Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: October 12, 2021
Source: TLC Booktours
Summary:
Three friends, two secrets, one love—and the journey of a lifetime.
Every week for twenty years, three friends meet in a leafy enclosure under the Verrazzano Bridge: Gertie, a feisty Norwegian divorcée and former athlete; Maria, a family-obsessed Italian American widow; and Corinna, a book-loving, hash-smoking eccentric. Together they sit and watch the sea as the ships—and the last years of their lives—sail by. On the eve of Gertie’s eightieth birthday, they realize that time is running out. Gertie decides she wants to travel the world. Maria secretly plots to reunite Gertie and Corinna with their estranged families. And Corinna falls in love.
As the three women strike out in different directions, a series of events unfolds that threatens to destroy the most precious thing of all: their friendship. Heartfelt and humorous, And the Bridge Is Love invites readers to travel alongside these dynamic women in this inspiring novel about love, family, and forgiveness.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it was just the palate cleanser I needed between all the heavier books I tend to gravitate towards. Plus, it is set in NYC and you can never go wrong with books set there!
I love when I find books with more mature characters and that is exactly what we have here. This is the story of three women, who could not be more different, who end up becoming friends. They meet once a week and discuss all manner of things. These women are larger than life and through the vivid writing, I felt as if I really got to know them.
Exploring female friendships is always a favorite theme of mine and I appreciated that this one is not all about rainbows and sunshine. This book, though short as it is, has some substance to it – it’s about love, loss, hope, family and above all, forgiveness. While this might not be a traditional holiday book, I can’t think of a better time to read it to really send home that message that it’s never too late to let bygones be bygones.
I really enjoyed this one and even think it would make a great book for book clubs – there is a lot to unpack in this tiny little book!
