Mrs. Bridge

By: Evan S. Connell

Narrated by: Sally Darling

India Bridge’s house is a prison, her life a collection of redundancies. Overnight, her children have turned into willful, frightening creatures and her husband into an unsolvable enigma. When India tries to reach beyond the limitations around her, she begins to realize the scattered truths that hide themselves in fear and solitude.

©1959 Evan S. Connell (P)1991 Recorded Books, LLC

Fabulous story

So glad I’ve listened to the story of Mrs. Bridge. I heard about it in The Week magazine. It was recommended as one of five favorite books by an author whose name I don’t recall. I look forward now to listening to the book, Mr. Bridge, the same story from his perspective.

Really Wonderful

What did you love best about Mrs. Bridge?

Laugh out loud funny at times, with a subtle but pointed humor. Also deep and moving, highly recommend!

Mr. Bridge was better

I am glad I read Mr. Bridge first. This was a good book and well worth the read, but Mr. Bridge was a truly exceptional read. Connell, in both books, writes masterfully. His insights and delivery are perfection.

Mrs. Bridge

The author’s writing is perfectly timed so that even if the events are not edge of your seat literature the story is compelling enough to keep the reader wanting to know what’s next in the everyday goings on of housewife Mrs. Bridge.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Evan Connell captures a woman's middle-class life in the twentieth century. "Mrs. Bridges" is a story of a twentieth century woman whose life begins in the middle-class and rises to the upper middle-class. She marries, has three children (one boy and two girls) with a husband who becomes a highly successful lawyer. Her son is characterized as moderately intelligent with two sisters, one sister characterized as smart and haughty and another quiet and reserved. The story is set in middle America.

Connell masterfully shows the strength and weakness of American society. Its strength lies in freedom to exploit human self-interest. Its weakness is in believing wealth is a measure of human value.

Reality of woman in 1940

Loved the narrators voice. Interesting to think about simplicity of life of wealthy in days gone by.

The Unexamined Life

I was anticipating a novel about the angst of a 1940s / 1950s housewife and her internal struggles to find self-worth, and although it was an interesting story I didn’t think the book delivered on that theme.

Most of the story was about her day to day life and only occasionally did I feel I got a glimpse of her questioning her place in the world. Because of that, I felt like she really believed that this was her lot in life and that the status quo suited her just fine. I don’t think she was aware of how vacuous she was, and I certainly didn’t feel like she was struggling to “cope with her dissatisfaction” in life like the synopsis implied.

Near the very end, the topic bubbled up a little more following what happened to someone in her social circle (I won’t give anything away), but overall I didn’t feel that it was a strong theme running through the story.

Could it be I didn’t feel her struggle because from my perspective today in 2017 I just can’t relate? Intellectually I understand the sad plight of the repressed housewife, but I guess I just can’t empathise enough… or maybe it was all just to subtle for me.

I do want to read Mr Bridge!

Outstanding

For Those of us who remember that time; for those of us who had parents during that time; for those who need to learn about that time. Would that some of those positive values remained today.

A brilliant rendition of Mrs. Bridge's daily life

Any additional comments?

Initially, this novel frustrated me. I wanted Mrs. Bridge to be less narrow-minded, less meek, less prejudiced and less of a snob. I wanted her to wake up and take control of her life.

But once I accepted that this novel is not about an awakening, but a brilliant rendition of Mrs. Bridge dealing with her daily life, I truly appreciated it. I admire what Connell accomplished. And I even sympathize, just a little, with Mrs. Bridge.

Classic

Insightfully honest for any time or age. Should be a must read for all. Gives the reader a glimpse inside the world of the upper middle class housewife.