge, She is very familiar with it. Her father was an ironworker on the bridge and would volunteer his time to talk people off the ledge from committing suicide. One night he wasn’t lucky. A man he was saving slipped and pulled him with him. Since then Katie has problems with it. When she is extra down she goes and talks to her father as she walks to the bridge alone. However, she decides to take the research project anyway. Back with Dave, he still is having trouble coming to grips with his families untimely death. When he finally goes back to work, people are shocked by his appearance. His hair is shaggy, he has stubble, and his clothes just look sloppy. He hasn’t cut his hair and the only person who ever did it was his wife. Things eventually turn around when a job comes across his desk for a motorcycle rebrand. He desperately wants it. Maybe this will finally help him pull himself out of his deep hole. Katie is deep in her research. She really doesn’t have far to go since her father has shelves and shelves of bridge history. Her interest is piqued when she finds a journal filled with drawings and notes about the bridge written by an Irish immigrant named Partick O’Riley. She sees notes in the margin from her father trying to locate the family. Katie makes it her goal to find them. Will Dave pull himself out of the depression he has sunken into and find happiness and purpose again? Will Katie let this journal take over every waking moment? Will she find the rightful owner of the journal?

This book consumed me. It made me sob when the family dies. It has made me think about how we deal with grief. I think it hit maybe a little too close too home. My sister died a few years ago and I guess I grieved but maybe there is that slight cloud hanging over me. This book helped me to realize some of that. The authors note at the end states that this story is based on true events but he embellished them slightly. The author wrote about two very different characters dealing with their grief. One of them has a fresh raw grief factor as his family just died. The other has been harboring her grief, coming to terms with it but not really wanting to do anything with it. The book is deep and heartfelt. I did finally figure the mystery out about 3/4 of the way through and I giggled with delight when I found out I was right. While it is probably not the typical tool to help with grief and the death of family but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. I will be reading any book I can find by this author.

This is the story of two individuals with ties to the Golden Gate bridge's construction via family members. It is told from two different viewpoints which was a smidge confusing to me at first, but it did not take long to get into the swing of the characters and their lives.

Kate intrigued me and I found her passion for research interesting. Of course, at one point it becomes an obsession for her when trying to find Patrick O'Riley after discovering his journal in her father's study.

Dave Riley seems to have it all until he loses everything. I can't imagine how he dealt with the tragedy that happens and the journey he begins to find himself.

Now you might think that this is a story where Kate and Dave will meet and begin a relationship but it isn't (ok so that is a little bit of a spoiler) but it isn't and is rather a journey for each into the past and looking towards the future. It is also about growth and branching out of their current lives and experience more of what life has to offer.

There is a lot of history about the Golden Gate Bridge in this book and I found it all to be very fascinating. I didn't know a lot about how it was built or even those that might have lost their lives in that pursuit. I am thankful to the author for sharing this information with us.

This book might make you think about your own life and the direction it is heading and if that is where you want it to go or if you need to make a change.

This is a extraordinary book about two very different people told from each persons perspective on grieving, starting over and living life to the fullest after suffering loss. It is utterly charming and even more so that it includes the Golden Gate Bridge which my family has a long history with. I love the writing, the flow of the authors words and each flawed character. The transition to person to person is seamless . I loved this story of the humanity of people, their flaws and strengths and how they overcome great loss. its beautifully told.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for the ARC My opinion is my own. I am buying a copy for my shelf about San Francisco history as the Golden Gate Bridge history here is invaluable. Very touching and well written !