The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Beautifully written, character-rich exploration of life and love and death. Only four stars because it was too short! (Note: It's hard to believe that Wilder was only 26 years old when he wrote this.)

Book 88 on Mustich's list for me.

This is such a unique book. I really enjoyed it the pace of it and the depth of character examinations it provided.


It was a slow, thoughtful journey.

I never would have picked it up save for my 1,000 books list so I guess this is a worthwhile endeavor!

Read in high school. It sure was a book.

This was my 2nd classic book read for Dec. 2018. Had a bit of trouble keeping up with the characters but I can see why it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1928. I would have given it a 5 but too religious for me (Others I'm sure would like it)!

wonderful, light touch to this story that resolves itself beautifully

an easy read and very much worth it

A delight. Sweet & tender smiling sadness. 

Given the beauty of the language and the mere 140 pages of the story, there is no reason not to read The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I wasn't sure what to expect from Wilder, but I was impressed with the way he handled his sentences and the thoughts he put to page. There is beauty in this story, and philosophical questions tucked between the lines.

The book is united in theme and stands beneath a promising premise. That said, the various stories had such a detached air that I wasn't quite able to connect. There is a thread–that is the bridge of San Luis Rey–that runs through each story, but without that the stories could just as easily be part of a themed collection. I saw the beauty of the words. I considered the bigger implications. But I never really felt like I was a part of these characters' lives. Perhaps I'm expecting too much in such a short story.

Five people are killed when a small
bridge breaks in Peru. A priest
investigates the lives of the five
people to try to understand why
these five were killed.