"The Bridge on the Drina centres around the town of Višegrad and the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge over the Drina river. The story spans about four centuries during the Ottoman and subsequently Austro-Hungarian administrations of the region and describes the lives, destinies and relations of the local inhabitants, with a particular focus on Muslims and Orthodox Christians living in Bosnia and Herzegovina."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_on_the_Drina

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A Wishlist-tag book for you.
It's been waiting quite a while to go your way, so it's soooo happy now. *grin*
Enjoy! :)

I must have been fascinated by the Balkan regions already as a child, having read this novel for the first time when I was like ten or so.
I would not recommend it to my nine year old son right now. If he could read it, he wouldn’ t probably understand it or grasp it’s true meaning.
That’s why I planned on re-reading it, being quite a few (alas !) years over ten now : - ) and ready for it … and thanking Vedranaster to give me the opportunity to do so !

Taking this with me to the annual Dutch uncon at Castricum-by-the-sea.
For Boekentrol.
This book is epic. If it's not always easy ... it's worth it.
If there's ever a nobel prize for fiction installed ;)))) I second the idea that he got one ... :)))

Just ... epic.

Thank you so much, Bloedengel, for taking this wishlist book to Castricum for me :-) I am interested in (the history of) the region, Eastern Europe in general too.
Looking forward to read it very much!

After arriving home from Castricum, I realised I now have 2 versions of this book. I will keep the one from the 1001-library to read, make a reserved JE for my review and send this book out to new readers in a ray.

At this point in time, the participants are:
ETMadrid
saskiasosmile
raluk68
bookguide
kingfan30
Tubereader

Reserved for review of my other copy.

This book is now on its way to ETMadrid, as first reader in the ray for this book.
I hope you enjoy it, I look forward to seeing your and other reader's opinions on this book.

Thank you very much - it's arrived!

Well I honestly found this rather disappointing and hard work... I think I heard it recommended on the radio a while back, but it's not a book for me, I must admit. I like the concept, but in my view the author doesn't pull it off.

Of course this book really needs a sequel in view of what has happened since.

Am so terribly sorry for holding this book up for so long. The early stages of motherhood have been joyous but somewhat all-consuming... Please forgive me. Anyway, it's en route to the next person as I write.

This book arrived already two days ago, but with Christmas to prepare for a large crowd, I can only journal it this morning. Thanks ETMadrid for sending it! Take your time to enjoy your baby, they are only small once... Also thankyou for the very 'themed' card!

This book is now going to continue its journey round the bookring.

Got it! Thank you :)
I will be starting reading this one soon!

I passed on to the next reader. Sorry I kept it so long.
Unfortunately I don't have a review for it. I couldn't read any book these months... I'm not in a good mood for reading.

Thank you for sharing this book with me!

This arrived while I was visiting Turin for a couple of days. I will try to read it as soon as I can, but it will have to wait a couple of weeks until after my summer holiday. Thank you for sending the book, raluk68. I love the pretty stamps.

I thought this might be tough going, but it pulled me in from the first chapter and it made me read more slowly so that I could savour it for longer, which I don't often do. I have to admit that the last couple of chapters did not hold my interest quite so well, but the stories of the individual characters who made up the town were enough to keep me reading.

My rating on Goodreads: 4 of 5 stars


In spite of hearing news about Bosnia for years, I never knew anything much about the country or the people who lived there. So simply from the point of view of educating myself, this should have been an interesting novel, but it was so much more. I had expected it to be rather dry, but this wasn't at all the case because there are so many wonderful characters in the book. Sometimes it's difficult to remember who the people are as the names are so unfamiliar, yet somehow this was never a major problem to the flow of the narrative. It was rather depressing to realise that the thing in common throughout centuries of change was the ability of powerful men to be cruel, whether because of wealth, influence or simply someone who was temporarily in charge as a soldier or official. Even though there was at least one description of torture that was rather too graphic and a great deal of tragedy, there was also humour and myriad tales of human relationships. I had no idea that the region had been first a part of the Ottoman Empire, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire and I had never had any history lessons which covered this era or mentioned the Balkan Wars. The way Andric told it, life in the town continued following in time-honoured fashion in relative peace, with people from different religions respecting each other's traditions and beliefs while the feudal day-to-day life of the town progressed peacefully. Only when politics and then nationalism reared their ugly heads did things take a turn for the worse. Throughout the centuries, the bridge over the Drina, built at the start of the novel, is witness to all that the town's diverse inhabitants and visitors cared to parade over its implacable and never-changing stones.



View all my Goodreads reviews

Book has arrived safe and sound, will read and move on as soon as I can

15 Jan 15 - This is an area that I am very interested in visiting at some point, we were meant to go when I was younger, but the war broke out and we were unable to go.

I found this book hard work, the characters come and go quite quickly, but I suppose if you are trying to tell a story over 300 years, then thats what the character would do. An interesting idea, but if didn't quite work for me.

I tried contacting Tubereader but got no response, by the looks of things they have not been active on this site for over a year, so I have found a new reader to enjoy it.

Thank you kingfan30 for sending this book to me. It has a good traveling record by the looks of it. I'll take it on our next campertrip and after reading find a good place for it.

Impressive read about the bridge and what goes on around it. Depressing what mankind does to one another and how war destroyes.

I am passing this book on as part of the following challenges:
365/365 2015 van Aaltsje
June ultimate release challenge by jumpingin.

On the doorstep of a camper with UK licenseplates.