The Man on the Bridge A Novel edition by Stephen Benatar Romance eBooks
Download As PDF : The Man on the Bridge A Novel edition by Stephen Benatar Romance eBooks 
A love story between men—without being, basically, a novel about gay issues; more about appreciating what you have while you have it, and ultimately learning what matters to you in life.
The Man on the Bridge A Novel edition by Stephen Benatar Romance eBooks
3 1/2 stars.John Wilmot is a beautiful youth who catches the eye and then the heart of a successful artist, Oliver Cambourne. Wilmot is a man with eye fixed steadily on the main chance and moves effortlessly from the life of bookshop clerk to one in which expensive gifts, spur-of-the-moment travels, and the Chelsea Arts Ball are a matter of course. After spending less than a year with Cambourne, he spots an even better opportunity. He grabs it, and the consequences of his doing so leave many people, sooner or later, feeling shattered.
In the long denouement we see Wilmot being denied, and denying himself of, the assurance of a life funded lavishly by others. Gradually, though, he appropriates ever larger bits of Cambourne's past, and the book's ending leaves him with the possibility of his worming his way back into the good graces of yet another benefactor. That's a cynical reading; the author of the introduction to the novel sees Wilmot redeeming himself in this part of the book, and so might you. It's just as likely that Benatar's intention was somewhere between the two.
This sort of ambiguity is one of the things I particularly like about the novel; so are some very well-drawn characters; the understated way in which Wilmot lays claim to first Cambourne's trinkets, then his actions, and then more still; and, similarly, the slow revelation of a major character's (Elizabeth's) true nature and motives. In fact, the story in general is told with a refreshing subtlety--I can easily imagine other writers playing up the drama in it and in the process making the story itself feel implausible. A few minor drawbacks caught my notice: There's very occasionally a slight awkwardness, mostly in diction but once or twice in phrasing, that suggest that the novel might have benefitted from one final polishing, and though Wilmot does seem as blithely oblivious as ever of others' feelings till very late in the book, his financial sacrifice and his reactions near the end make it almost seem as if Benatar couldn't make up his own mind about whether he had in the end reformed or simply regrouped. I'm glad of there being no clear-cut explanation, but there's a sense of to-and-fro'ing rather than a consistently smooth presentation of Wilmot's behaviour in the last part of the novel.
A very good book, and if you like it try Benatar's Wish Her Safe at Home, which to me is even better.
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The Man on the Bridge A Novel edition by Stephen Benatar Romance eBooks Reviews
The Man on the Bridge is timeless and relevant to all who love their partners, friends, and family, and sometimes question their love for them. Professional ambition, financial security, freedom for creativity, honesty, and protecting those you love, and oneself from those who love you, are underlying themes that are reflected in this punchy, real, and stylish narrative based in 1960s London. I highly recommend Stephen Benatar's book to all who need a refreshing book that meditates on who we are and think we are. - U.
3 1/2 stars.
John Wilmot is a beautiful youth who catches the eye and then the heart of a successful artist, Oliver Cambourne. Wilmot is a man with eye fixed steadily on the main chance and moves effortlessly from the life of bookshop clerk to one in which expensive gifts, spur-of-the-moment travels, and the Chelsea Arts Ball are a matter of course. After spending less than a year with Cambourne, he spots an even better opportunity. He grabs it, and the consequences of his doing so leave many people, sooner or later, feeling shattered.
In the long denouement we see Wilmot being denied, and denying himself of, the assurance of a life funded lavishly by others. Gradually, though, he appropriates ever larger bits of Cambourne's past, and the book's ending leaves him with the possibility of his worming his way back into the good graces of yet another benefactor. That's a cynical reading; the author of the introduction to the novel sees Wilmot redeeming himself in this part of the book, and so might you. It's just as likely that Benatar's intention was somewhere between the two.
This sort of ambiguity is one of the things I particularly like about the novel; so are some very well-drawn characters; the understated way in which Wilmot lays claim to first Cambourne's trinkets, then his actions, and then more still; and, similarly, the slow revelation of a major character's (Elizabeth's) true nature and motives. In fact, the story in general is told with a refreshing subtlety--I can easily imagine other writers playing up the drama in it and in the process making the story itself feel implausible. A few minor drawbacks caught my notice There's very occasionally a slight awkwardness, mostly in diction but once or twice in phrasing, that suggest that the novel might have benefitted from one final polishing, and though Wilmot does seem as blithely oblivious as ever of others' feelings till very late in the book, his financial sacrifice and his reactions near the end make it almost seem as if Benatar couldn't make up his own mind about whether he had in the end reformed or simply regrouped. I'm glad of there being no clear-cut explanation, but there's a sense of to-and-fro'ing rather than a consistently smooth presentation of Wilmot's behaviour in the last part of the novel.
A very good book, and if you like it try Benatar's Wish Her Safe at Home, which to me is even better.
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