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Carpenter's Bluff
There is an old bridge on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma. They used to go there and drink beer at night, sitting on the concrete pier under the single lane of the bridge, high above the water. By then, the bridge was no longer on a map. They used to laugh about that, sitting in a space in the sky above the Red River that no longer officially existed.
In the Summer of 1971, all was at it should be. Julianna had begun winding down their romance. Jack and Paddy had been woven into it, of course. So, there had been tensions. College loomed, with its mysteries and opportunities. They were following their natural course.
But, things happen sometimes. It's nobody's fault.
Fifteen years later, Hank is struggling. He is a loner. He drinks too much.
He has met a beautiful woman, and she has cast a spell on him. She provides him with a brief escape. But, after disappearing unexpectedly, the woman orchestrates an examination of Hank's past through dreams he cannot control. His life has spun out of control.
And, Julianna has emerged out of nowhere.
The past. The future. Two rivers. Figments of imagination. And a child.
There were messages in those dreams.
There is an old bridge on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma. They used to go there and drink beer at night, sitting on the concrete pier under the single lane of the bridge, high above the water. By then, the bridge was no longer on a map. They used to laugh about that, sitting in a space in the sky above the Red River that no longer officially existed.
In the Summer of 1971, all was at it should be. Julianna had begun winding down their romance. Jack and Paddy had been woven into it, of course. So, there had been tensions. College loomed, with its mysteries and opportunities. They were following their natural course.
But, things happen sometimes. It's nobody's fault.
Fifteen years later, Hank is struggling. He is a loner. He drinks too much.
He has met a beautiful woman, and she has cast a spell on him. She provides him with a brief escape. But, after disappearing unexpectedly, the woman orchestrates an examination of Hank's past through dreams he cannot control. His life has spun out of control.
And, Julianna has emerged out of nowhere.
The past. The future. Two rivers. Figments of imagination. And a child.
There were messages in those dreams.
In the Summer of 1971, all was at it should be. Julianna had begun winding down their romance. Jack and Paddy had been woven into it, of course. So, there had been tensions. College loomed, with its mysteries and opportunities. They were following their natural course.
But, things happen sometimes. It's nobody's fault.
Fifteen years later, Hank is struggling. He is a loner. He drinks too much.
He has met a beautiful woman, and she has cast a spell on him. She provides him with a brief escape. But, after disappearing unexpectedly, the woman orchestrates an examination of Hank's past through dreams he cannot control. His life has spun out of control.
And, Julianna has emerged out of nowhere.
The past. The future. Two rivers. Figments of imagination. And a child.
There were messages in those dreams.
There is an old bridge on the Red River between Texas and Oklahoma. They used to go there and drink beer at night, sitting on the concrete pier under the single lane of the bridge, high above the water. By then, the bridge was no longer on a map. They used to laugh about that, sitting in a space in the sky above the Red River that no longer officially existed.
In the Summer of 1971, all was at it should be. Julianna had begun winding down their romance. Jack and Paddy had been woven into it, of course. So, there had been tensions. College loomed, with its mysteries and opportunities. They were following their natural course.
But, things happen sometimes. It's nobody's fault.
Fifteen years later, Hank is struggling. He is a loner. He drinks too much.
He has met a beautiful woman, and she has cast a spell on him. She provides him with a brief escape. But, after disappearing unexpectedly, the woman orchestrates an examination of Hank's past through dreams he cannot control. His life has spun out of control.
And, Julianna has emerged out of nowhere.
The past. The future. Two rivers. Figments of imagination. And a child.
There were messages in those dreams.
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2017
3 people want to read
About the author
James Sanders
101 books5 followersJames Sanders is an architect, author and filmmaker, based in New York City. With Ric Burns, Mr. Sanders co-wrote the 17 1/2-hour, eight-part PBS series, New York: A Documentary Film, and co-authored New York: An Illustrated History (Knopf, 1999). In 2000, the series received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series, an Emmy Award for Editing, and an Alfred I. DuPont/Columbia University Silver Baton Award. The series’ eighth episode, a history of the World Trade Center entitled, “The Center of the World,” was broadcast nationally in September 2003, and Mr. Sanders and Mr. Burns have recently completed a 75-minute film portrait of Columbia University for its 250th-year celebration in 2004.
