Book review "The Bridge to Trebicia" – The Power of Friendship

</h1>

Some time ago, I read the book "The Power of Childhood", which mentioned Catherine. Patterson, an author, said that when she was a child, she was "timid, unintelligent, clumsy, and could not be a hero anyway", so she became a writer and wanted to write books for children who were also often discouraged and timid.

When I saw this passage, I wanted to read the book she wrote, because when I was a child, like Catherine, I was a timid and clumsy child.

Catherine's most famous book is "The Bridge to Trebicia", the protagonist is an eleven-year-old boy who is often depressed and timid, and this story is mainly about his overcoming his inner timidity through the power of friendship.

The boy's name is Jesse, and let's take a look at his life situation:

He had four sisters, two sisters, two younger sisters, and had a bad relationship with his sister, only with his eldest sister.

Dad is very busy, all day early out and late home, mom also has endless housework, the family economy is not rich, even to buy Christmas gifts have to calculate for a long time.

Jesse is a hard-working child who is responsible for milking cows every day and often helps his mother with other chores, but her mother is grumpy and scolds people at every turn.

Jesse often felt that he was completely ignored by his parents, he could not be like two sisters, he could not talk to his mother endlessly, nor could he pounce into his father's arms like two sisters, and he himself, as if he was judged to be an adult at birth, did not need these.

Jesse felt so lonely in this group of women.

What about at school? Not much better.

Jesse likes to draw the most, but he does not dare to let others know that he likes to draw, and his classmates say that he is a "crazy child who draws all day". Whenever the teachers catch him drawing, they have to shout about what waste is there – waste of time, waste of paper, waste of talent.

In fact, what makes Jesse care the most is his father's attitude towards his painting, once, Jesse said to his father that he would become an artist when he grew up, Jesse thought that his father would be happy, but he did not expect his father to say, "What are these ghost schools teaching?" A bunch of old women taught me, my only son...", Dad didn't finish his words, but Jesse understood What Dad meant, which Dad said four years ago, and Jesse hasn't forgotten it.

Because of this, Jesse has been practicing running all his vacation, he wants to prove himself by running, he wants to make his father proud, and if nothing else, at the beginning of the new semester, he can become the fastest running boy.

However, there was an accident.

There was a transfer student in the class named Leslie.

Leslie is a girl from the city, her mom and dad are writers, they have a good family relationship, they talk about everything, they moved to the country because her mom and dad feel that they are too obsessed with success and money, and want to figure out what the most important things in life are.

Leslie not only has a superior family, independent and cheerful personality, imaginative, but also good at sports, likes to dive, running is also fast, Jesse described Leslie running like a goose, very good-looking.

Because of Leslie's joining, Jesse did not become the boy who ran the fastest, and Jesse was very angry at first, but gradually the two became good friends.

In Jesse's opinion, Leslie was just too good:

Very brave, never seemed to be afraid of anything; clever, with great homework; imaginative, with countless good stories in her head; and very polite, even a picky mother who had nothing to say; and most importantly, she was so kind.

At Christmas, Leslie gave Jesse a set of painting materials, and Jesse was ecstatic, which was what he wanted most. Jesse's gift to Leslie was a puppy that was given for free. Jesse felt that the gift he had given was not worth much, but Leslie said that it was the best, and that her gift was not as good as Jesse's.

Jesse was often puzzled as to why Leslie had chosen to be her friend. Jesse thinks he's completely inferior to Leslie, nowhere else.

In fact, what Jesse didn't know was that it was her kindness that impressed Leslie, and the newcomer Leslie was ostracized by her classmates, because she was different from her classmates in all aspects - Leslie wore pants, had short hair, could dive, didn't watch TV, ran with boys... But Jesse didn't have the slightest intention of exclusion, and he also invited Leslie to run with the boys, although the original motivation for the invitation was partly capable.

Friendship is a beautiful and magical existence that nourishes each other.

Because of Jesse's friend, Leslie quickly adapted to the new environment.

Because of Leslie's friend, Jesse is also getting braver.

When they were together, they were happy with each other, happy that they were full of strength in their hearts, they did a lot of great things, they "punished" the campus bullies together, they comforted the campus bullies together, and they also found a secret base.

They called this secret base "Trebicia" and appointed themselves the king and queen of the land, respectively, and the puppy was "Prince Trian".

In this magical kingdom of Trebicia, they walk into the deep forest together, they fantasize about stories together, they plot together how to punish the "bad guys", they "make fun" of the teacher together... Jesse felt as if he was getting braver.

However, a sudden misfortune brought this friendship to an abrupt end, and when Leslie went to Trebicia alone, she accidentally fell into the water and died.

This is the climax of the whole story, a beautiful friendship hastily ended, Jesse can not accept, he even feels that he has an unshirkable responsibility for Leslie's death, because on the day Leslie went to Trebicia alone, he happened to follow his favorite music teacher to the city to see the exhibition, and he did not ask Leslie to enjoy this time alone.

He felt that his own selfishness had killed Leslie, and if he had called Leslie along when he went, wouldn't this tragedy have happened?

Maybe yes, but maybe just delayed, maybe the ending was worse, but everything was just hypothetical. Jesse always had to face this great grief alone and endure the guilt of his heart.

The huge emotion made Jesse wonder what to do, and a wave of anger welled up in his heart, he threw away the painting gift that Leslie had given him, he hated Leslie, he wished he had never known her in his life.

When I read this part, I particularly admired the author's description, showing the psychological state of a child when he lost his "best friend" as real and intense.

No matter how bad things are, Leslie's unexpected death makes Jesse feel that his parents care about him, and also allows him to re-examine himself, and then quietly change in the depths of his heart.

Let's take a look at the closing part, Jesse's inner monologue:

"Now it's time for him to move on. She wasn't there anymore, he was going to go forward for the two of them. It was his turn to give back to the world with the vast vision and boundless power that Leslie had given him.

As for the danger ahead, he would not deceive himself and say that it didn't matter. Well, to stand up in fear, instead of being scared by it, isn't it, Leslie?

yes. ”

What is true bravery?

It is not fearlessness, but timidity that still goes forward, meets it, and faces it.

This is Jesse's own realization, and it is also the greatest gift that this friendship has given him.

"The Bridge to Trebicia" was also made into a movie, called "Bridge of Wonderland", after reading the novel, I remembered that I had seen this movie before, but the feeling of watching the novel and watching the movie was much different, or that there was a kind of shocking power in the author's words, which was not in the movie picture.

Book review "The Bridge to Trebicia" – The Power of Friendship