Book Description
Cross Over Troubled Waters
Hope is like the starsâalways there, yet shining brightest in the blackest of nights. It is like the dawn, always rising anew. Hope is for everyone, and that includes you. This collection of more than twenty true stories from a ranch of rescued dreams unveils the heart of true strength and the character of genuine courage. Experience for yourself the kind of love and hope that change a person from the inside out. Because sometimes, just believing in someone is enough for them to start believing in themselves. It’s the galvanizing truth that no matter how deep your painâ¦God’s love exceeds it still.
Sometimes, just believing in someone
is enough for them to start
believing in themselvesâ¦
Without raising his eyes to look at me, in a voice barely clearing the horizon of a whisper, he said, âI know you don’t love me⦠You just say that ’cuz you’re an adult and it’s kinda like your job. But I know you don’t really love me.â
Suffering and blessing balance on the same high wire, each giving stability and depth to the other. The one that we feel the mostâ¦is ultimately the one that we give the most.
It was her eyes that gave her away. The conflict of her mortal illness versus her will raged behind them. Her body shouted, âI’m sick and it’s getting harder and harder to do the things I love!â while her indomitable will shouted back, âYeah, but I’m just a little kid, and little kids should get to ride horses!â
What a relief it is when we begin to understand that it is within our hardships that truth is elevated from our hearts to our heads.
âDuring the darkest days I’d ever known, I was introduced to the unconditional love of a little horse and a merciful God, and my life has never been the same,â says author Kim Meeder . And her book proves that hope is not only for us to keepâ¦but to give.
âStirring, encouraging, and inspirational, Bridge Called Hope reminds us that hope is heaven sent for everyone, and that we, too, can make a positive difference in others’ lives."
Eric Close
Actor
âKim Meeder vibrantly sharesâand livesâan amazing story of hope and restoration. A triumph of recovery for wounded hearts!â
Louie Giglio
Director, Passion Conferences, and bestselling author
Story Behind the Book
âI was moved to write Hope Rising and Bridge Called Hope because, when I needed it the most, someone shared hope with me and it saved my life. During the darkest days I’d ever known, I was introduced to the unconditional love of a little horse and a merciful God, and my life has never been the same. Everything in our life is about choices. We cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we choose to feel about them. The pain that we feel in this life is certain. What is equally certain is how we choose to feel about the pain. It can destroy usâor it can define us. The choice is uniquely ours.â âKim Meeder
Customer Reviews:
As beautiful as the first! .......2007-09-19
Most sequels don't measure up to the first book, but this one is a rarity. It is as well written and beautiful as the its predecessor. I hope it's not the end of the author's writen journey.
Wonderful inspiration.......2007-09-04
This book was much like Kim's first book - "Hope Rising". Full of wonderful stories about the many horses and children who have spent time at the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch and because of their time there, have come away with new hope about life itself. Great reading!
Keep your tissues handy.......2007-08-26
Kims stories of abused children will bring a tear to almost anyones eyes. Her writing paints a vivid image in your head, as if you are there yourself. But this is not merely a book about unwanted and abused children. It's a story of how one couple takes God's message of hope to ones who have none.
Bridge Called Hope.......2007-08-23
This was a beautiful story with and important message of reaching those who feel they are without hope in this world. the title is very appropriate and the message is one that is greatly needed in our world today. There is hope!
Hope Rising.......2007-08-19
Second book by this author that offers true, inspiring, heart-tugging stories how horses and children that need mending from abuse or other physical/mental issues help pull each other through to a path of healing; and the husband and wife team that makes it all happen through faith.
Book Description
1794
Rake and reckless hero, Gabriel Montserrat falls prey to blackest treachery--his death a mystery to be locked away forever in the deepest recesses of Draycott Abbey.
1994
American-born beauty Cathlin O'Neill finds herself named in a strange bequest. But to claim her legendary treasure, she must spend seven days--and nights--in the hauntingly beautiful British Abbey where her mother was murdered years before.
Her co-inheritor is Dominic Montserrat--arrogant ex-royal bodyguard and confirmed cynic--who must now protect Cathlin...and help heal the secret pain of her wounded heart. For grave danger prowls the abbey's ghostly halls--where Cathlin and Dominic must confront the dark shadows of a mysterious past... in the sacred cause of a love too long unfulfilled and a passion too long denied.