Mr. Sanders is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and Architectural Record, and co-produced major exhibitions on the history of New York housing and the urban heritage of 42nd Street, held at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Since 1995 he has been co-host of the New York Conference on ECHO, an online community. He is the head of the Center for Urban Experience, a research and design institute, based in New York, dedicated to exploring innovative new ways of understanding and experiencing the urban environment.
Mr. Sanders maintains a design practice in Manhattan. His public work includes projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Pershing Square Management Association (Los Angeles), the Parks Council, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. His private commissions include the offices of Word.com, the residences of New Yorker fiction editor Bill Buford, Professor Edward Said, and the actress Molly Ringwald, as well as urban design and development consultation for The Mercer in SoHo. His design work has been published in House Beautiful, Interiors, the New York Times “House and Home” section, and will appear this year in an upcoming issue of Architectural Digest. In 1990, Mr. Sanders designed Mac Wellman's Crowbar, which restored the historic Victory Theater on 42nd Street to legitimate theatrical use.
Mr. Sanders is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, is the chair of the New Media Committee for the AIA’s Center for Architecture, and currently teaches at the New School in Manhattan.
Mr. Sanders is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, and Architectural Record, and co-produced major exhibitions on the history of New York housing and the urban heritage of 42nd Street, held at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Since 1995 he has been co-host of the New York Conference on ECHO, an online community. He is the head of the Center for Urban Experience, a research and design institute, based in New York, dedicated to exploring innovative new ways of understanding and experiencing the urban environment.
Mr. Sanders maintains a design practice in Manhattan. His public work includes projects for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Pershing Square Management Association (Los Angeles), the Parks Council, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission. His private commissions include the offices of Word.com, the residences of New Yorker fiction editor Bill Buford, Professor Edward Said, and the actress Molly Ringwald, as well as urban design and development consultation for The Mercer in SoHo. His design work has been published in House Beautiful, Interiors, the New York Times “House and Home” section, and will appear this year in an upcoming issue of Architectural Digest. In 1990, Mr. Sanders designed Mac Wellman's Crowbar, which restored the historic Victory Theater on 42nd Street to legitimate theatrical use.
Mr. Sanders is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, is the chair of the New Media Committee for the AIA’s Center for Architecture, and currently teaches at the New School in Manhattan.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 16, 2017
This book was a good read. I was never quite sure if I truly liked the characters or not.
The setting is between 1971 and 1987 in Texas. Hank and his friends Julianna, Jack and Paddy are in high school and dealing with their individual lives. I found each of the characters to have their own faults: I suppose that could be viewed as a human trait. Hank's family life is turbulent: a mentally unstable mother, an overbearing and violent father, a little sister trying to compensate and two older siblings who have distanced themselves. Hank is a typical teenage boy and is only concerned with himself. He is in a relationship with Julianna, a wealthy girl who is motherly to his friends. I found her confusing. Jack is a boy never truly nurtured and cared for by anyone. Paddy is a boy with a normal family and is caught in the middle.
The setting is between 1971 and 1987 in Texas. Hank and his friends Julianna, Jack and Paddy are in high school and dealing with their individual lives. I found each of the characters to have their own faults: I suppose that could be viewed as a human trait. Hank's family life is turbulent: a mentally unstable mother, an overbearing and violent father, a little sister trying to compensate and two older siblings who have distanced themselves. Hank is a typical teenage boy and is only concerned with himself. He is in a relationship with Julianna, a wealthy girl who is motherly to his friends. I found her confusing. Jack is a boy never truly nurtured and cared for by anyone. Paddy is a boy with a normal family and is caught in the middle.
It is their senior year summer. The boys take a canoe trip and tragedy ensues. This scars Hank and Jack for life. Hank and Julianna end their relationship and the boys lose touch. Hank is a lawyer 15 years later when everything crashes down.
I was confused most of the time. I wasn't sure what was in Hank's mind and what was rea.. That is, until the end. The story was good but could have been better without the supernatural elements. I didn't know where that ended and where the real world began.
Overall I did enjoy the book and was pleased with the ending. I am glad the characters found their peace, even if some lives were changed forever.
Displaying 1 of 1 review