Review: The Bridge

The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury is a heartwarming story about lost love, redemption and second chances. Ryan  Kelly and Molly Allen feel an immediate connection when they first see each other at their college orientation. They eventually meet and become fast friends- but even though they have feelings for each other, they never take their relationship to the next level. Ryan has a girlfriend back in Carthage, Mississippi and Molly has always been expected to come back to California after college and take over her father’s corporation. Ryan and Molly become inseparable, and spend much of their time together at a local bookstore called The Bridge.

The bookstore is a fixture in downtown Franklin Tennessee, and is run by Charlie and Donna Barton. The Bartons were not able to have children after Donna had a serious miscarriage, but they embrace the community and consider their customers their family. Eventually Ryan and Molly come to terms with their feelings for each other, and they share a kiss- a special, life changing kiss. Surely they are meant to be together- but something happens, something neither of them could have foreseen, and a love that looked so promising is in danger of falling by the wayside.

That is seven years in the past though, and Ryan and Molly have separate lives now. He is a guitarist for a country band and she runs a foundation in the Northwest. Charlie and Donna, the owners of the Bridge, have fallen on hard times. The bookstore was a labor of love, never lucrative, and when a devastating flood runs the store, all seems lost for the Bartons.  Then tragedy strikes, and Ryan and Molly are brought back together to face not only the challenge of saving the Bridge, but also each other.

The Bridge is told from the viewpoints of Ryan and Molly, as well as Charlie and Donna. We see the joys and fears, the triumphs and despair faced by these four people as they navigate the course their lives have taken. I liked this book, its not my usual kind of read but it was inspiring and poignant. It’s a story of second chances and love that stands the test of time. The Bridge is unabashedly a Christian novel, and has a very strong faith message. It can be a bit dramatic, and I rolled my eyes a few times when the characters made decisions that seemed designed to prolong the drama, but by and large this is a good story with an inspiring message.