Customer Reviews:
Forging a Bridge of Love.......2002-10-22
The ancestors of Dominic Montserrat and Cathlin O'Neill - the Mad Gabriel Montserrat and Geneva Russell - had sworn always that their love would be `Together' and `Forever' - to last longer than Gabriel's mortal life. An oath or an omen, as Gabriel's destiny was struck and a promise made. It was an all encompassing love that was so very bittersweet. Their promises would pass beyond the bonds of time - past death itself. And so begins another story set against the backdrop of the wonderful Draycott Abbey.
Dominic Montserrat is brought to Draycott Abbey by his friend Lord Nicholas Draycott after the discovery of Dominic's long dead ancestor Gabriel Montserrat. Gabriel had been shot then entombed by a madman and left to die. As he sat dying, he wrote a will in his own blood that stated that the oldest living descendents of himself and Geneva Russell inherit a case of 1794 Chateau d'Yquem - roughly estimated in value to be worth close to two million pounds. Conditions for this will were that the two co-inheritors spend seven days in Draycott Abbey - with one another condition which I won't mention because it would spoil the fun!
Cathlin O'Neill, the descendant of Geneva Russell, would be a hard to convince with the conditions as she had visited Draycott Abbey once before at the age of 10 years, and it was there that her mother had been murdered. Memories of the murder were locked away, too painful and traumatic to remember. Not only that, but her first impression of Dominic was that he was a rich, noble playboy and she wanted nothing to do with `his kind'. Dominic's first impression of Cathlin was anything but dislike....he was highly attracted to the very beautiful Cathlin, but trying to separate his feelings from the business proposition at hand would take every ounce of self-control he possessed.
Intermingled with the battles that these two modern day people were having were flashbacks of their `other lives' those of Gabriel and Geneva during the tumultuous days of the French Revolution where Gabriel was thought of as a rake and a reckless hero of sorts saving people from the guillotine. And, Geneva, who was trying to convince him to try one more rescue of her only surviving relatives before they would fall under the blade of the guillotine.
The story is a non-stop page-turner, flawlessly moving back and forth in time through the memories of these reincarnated souls. Again, with our resident ghost and companion Adrian and Gideon, who help as much as they can to try to set the modern day lovers along the right path in solving the mysteries of 200 years ago, also helping Cathlin to unlock buried memories in solving the murder of her mother, and trusting herself to believe that she could love again.
I feel as though I am there with Ms. Skye's superb writing and breathtaking imagery. Reading her books is like stepping into the very skin of her characters. Effecting such ease in going back and forth between time takes on a whole new meaning when it flows from the pen of this accomplished author. This is another wonderful book in the Draycott Abbey series that should not be missed by any of her fans. Wonderful book!
A FANTASTIC STORY!!.......1999-01-20
"Bridge of Dreams" is the fantastic story of Dominic Monserrat, an earl and retired royal marine whose path crosses with American Cathlin O'Neill, a woman haunted by her mother's death. Together, they must fulfill the will of Dominic's ancestor Gabriel. Gabriel, a friend of Adrian's, the Abbey's ghost, died mysteriously hundreds of years ago. His remains were found in the Abbey along with a very priceless wine and his will. In his will, Gabriel left the wine to the two oldest descendents of himself and of his love, Genevieve Russell. In order to inherit the priceless wine, Dominic and Cathlin must spend seven days and nights as husband and wife at the Abbey, if not the wine is to be tossed into the moat by Adrian Draycott's descendent, Nicholas Draycott, the twelveth viscount of Draycott. Dominic and Cathlin have to fight against many obstacles along the way such as theives, killers and the occasional ghost possession. Theirs is a wonderful love story that's lasted through time. It's another amazing addition to the Draycott Abbey series. You'll enjoy it almost as much as I did. Trust me!
I loved this book...I couldn't put it down!.......1998-07-19
Wow! Until a week ago I had never even HEARD of Dracott Abbey and its inhabitants...now, I can't get enough of them! I received this book and "Hour of the Rose" for my birthday and now I've finished them both and am looking forward to the next one... ASAP!!
the best supernatural series I've read in a long time!.......1998-03-27
I just finished reading this book, and as I turned the last page, my goosebumps still hadn't gone down! I'm hooked on this series, and can't wait to read the next ones. I had no idea ghost stories could be this fun!
