This novel of family secrets, set in hungary in the time of the nazis, examines the less tangible costs of war. Discussion questions book club recommendationsdiscussion. The invisible bridge by julie orringer fiction the guardian. May 30, 2010 recently, much of american literature seems to have been looking inward. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. The invisible bridge chunky book club discussion post.
The fall of nixon and the rise of reagan he offers a portrait of america on the verge of a nervous breakdown in the tumultuous political and economic times of the 1970s, connecting the nixon legacy to the resurgence of the conservative wing of the republican party achieved by ronald reagan in his first. Jan 07, 2016 the invisible bridge discussion questions posted on january 7, 2016 by eplhistorybooks between 1972 and 1976, the book portrays a change in the american selfimage that can broadly be described as a loss of faith in both pop culture and politics, with plenty of views from the street in between. At the ecole speciale, andras is one of a small number of jewish students. The invisible bridge opens in september 1937 as andras l vi leaves his brother tibor to study abroad. How ronald reagan used an invisible bridge to win over. Before long, he meets and falls in love with a ballet teacher, klara morgenstern. Mar 29, 2011 the invisible bridge is the kind of book that will take you a while to get over before youre able to read another book. And yet, a skeleton of brilliant storytelling can be spotted, and it almost comes to life in the second part of the book, which uses the experiences of. I didnt consider the invisible bridge until about a year after id finished the first draft of the novel. The invisible bridge by julie orringer loving through the darkness of world war ii julie orringers the invisible bridge follows a.
Nov 22, 2014 from the 2014 miami book fair international, walter isaacson talks about his book, the innovators. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Aug 01, 2014 this book is about how that shift in national sentiment took place, perlstein writes. Did the book present information about the united states and its allies that surprised you. Aug 05, 2014 how ronald reagan used an invisible bridge to win over americans rick perlsteins new book describes how reagan emerged as the leader of a potent political movement during the turbulent mid70s. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. The invisible bridge rick perlstein talked about his book, the invisible bridge. How ronald reagan used an invisible bridge to win over americans rick perlsteins new book describes how reagan emerged as the leader of a. Roosevelt house public policy institute at hunter college 1,980 views 1. What sets this book apart in a relatively common genre historical fiction set during the holocaust is incredible detail and development. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the invisible bridge. The invisible bridge by julie orringer fiction the. The questions, topics for discussion, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of the invisible bridge, a sweeping novel of world war ii told through the story of one family, their loves, and their losses. This months book club read is the invisible bridge by julie orringer which is set against the backdrop of budapest and paris, and involves three brothers whose lives are ravaged by war.
The invisible bridge is a sweeping, passionate love story that takes us from the romance of prewar paris, through the horrors of nazi occupation in budapest, to the hope of new life in brooklyn, n. General book club questions for study and discussion. The books central character, andras levi, is a young jewish man who leaves his. Did it deepen your understanding of the causes and the. Oct 06, 2010 posted by dani crickman join the jewish book council and author julie orringer in a live discussion of the novel the invisible bridge on tuesday, october 26th, 2010 12. Or did you know from the beginning what the title would be. Julie orringers astonishing first novel, eagerly awaited since the publication of her heralded bestselling shortstory collection, how to breathe underwater, is a grand love story set against the backdrop of budapest and paris, an epic tale of three brothers whose lives are ravaged by war, and the chronicle of one familys struggle against the forces that threaten to annihilate it. What gives the invisible bridge its originality is the way perlstein embeds reagans familiar biography in the disillusionments of the seventies. The invisible bridge i dont remember the last time while reading a book i interrupted my wife so many times to read her an exceptional phrase, sentence or paragraph. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. How to breathe underwater is a new york times notable book, a san francisco chronicle best book of the year, and the winner of the northern california book award. Read a transcript from the twitter book club for the invisible bridge.
