The One-Way Bridge by Cathie Pelletier

3 Star

Cathie Pelletier draws readers back to the beloved town of Mattagash, a seemingly quiet New England outpost in Maine. Yet Mattagash is anything but tranquil. While its citizens bicker publicly over small-town theft or their neighbors' offensive mailboxes, they privately struggle through deeper life issues: scandal, loss, failed ambitions, and the scars of war.

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Sabrina-Kate - 3 Star

The first thing that struck me about The One-Way Bridge, and from the first paragraph, is that the author has a lyrical, almost musical way of describing things at times which is entirely enjoyable and a great credit to her writing ability. The descriptions were so rich and detailed, but not unnecessarily so that it was easy to picture each and everything described within.

This story is set in a small town in Maine, Mattagash, and it truly is a very good likeness of what small towns are like. From the gossip, the rivalries, the friends and foes, this book truly hit the proverbial nail on the head when it spoke about the relationships and simple complexities that exist therein.

I found it very interesting how she changed from character to character and yet each character added a bit of depth to the overall story without backtracking or losing the current vein of thought. The story progressed at a leisurely pace but that is what one would expect from a small Maine town after all.

My favorite character in the story, though it might be difficult to pinpoint exactly why, was down on his luck, ne'er do well Billy Thunder. It was almost comical to picture him and his not for winter car and the troubles he seemed to draw to him without particularly trying to though not trying not to either!

I grew up in a small town and I can say that this book made me think of a lot of the people there and it truly is a wonder to me that most small towns apparently are that similar. I don't particularly ever want to live in one again and this book sort of reinforced to me why.

This story was enjoyable but didn't wow me however I was pleased to find out that Cathie Pelletier has some other novels set in the same small town and I would be interested in seeing what else happens in this small east coast enclave.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for our review copy. All opinions are our own. 

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