SPECTACULAR.......1998-01-26
I'VE READ ALL HER BOOKS TO DATE AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ONE. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I ESPECIALLY LOVE THE DRAYCOTT ABBOTT SERIES. WHAT A GHOST YOU HAVE IN ADRIAN. GIDEON REMINDS ME OF MY OWN CAT WHO IS STILL VERY MUCH WITH US. ALL HER BOOKS ARE KEEPERS AND TO BE READ AGAIN.
Customer Reviews:
A Memoir of the Dreams of Life.......2005-01-05
This lovely poetic lament transcends time and space.
How often does a glimpse of the forbidden (that
which lies beyond our cloistered grasp) create a melancholia
that pervades our life?
As we cross this bridge of dreams - fleeting and ethereal, we
identify with Lady "Sarashina" and a life of desires destined to remain unfulfilled.
And yet, it is precisely this unfulfillment that allows the memoirs' moody
passion to blossom. As a result of her discontent, we readers have an opportunity
to savour the gentle nectar of her often luminous writing.
Beautiful dreamer.......2004-08-20
This charming, brief book really does move at a dream-like pace. There are great leaps in time, with no apparent explanation. Things that should have seemed vitally important, like raising three children, are dismissed in a few scattered lines. Sarashina simply walks out on a once-in-a-lifetime imperial ceremony, but returns again and again to the sight of the moonlight.
Sarashina, the pseudonym we have for her, lived and wrote in the first half of the 11th century, in Heian Japan. It is a wonderful quirk of history that this era hosted so many educated, literate women, with cloistered lives that allowed time for introspection. The authors of The Gossamer Years and Shonagon's Pillow Book lived during that same era, and even had family connections to Sarashina.
She wrote this memoir near the end of her life, and seemed to use it as a package for presenting her life. Like an elegantly wrapped package, this tantalizes us by hiding the real substance inside. We read a little of her role in the imperial court, but never see into the closed society of the women's quarters. We see a courtier's career interrupted by family duties, but quite make out what those duties were. We learn that her husband was influential enough to be named regional governor, but we never see her part in his court or how that related to her imperial service. Instead, we read a few conversations, travelogues, and poems, the kind that hide more than they reveal.
As a child, she had a passion for romantic stories. She used those tales to enter worlds of elegant people and beautiful places. It was only in her thirties that she came back to earth, and realized that she had let too much time go by. She did marry, but was widowed early. She did have a comfortable life as lady in waiting, but never found her way into the court's inner circle. It was almost as if her life were one of those romances, but she had been given only a minor role in it.
She wrote this memoir when she was old and alone. It is beautifully literate. Still, I almost wonder whether her mind had started to wander, and wander only where the little girl's romance stories led.
//wiredweird
The Sei Shonogon antipode.......2004-06-04
Lady Sharashina lived a life of dreamy lament. It is a wonder if someone of her nature could ever be happy with what the real world could offer. Her brief moments of happiness are gained in dreams and fantasy, or tempting/dreaming the impossible, the forbidden fruit. The real world, despite living a life of relative privilege, was a never ending experience of pain to her. She took seeing the ephemeral (wabi sabi/mono no aware) aspects of life to heiights of seeing the eternal in the ephemeral the great in the small, which can be beautiful (as with Basho), but Lady Sharshina seems too idealistic and self obsessed which makes it something pitiful in the end. The real world is one of duty and lament: "veni, vedi, vici" would not be her epitaph; more like perpetual nostaligic anguish and shyness. Her regrets seem misguided.
Lady Sharashina avoided popular attractions, as opposed to her near contemporary Sei Shonagon, in "The Pillow Book", who endeavored to be the attraction. Some of the scenes are unforgetable and the book is a classic for what it is: the memoirs of a dreamer. The book has one of the most poignent poetic conundrum sort of endings I can recall.
The translation failed to capture all of the poems, which is to be expected; but those that were captured are brilliant.
