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Passage on a Bridge
It is 1935. Jim Hoffman, nineteen years old with no future, leaves his hometown in a quest for adventure on the rails and finds fulfillment and enduring friendship in the midst of tragedy.
"In those days I seemed to be watching a fork in the road always moving away." This is Jim languishing in a small Appalachian town once known for coal mines. One afternoon he stops by the local train station diner where a chance encounter with Jacks Mackenzie, a prep school dropout, sets in motion an odyssey of self-discovery and friendship.
Riding the rails with Jacks and a Texas panhandle Irishman named Murph O'Connor, Jim is absorbed into the heart of hard times - the innocent, the displaced, the disillusioned, the deranged, the idealistic, the unscrupulous, those who endured and those who could not. Here is Jim's memoir of his education in the classrooms of boxcars, rail yards and transient camps, agricultural fields and penny auctions, a Mexican cantina, Cajun cafes and long talks into the night. He has sought adventure and finds much more.
"In those days I seemed to be watching a fork in the road always moving away." This is Jim languishing in a small Appalachian town once known for coal mines. One afternoon he stops by the local train station diner where a chance encounter with Jacks Mackenzie, a prep school dropout, sets in motion an odyssey of self-discovery and friendship.
Riding the rails with Jacks and a Texas panhandle Irishman named Murph O'Connor, Jim is absorbed into the heart of hard times - the innocent, the displaced, the disillusioned, the deranged, the idealistic, the unscrupulous, those who endured and those who could not. Here is Jim's memoir of his education in the classrooms of boxcars, rail yards and transient camps, agricultural fields and penny auctions, a Mexican cantina, Cajun cafes and long talks into the night. He has sought adventure and finds much more.
- GenresFiction
326 pages, Paperback
Published October 24, 2021
6 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
William Cheevers
16 books69 followersWilliam Cheevers writes historical fiction with themes of contemporary interest. He also enjoys writing mysteries featuring Chicago private investigator Frank Lydecker, police detective Andrew Brooke and defense lawyer Adrian Tiller in the transitional world of the 1950s. William's favorite writers are Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, Eugene O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Hemingway, Faulkner, Hammett and Chandler, Doris Kearns Goodwin, David McCullough, Jean Edward Smith and Cormac McCarthy and two of the people from history he admires most are Mark Twain and Albert Einstein.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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December 14, 2021Note from the Author:
Passage on a Bridge arose from my long time respect for the men and women who endured the Great Depression and went on to fight and maintain the home front during World War II. I wanted to write something that would show in a graphic way how these people were forged by hardship and desperation as well as the innocent, the unscrupulous and those who could not endure. The story is written as a memoir of one man who rode the rails seeking adventure and finding much more.
Passage on a Bridge arose from my long time respect for the men and women who endured the Great Depression and went on to fight and maintain the home front during World War II. I wanted to write something that would show in a graphic way how these people were forged by hardship and desperation as well as the innocent, the unscrupulous and those who could not endure. The story is written as a memoir of one man who rode the rails seeking adventure and finding much more.
June 10, 2022
Loved it
I always enjoy this type of book. About train travel during hard times. This book is well written and entertaining. I hope we never have to go thru this again, but who knows?
I highly recommend this book to the younger generation as a reminder of what could happen if history is forgotten!
I always enjoy this type of book. About train travel during hard times. This book is well written and entertaining. I hope we never have to go thru this again, but who knows?
I highly recommend this book to the younger generation as a reminder of what could happen if history is forgotten!
April 19, 2022
I loved this book. Follow Jim and Jacks as they ride the rails during the Depression. Jim comes from a poorer family, an ophan supporting himself. Jacks comes from privilege and attends a private school in Jim's hometown. They meet by chance. That same night, Jacks life is drastically changed, causing him to suggest their adventure of leaving the town for something better. They cross the country, hopping trains, working, and meeting incredible people along the way. One of the most interesting books I have read in a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2022
An informative look at our past love for trains.
A good read. It keeps moving and tells us a lot about how men coped with the depression by working living and traveling where ever the railroad could take them.
A good read. It keeps moving and tells us a lot about how men coped with the depression by working living and traveling where ever the railroad could take them.
March 21, 2022
Brilliant
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews