This book is so good that even a strong conclusionary atheist and antitheist like myself is not annoyed by the meaningless, and in any case faint, religious framing. ( )

This book is an odd, delightful treat that won’t take up too much of your time. It’s that weird ice cream flavor you try (maybe lobster or sweet potato) that ends up becoming a personal favorite.

In a Peruvian mountain pass, a seemingly sturdy and reliable rope bridge snaps, sending five souls to their deaths. A Franciscan friar sets out to find out why these five should have died and not someone else, looking for a way to justify to man the divine plan he’s so sure of at work in the world.

What follows is a neat little story delving deep into the lives of three individuals in their time leading up to the fatal bridge collapse. There is Dona Maria, an aging great lady who’s desperate for the love of her aloof daughter, the young Esteban dealing with his strained relationship with his twin brother, and old Uncle Pio, an elderly scoundrel who discovered a peasant girl and raised her into a prodigy of the Spanish stage. While all these stories are intriguing and thought provoking on their own, the ending and what it has to say about the meaning of life and death is what truly makes this a classic worth revisiting.
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Deliziosi i primi due capitoli - il secondo in particolare.

Il resto, pur bello, m'e' parso un po' piu' di maniera. ( )

Ma il pensiero che colpi’ frate Ginepro fu un altro: “Perche’ e’ toccata a quei cinque?”. Se esiste nell’universo qualche piano, se nella vita umana v’e’ un disegno, certo lo si puo’ scoprire, misteriosamente latente, in quelle vite cosi’ improvvisamente trovate. O noi siamo vivi per caso, e per caso moriamo, o viviamo secondo un piano, e secondo un piano moriamo. (13)

La Natura e’ sorda. Dio e’ indifferente. Nulla di quanto l’uomo fa puo’ cambiare il corso delle leggi. Allora, a qualche angolo di strada, Dona Maria si fermava presa da un vortice di disperazione, e, appoggiatasi al muro, spasimava di uscire da un mondo che non ha alcun disegno. Ma tosto la fede nel grande Forse insorgeva dal piu’ profondo del suo essere, e si dirigeva verso casa di corsa, ... (44)

Vi risparmiero’ le deduzioni di frate Ginepro: le incontriamo ad ogni passo. Egli credette di vedere, nella grande catastrofe, i perversi colpiti dalla distruzione e gli innocenti chiamati giovani in Cielo. Gli parve di vedere l’orgoglio e la ricchezza confusi come un esempio al mondo, e gli parve di vedere l’umilta’ incoronata e ricompensata, a edificazione della citta’. Ma frate Ginepro non rimase soddisfatto delle sue ragioni. (132)


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I expected more from this book given its high ratings by some and the fact that it won the Pulitzer. I did like it and found it entertaining - not earth shattering. I will probably remember this book due to its unusual premise: a monk tries to find out why 5 people fell to their deaths when a bridge collapses in Peru. There are basically 3 stories about 3 of the people who died. There are a few others that bring the 3 stories together in a nice, loose way. I don't really have anything negative to say about the book - it just didn't have all that I hoped it would have. ( )