The contrast between Sei Shonagon and Lady Sharshina is one of the beauties of these books and poses an interesting psychological comparison.
Lyrical counterpoint to Sei Shonagon.......2004-03-19
Short, poignant and redolent of a very individual experience of life in Heian Japan, the memoirs of 'Lady Sarashina' provide a fascinating glimpse of a woman's life slightly outside of the most exalted circles of eleventh-century life. This is a highly idiosyncratic portrait of its time, concentrating on episodes important to Sarashina herself (dreams, pilgrimages, poetic exchanges) rather than to the politically-active class as a whole. The sense of chronology is vague, the structure dictated more by mood pieces and observations than straightforward diary-keeping.
As such, this probably isn't the place to start with medieval Japanese writing, but something to try after Sei Shonagon (an altogether more ebullient and resilient character, who _is_ at the centre of things) and Lady Murasaki. Sarashina is too withdrawn to involve herself in the customary court intrigues and liaisons, and too low-status to have much impact. Instead, she occupies herself with the fantastical world of Genji and other "Tales". Her memoirs are also notable for their account of a journey through the provinces to the capital, and for highly-praised poetry that unfortunately doesn't translate particularly well.
Ivan Morris' concise introduction sets the work in its context and discusses its significance and textual history; line drawings and unobtrusive notes further build our picture of Sarashina's world. A worthwhile purchase.
THE BRIDGE NEVER GETS CROSSED.......2003-05-02
As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a truly nonwestern work. In its tone, its narrative devices, and in the world it presents, this is a work that is clearly "other" from traditional Western fare. While sharing the same structural shell as the Western novel, its story is largely outside the limits of Western expectation.
At its heart, As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is a song sung in retrospect by Lady Sarashina. This is a song of denied dreams that always just barely seem to fail.
The one constant of the narrative is sadness. Whether Sarashina's life was really so melancholy or whether she wrote this looking back through the lens of bitterness is speculation. Yet the sadness is palpable. Sadness hovers over each scene. When happiness breaks in, it is an unexpected and short-lived guest.
The narrative covers most of Sarashina's life. It starts in her childhood and leads up to her later years. She lives a very sheltered life in her father's house. So much so that it, in some ways, could be described in non-religious terms as a cloister. All the young Sarashina has to occupy her time is her love of tales and the hope of a more fulfilling future.
The genesis of Sarashina's great unhappiness is the glimpse she gets of the greater life around her--a life that she is never capable of partaking in. In all her travels she is never able to break free from her own internal solitude. She will not allow herself to live in anything more than a "dream."
For me, the extremely episodic nature of the book made it hard to get deeply involved as a reader. There were long spaces in this book where the author dwelt on seemingly unimportant matters. There are also quite a few brief sections where the author skips ahead a number of years. This made things difficult for me to follow on a number of occasions.
The one part of the book that I enjoyed was the poetry. I greatly enjoyed the poem that the author's father had his daughter compose to send to his ex-wife. The moment was both touching and insightful into their relationship.
The native Japanese worldview was wholly foreign to me. All the pilgrimages, priests, nuns, and what I would term "superstitions" struck me as convoluted and semi-capricious. The mother's taking of vows while still living within the house, yet being separated from the household, was a truly odd moment.
Though sometimes hopeful, Sarashina has no true hope. In its place Sarashina resigns herself to the idea that all the bad things happening to her are the result of Karma.
I have a hard time swallowing this much hopelessness. There is an endless sense of wallowing about As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams. I wanted to talk to Sarashina--to tell her that no matter how deep the darkness, it only takes one point of light to dispel it.
While this book may have value in being representative of the Japanese Literature of its day, it is not something I would choose to read again. The problem with As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams is that no one ever crosses the stinking bridge.
Book Description
Behind the walls of the fabled abbey, Cathlin O'Neill is forced to confront deepest sorrow and boundless love as she and Dominic Montserrat, haunted by his own shadowed past, race against time to solve a centuries-old mystery…and free the ancient fire that burns anew between them.
The search for a rare painting drew Kacey Mallory to Draycott Abbey—the lure of untold passion holds her there. Could enigmatic Lord Nicholas be the key to her past…and the promise of her future?