The books central character, andras levi, is a young jewish man who leaves his native hungary in 1937 to study architecture in paris. The invisible bridge provides another literary glimpse of the daytoday horrors of that time, and also reminds us of the potential contributors to the postwar world the architects and. The invisible bridge is a sweeping, passionate love story that takes us from the romance of prewar paris, through the horrors of nazi. How a group of hackers, geniuses, and geeks created the digital revolution. Out of all the themes you covered throughout the book, what made you finally decide on that name. This book has rekindled my ultimate faith in the potential of human nature for good. The invisible bridge is a long book around 750 pages and it feels like a long book, but thats not a criticism. It took me a long time to find the right title for the book. Julie orringers first novel, longlisted for the orange prize 2011. A vintage books reading group guide the invisible bridge by.
Truly, the invisible bridge embodies the very best of current historical fiction. What did you know about hungarys role in world war ii before reading the invisible bridge. The invisible bridge by julie orringer discussion guide. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Although set mostly in war, this story speaks to the power of love. Did it affect your views on zionism and the jewish emigration to palestine. If a trip to paris is not in your near futureor even if it isyou can take a journey into andras paris by watching the video below. All of us booklovers know the sad feeling of satisfaction upon completion of a captivating novel.
Aug 06, 2014 in his new book, the invisible bridge. The invisible bridge by julie orringer loving through the darkness of world war ii julie orringers the invisible bridge follows a hungarian couple enjoying a parisian romance. Fans of the invisible bridge might pay special attention to this walking tour of the left bank, where much of the books action takes place. The themes of friendship, love and family are weaved through the atrocities of world war ii with grace and respect. The invisible bridge by julie orringer, paperback barnes. The book s central character, andras levi, is a young jewish man who leaves his native hungary in 1937 to study architecture in paris. Part love story, part struggle to survive, andras levi is a hungarianjewish architecture student living in paris in the late 1930s. The invisible bridge is julie orringers remarkably powerful first novel. From a remote hungarian village to the grand opera houses of budapest and paris, from the despair of carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in forced labour camps and beyond, the invisible bridge tells the story of a marriage tested by disaster and of a family, threatened with annihilation, bound by love and history. The invisible bridge opens in september 1937 as andras levi leaves his brother tibor to study abroad.
The invisible bridge, rick perlsteins panoramic third volume about the rise of the modern conservative movement in america, covers the span of 1973 to 1976. You become so wrapped up in their world that you truly believe you know them, and that they know you too. Recently, much of american literature seems to have been looking inward. The invisible bridge by julie orringer chicago tribune. Aug 03, 2014 the invisible bridge, rick perlsteins panoramic third volume about the rise of the modern conservative movement in america, covers the span of 1973 to 1976. Thats one of the many reasons julie orringers first novel, the invisible bridge which follows her well. The fall of nixon and the rise of reagan, in which he recounts november 12, 2014. The invisible bridge by julie orringer book club discussion. Julie orringers novel the invisible bridge is a follow up to her best selling story collection, how to breathe underwater. Throughout the book there are descriptions of andrass studies, including. A vintage books reading group guide the invisible bridge by julie orringer about this guide the questions, topics for discussion, and suggestions for further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of the invisible bridge, a sweeping novel of world war ii told. The fall of nixon and the rise of reaganfinally brings into focus the sagas leading character, ronald reagan. The overt, articulated one exists as a spoof in a samizdat newspaper put out by andras levi, the novels most prominent character, and his friend mendel horovitz.
The fall of nixon and the rise of reagan kindle edition by perlstein, rick. The invisible bridge julie orringer, 2010 knopf doubleday 784 pp. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the invisible bridge by julie orringer. Andras has a scholarship at architecture school in paris, while tibor remains in hungary until he too is granted entrance to medical school in italy. The invisible bridge by julie orringer welcome to the final chunky book club discussion for 2012. The invisible bridge by julie orringer reading group guide. This is the discussion guide for the invisible bridge by julie orringer. Julie orringer discussion group more questions answered. Carmen callil searches for the characters in a hungarianjewish epic of the second world war. From the 2014 miami book fair international, walter isaacson talks about his book, the innovators. Julie orringers the invisible bridge follows a hungarian couple enjoying a parisian romance when the nazi rise to power forces them back to. The invisible bridge, by rick perlstein the new york times. The invisible bridge discussion questions history book.