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  • Bridge of Clay

  • By: Markus Zusak
  • Narrated by: Markus Zusak
  • Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (266 ratings)
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Bridge of Clay

By: Markus Zusak
Narrated by: Markus Zusak
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Summary

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak. 

From the internationally acclaimed, prize-winning, best-selling author of The Book Thief, here is a story told backwards and inside out.

The five Dunbar brothers are living - fighting, dreaming, loving - in the perfect squalor of a house without grownups. Today, the father who abandoned them is about to walk back in.

But why has he returned, and who have the boys become since he left?

At the helm is Matthew, cynical, poetic; Rory, forever truanting; Henry, the money-spinner; and young Tommy, the pet collector who has colonised the house with dysfunctional pets, including Achilles the mule and Rosy the border collie. 

And then there’s Clay, the quiet one, his whole young life haunted by an unspeakable act.

From the tale of their grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still colours their lives, to the mother and father who met over a mislaid piano, to the present day, where five sons dwell in a house with no rules, Bridge of Clay is an epic portrait of a ramshackle family and the unburying of one boy’s tragic secret.

©2018 Markus Zusak (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

Praise for The Book Thief: "Brilliant and hugely ambitious." (New York Times)

"A novel of breathtaking scope." (The Guardian)

What listeners say about Bridge of Clay

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stick with this one

I almost gave up on this book. I found the story so bleak and violent in the first couple of chapters. I'm so glad I decided to preserve. I found the narration a bit too slow so I turned it to 1.4, which worked well. As the story unfolded I fell in love with the characters, even the mule. a wonderful story, beautifully told

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

I wish I loved it

I absolutely loved the book thief so I tried so many times with this book but I just couldn’t get into it. It’s beautifully written but I couldn’t cope with the narration. I will try again by reading the book instead.

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I tried...

I really wanted to love this book. I knew it was going to be nothing like the Book Thief, I'd even heard Markus Zusak chat about it on Radio 4. I couldn't get beyond the first hour or two, I tried it again and the same thing happened. I just couldn't get the story and I found his voice quite tricky to listen too, quite soporific and grating at the same time. I know it's meant to be brilliant and I think it's my fault and maybe in a few months I'll try again...

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful book - beautifully written and narrated

I was a little nervous of the author narration as I have had a few dodgy listens when narrated by author. However in this case, the author narration brought to life the poetry in the writing. At times I rewound to relisten to some parts they were so beautiful

The story is cleverly plotted across time frames and characters, and drawn together , going in surprising directions at times

Every character is richly described and so easy to bond with - I loved them all and didn’t want story to end

One of my best listens this year

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Slow burner

Took me so long to get into this book, and with Markus reading it, but it was worth staying with. He'd put his heart and soul into this family story, and you grow to love the characters.

Preferred the Book Thief, but still a must read (listen)..

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pure pleasure.

Hooked from first to last. Wonderful, heartbreaking,beautiful. I loved The Book Thief now I simply love this author.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Markus Zusak as his best

Every bit as good as The Book Thief. Beautifully written and heartbreakingly sad.

This is not a fast page turner, or a pacy thriller. It is a story of love, of loss, of family and relationships. Markus narrates his story as it's meant to be told, with tenderness, emotion and a gentle pace. This is a book that Is definitely in my top 10.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved every minute!

I loved everything about this book. Beautifully written and read. Deeply sad yet wonderfully uplifting. Full of humour and love... Mostly love. Different in so many ways to other books I have listened to, so refreshing. I never wanted it to end

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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A heart-warming book!

It took me a while to get used to the narration by Zusak but once I did, I couldn’t stop listening. At times hilarious, moving and beautifully poetic. Zusak knows how to write, very well, that’s for sure, and how to move me to tears! 5 brothers, you want to get to know them all...

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bridge of clay

I loved this story, so different, very touching and beautifully written and narrated by the author

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4 people found this helpful