Customer Reviews:
Great Ghosts.......2007-07-27
I had these stories when they first came out and donated them to the library. When this pair showed up I had to have them back for my own library. I was not disappointed when I reread them. Wish the entire Draycott group would be printed in this pairs format! I would recollect them all.
A classic.......2007-06-11
Bridge of Dreams. In 1794, the fifth Earl of Ashton Gabriel Montserrat disappeared soon after he was accused of killing his fiancé Geneva Russell. Five generations of earls later, Dominic Montserrat finds Gabriel's remains along with a case of rare Sauternes wine inside a recently discovered secret room in Draycott Abbey. To inherit the wine, Gabriel must spend a week with Geneva's descendent Cathlin O'Neill at Draycott Abbey. Neither is prepared for the attraction between them nor the tragic nightmares starring their star-crossed ancestors that haunt them.
Enchantment. In 1991 Kacey Mallory comes to Draycott Abbey searching for a valuable missing rare painting. There she meets the current earl Lord Nicholas who she is attracted to and he seems to reciprocate her deepest feelings. However, she also wonders why he is her costar in her dreams and nightmares because they feel so real as if they are memories not fantasies.
This is a reprint of two Christina Skye's delightfully haunting Draycott Abbey tales. If you have not read them or have back in the 1990s, these pass the test of time as they remain some of the better romantic fantasies available.
Harriet Klausner
This is a re-issue.......2007-06-07
I'm giving this one star to the publisher and to Amazon. I detest re-issued books and usually check the copyright and Library of Congress dates on books. Since this was an internet purchase, I was not able to confirm this is a new book rather than an older one being republished. The Amazon blurb doesn't indicate a re-issued book, nor did the publisher's description.
I enjoy Ms. Skye's books, but Draycott Legacy is a re-issue of two previously published books which I purchased and read when they were new. I didn't research "Enchantment" and "Bridge of Dreams", or I would have realized this.
Micki
Book Description
An epic fantasy from the author of the Outremer series.
For a thousand years, the great city of Sund stood impregnable while its enemy, Maras, remained outside the walls. Then the Marasi harnessed the powers of magic. Erecting an otherworldly bridge whose foundations were rooted in sorcery, the Marasi overran the walls of Sund, and threw them down.
In the city of Maras-Sund, magic has been outlawed. Yet there are children being born with raw magical talent-and there are those who would rally behind them to rebel against their hated overlords. Issel, a young water-seller from the poorest part of the city, possesses the gift for magic. And when he is recognized for his talents, recruited, and trained in the arts, his abilities may hold the key to his people's salvation.
Customer Reviews:
exciting fantasy thriller .......2006-05-03
The city of Sund thought its walls made it impregnable and the use of water magic made it a very special place to live. In a day, what took thousands of years to create was broken by the Marasi who created a magical bridge that scaled the walls and let the army in. Now Sund is a place of occupation where magic is outlawed and the bridge is constantly replenished by the dreams of children who eventually die.
In Sund, Issel, liar, thief, con-man and water seller has the raw water magic in his blood though he doesn't know how to use it. He is taken in by a teacher who runs a school where the children learn how to use the magic so their heritage will not die. There are rebels who want to find a way to throw out the Marasi from the city and Issel lights a spark of rebellion in the population with an action he takes. The occupiers torture and kill many of the Sund and put their bodies on display. Issel uses his magic to form a new kind of weapon and with the Marasi government in turmoil; the Sund just might have a chance of getting the occupiers out if his life and keeping them out.
This stand alone book by the author of the Outremer novels is an exciting fantasy thriller about an occupied city and how the people who live there cope with being under the harsh thumbs of their rulers. The protagonist is an unlikely hero more of a criminal than a savior yet against his will he is taught the gentler emotions and becomes a person readers will care for and admire. Chaz Brenchley is a brilliant world builder who is a master storyteller.
Harriet Klausner
Customer Reviews:
Excellent for all levels.......2004-09-13
This book is truly a marvel for both group working and the solitary practitioner. Do not be fooled by the book's approachability; the pathworkings contained within are potent indeed. One of Dolores' talents lies in her ability to take the occult and make it perfectly presentable to the layperson. This is shown in many reviews where the commenter thinks that a book must be an intro a beginner's book, not realizing just what they have in their hands. I adivse that one not only read the book upon purchase, but work the guided visualizaitions therein, your work will be well rewarded.
