The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury...a Review

There is just nothing better than a visit to the local library.   We have a library just a few blocks from the house and I adore it.   The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable and I couldn't be happier with them.   I know how to check out kindle reads and real books too and I'm liking my on line visits.

Today I'm reviewing my first ever read of Karen Kingsbury, The Bridge.   Here is the Goodreads Synopsis:

Number one New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury delivers an instant classic with this heartwarming Christmas story about a hundred-year flood, lost love, and the beauty of enduring friendships. Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since.

Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there.

For thirty years, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store.

Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?

The Bridge is a love story set against the struggle of the American bookstore, a love story you will never forget.

From My Perspective:

I really enjoyed reading The Bridge and quickly became deeply involved with the characters.   The love story between Molly Allen and Ryan Kelly was sweet and frought with misunderstanding  and misinterpretation.   That in part was due to their young ages.   Charlie and Donna Barton had an excellent relationship as she always looked up to him and he provided for her with care and optimism.  Charlie was  quiet and generous to a fault.  But as life sometimes does, he was dealt the first blow by the hundred year flood and then dealt disappointment after disappointment with the refinancing rejections.  

I loved how Charlie had come up with the name of the bookstore..The Bridge.   The books would be the bridge from the past to the present and from the present to the future.   The Bridge was Charlie's bridge from the pain of the past to the hope of the future.   His customers had been faithful and loyal and when the future looked dark, friends of Charlie and the Bridge came forward to help him get back on track, proof positive that Charlie and the Bridge were important to the town and customers past and future.    THIS WAS THE TRUE LOVE STORY.  A love story between kindness and books.   What an awesome concept.

For those of us who love to read, to escape into different worlds and experiences, The Bridge is a book we can relate to.   This was an excellent read in my humble opinion and I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer:  I read for my pleasure.   I may receive ARC copies for review purposes, but I am not compensated for my reviews .  I like to read and I like to share my reviews.   I post my thoughts without prejudice or bias.  The words are mine and I write reviews based on my humble opinion.  I will admit, I seldom meet a book I don't like.  This was a library book I checked out.