The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer - A review of sorts

Reviewing books isn't what I do most nor best, but when half a year after reading a book I still find myself thinking of it fondly and on a regular basis, then it is something special indeed.
I discovered Julie Orringer's "The invisible Bridge" thanks to one of the few book blogs I read on a regular basis: Fantasy Book Critic. It came highly recommended with the caveat that it was neiter Fantasy, nor SciFi. My recent reads had all come from the SFF corner of the Universe so this seemed like the perfect fit for me.

I will not go into the details of the plot, but just a line or two on the characters: the fact that I still remember their (not all that common) names means that they were truly memorable. Klara, Andras, Tibor, Zoltan, Polaner, Elisabet, they are all alive, they breathe and move; they are.
If you feel so inclined, Liviu has a full review over at their blog.

What still gets me is how Julie Orringer manages to convey a sense of doom in happy days and boundless optimism in the darkest hours of World War II. I have tried putting my finger on it, but it is so well done, these emotions are simply there, without apparently having been put into the book.

I recommend this book to... basically to anybody. If you're interested in Hungary's history, if you're interested in the history and background of WWII, if you're interested in architecture, if you like Paris, if you like people, if you like reading, this book is for you.