Hard to read.......2003-03-27
I have to admit that I wasn't expecting anything like what the book was, so in a way it isn't that the book is bad, but rather just definately something not for me and I can't imagine suggesting it either. I have read another book by the auther and was extremely happy with it, but this book is very specificly for a certain purpose. That purpose is a very particular way to do pathworking.
First I have to say that I had an idea of what pathworking was, because I am very familiar with the occult. That is a guided meditation.
This book though reads very much unlike the guided meditations I am used to. The pathworkings in this book are written like stories except the main character is in first person. And in every pathworking the main character is doing some sort of ritual that is akin to a particular culture.
I do not have the book with me and I am going off memory but for an example, one pathworking would be an Egytian neophyte which you take the role in this first person experience and go through his/her initiation as them step by step.
The beginnings of the chapters are wonderfully written to give a short explanation of what type of pathworking the chapter will go into, it was the actual pathworking that I got caught on and couldn't get "into". It was the lack of detail, the lack of allowance to experience more then the limited guided meditation offers, and mostly it was the not so easy role that I had no affinity towards that it thrusts you in with out any emotional appeal. If you already do pathworkings then this book could be of great interest to you. If you want an idea towards how you can mentally create a good guided meditation then this might give you some creative idea. Otherwise I would recommend you purchase this book after you have had the oppertunity to look at it because I can only imagine its appeal to particular readers. I do like the author, and I do like the basis of the book, but the actual pathworkings did not fulfill my expectations.
There are many books out there with a lot of easier to use pathworkings that I would suggest to the general reader. Though I don't think there is a general reader for the new age world.
A basic primer for the pathworking novice........2002-11-29
This book gives detailed help on the how and why of pathworking. It gives progressive information and basically takes you by the hand and leads you down the right path. A 'must have' for those just starting out. Not bad for those who have been on the path for a while either though it does cover some very elementary ground. Pathworking is something that is a cornerstone to our faith and sadly is neglected too much. Hopefully this book will help to change that.
Nicely written but gives nothing new........1999-10-08
This is a nice text, some nice images but it was going over old ground so I never actually finished it.
Beautiful pathworkings for awakening the Higher Self.......1999-09-19
Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, the Director of Studies for the Servants of the Light school of occult science, has been an innovator in the spiritual practice of "pathworking" since her earlier classic, "Highways of the Mind." Pathworking, traditionally an inner guided journey on the paths of the Tree of Life, was once a closely guarded secret of the Western Mystery schools offering initiation. The spiritual path of Qabalah postulates a Tree of Life mandala of ten aspects of Divinity and twenty-two paths or states of consciousness. Initiates pathworking the paths of the Tree of Life would activate and awaken these various states of consciousness, latent within the neophyte (beginner), to full potency within their own sphere of sensation or aura. The initiate completing such "inner journeys" would then have incorporated the Tree of Life within and have access to its various potentials and powers for spiritual fulfillment and expression. The spiritual changes for the better effected by such inner journeys compelled Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki to make this powerful tool available to the world at large. Her work has revolutionized this technique from its sole use in Qabalistic training to encompass all the major traditions of the Western Mysteries. Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki has taught through her experiental workshops that pathworking the various ancient traditions can also stimulate into activity within the sphere of sensation of the practioner the spiritual fulfillment and expression offered by the ancient initiatory paths of the past. Readers of "The Initiate's Book of Pathworkings" will find many of her most powerful pathworkings illustrating the spiritual potency and richness of the Western Mysteries. The reader will encounter the ancient gods of Egypt, Greece and the Celtic people. Alexandria, "the city that faced upon the world" will also be explored. The reader can also look forward to pathworkings related to the Craft of the Wise and the Fairy path. In addition, she offers a new approach towards experiencing Shamanism. Two of my favorite sections of her book offer innovative work with the Angels, and the Elementals who can empower the magical potency of the initiate. Finally, pathworkings written solely for the new millenium are offered illustrating a possibility of the work that lies ahead for the spiritual aspirant as well as giving hope. I wholeheartedly recommend this rich collection of pathworkings as incomparable spiritual tools for the sole practioner or working group to empower their spiritual development into the new millenium.
