The bridge of King Louis

Every day on the planet Earth there are hundreds of accidents. And few people wonder why this or that person falls into a car accident or accidentally falls down the steps.

The tale "The Bridge of King Louis of Louis" Thornton Wilder tells of the event on July 20, 1714, when the most beautiful bridge in Peru collapsed, dropping five travelers into the abyss. The book was published in 1927. For his creation, the author received the Pulitzer Prize (1928) and the 37th place in the list of 100 best novels of the 20th century in English according to the version of Modern Library. And I can say with certainty that this book deserves these awards.

Thornton Niven Wilder is an American novelist, playwright and essayist. He also worked as a screenwriter with Alfred Hitchcock in the film "The Shadow of Doubt". His first novel, entitled "Kabbalah" was published in 1926, but the real success came to him after the publication of the story "The Bridge of King Louis of Saint".

The book was filmed three times - in 1929, 1944 and 2004. The idea of the story is not new - the search for meaning in actions and what is happening. This is what Brother Uniper did, one of the characters. He studied the lives of the victims to the smallest detail, down to the daily diet, trying to find the answer to the question: "Why did they die?". The young priest placed his works in the book, hoping that if not he, then someone else, "having read the book many times, will find the missing details and see in them a Plan."

The plot and the presentation of the text - that's what the book does from the book with a capital letter. The work consists of five parts, three of them in turn describe in detail the events preceding the death.

The author paid all attention to the heroes, completely constructing the text on them. The main character can be called the actress Pericola, because she somehow was associated with all the characters: the Marquis de Montemayor and Pepita, Estaban, Uncle Pio and Don Chaim. Thornton Wilder left a place for the imagination of the reader, although he showed in full both the vices and virtues of the characters. He invested in each deep meaning, which makes it possible to see the hero right from within his consciousness and understand or condemn him. Here is everyone's business.

All the characters are interesting, and each one is remembered: constantly absorbed in the thoughts of the daughter of Donja Clara Marquise, patient Pepita, Estaban with brother Manuel with their resourcefulness and sharp mind, Uncle Pio, who, despite his outstanding and even repulsive appearance, cultivated himself and created an excellent , The obstinate actress Perikola.

The language of the work is easy, it does not cause difficulties. A hundred pages are read in one breath, there is no superfluous coloration and farce. The book is written in such a way that even with a strong reluctance to read it, one can understand what is at stake, and "consider" the text as a picture. This is also the merit of the translator V. Golyshev, who adapted the story for the Russian-speaking reader.

The book is really worth the attention and the time spent. It can be read both to a schoolboy and a busy businessman, because such books make us think about whether we are doing the right thing and what consequences our actions can lead to. You need to be happy, do not get hung up on something like the marquis, you need to allow yourself to love, act at the behest of the heart and be as sincere as Uncle Pio. The main thing is to understand this in time and "let now live", "let me start all over again". Now, not a second later. I hope this book will help you with this.