Looking Back - Alexander's Bridge

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather
Fiction
1977 University of Nebraska Press (first published in 1912)
Finished in April 1997
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Bartley Alexander, an engineer famous for the audacious structure of his North American bridges, is at the height of his reputation. He has a distinguished and beautiful wife and an enviable Boston home. Then, on a trip to London, he has a chance encounter with an Irish actress he once loved. When their affair re–ignites, Alexander finds himself caught in a tug of emotions — between his feelings for his wife, who has supported his career with understanding and strength, and Hilda, whose impulsiveness and generosity restore to him the passion and energy of his youth. Coinciding with this personal dilemma are ominous signs of strain in his professional life. In this, her first novel, originally published in 1912, Willa Cather skillfully explores the struggle between opposing sides of the self, a facility that was to become a hallmark of her craft. 


My Original Notes (1997):

Cather's first published novel. Good, but not as good as My Antonia or Death Comes For the Archbishop. The characters weren't as developed. The lyrical and beautiful descriptions of the landscape weren't as prevalent. A good book, but not great.

My Current Thoughts:

I only have a vague recollection of this novel and I no longer own a copy, so it's not one that I envisioned re-reading.