Amazon.com
Henry Petroski's lyrical history of bridge builders in America is organized around five engineers: James Eads (inventor of the diving bell, which bridged Mississippi at St. Louis); Theodore Cooper (railroad bridge engineer and designer of the ill-fated Quebec Bridge); Gustav Lindenthal (Hell Gate Bridge, New York); Othmar Ammann (George Washington and Verrazano-Narrow bridges); and David Steinman (Mackinac bridge). Petroski's opening and closing chapters, "Imagine" and "Realize," remind us how a bridge starts out as a dream of engineering, but ends as a reality of compromise and maintenance. Edward Tenner says that "The profound contribution of Engineers of Dreams is to remind us that communication across generations may be the most important bridge of all."
Book Description
Petroski reveals the science and engineering--not to mention the politics, egotism, and sheer magic--behind America's great bridges, particularly those constructed during the great bridge-building era starting in the 1870s and continuing through the 1930s. It is the story of the men and women who built the St. Louis, the George Washington, and the Golden Gate bridges, drawing not only on their mastery of numbers but on their gifts for persuasion and self-promotion. It is an account of triumphs and ignominious disasters (including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which literally twisted itself apart in a high wind). And throughout this grandly engaging book, Petroski lets us see how bridges became the "symbols and souls" of our civilization, as well as testaments to their builders' vision, ingenuity, and perseverance.
"Seamlessly linked...With astonishing scope and generosity of view, Mr. Petroski places the tradition of American bridge-building in perspective."--New York Times Book Review
Customer Reviews:
BridgePros Review.......2002-08-12
If you want to learn more about the best American bridge designers and their bridges, this is the book for you! In particular it has a very good chapter on Steinman (the designer of the Mackinac Bridge).
This book will tell you the stories and politics behind each one of the designers featured and their bridges.
Book evokes a sense of wonder.......2000-06-07
Engineers of Dreams is a book I've read several times because it involves me in the history behind some of engineerings greatest triumphs... and failures. The story of great engineers with various combinations of vision and practicality, as well as perseverence in all cases, makes for a kind of drama. In some cases, we know how the story ended, with a great bridge we can see. In other cases, the story ends with a wreck and bodies. From the story of the San Francisco Bay Bridge to the story of the first Quebec Bridge, this book itself spans a range of ability and satisfaction that is a joy to perceive.
Not up to Petroski's usual high standard.......1998-12-13
I am a great fan of Henry Petroski, engineering professor and author of such minor classics as The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things. Perhaps it is because of these high expectations that I was so disappointed by Engineer of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and the Spanning of America. In the end, Petroski seems much better at writing about engineering artifacts - pencils, paper clips, or, in this book, bridges - than the makers of those artifacts. Much of Petroski's "biography" here seemed nothing less than mere formula: you could almost see him filling in his computer template for "name, date and place of birth, school, mentor, etc." each time a new engineer was introduced. Further, he did not even attempt to vary the template from person to person, so that the repetitive style becomes unmistakable. This book is worth reading insofar as it provides a history of the bridges themselves, and the limits of engineering technique and imagination.
The Mackinac Bridge is finally recogized.......1998-04-05
Finally, FINALLY: a recognition of David Steinman's achievements. The Mackinac Bridge has been described as a "symphony of concrete and steel". If Steinman had not been an enginneer, he may have been a musician.Some structures clearly belong where they are placed. Just a few, though. Steinman had the eye for such places: Messina, for example. It was nice to see a chapter devoted to him, and the rest of the book was good, but otherwise documented.
A fine book explaining the history of building bridges.......1997-09-08
There are very few books which deal with the detail of what it took to build some of the most useful bridges that , even though they were built almost a hundred years ago, are still used and appreciated by millions of people today. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in the subject and am not surprised, but disappointed that the book is not currently available by the publisher.I was going to purchase several copies as gifts to fellow engineers. I look forward to the second edition
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A Bridge of Dreams: The Story of Paramananda, a Modern Mystic and His Ideal of All-Conquering Love
Sara Ann Levinsky
Manufacturer: Pub Overstock Unlimited Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0892810637 |
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