String Bridge [Paperback]

Jessica Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2011

"Warning: Do not read String Bridge--unless you have plenty of spare time. Jessica Bell hooks the reader with a storyline so powerful it consumes you."  ~Glynis Smy, author of Ripper, My Love

Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage--and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits.

Did you know?
This novel is accompanied by an all-original soundtrack, written and performed by the author, entitled: Melody Hill: On the Other Side

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she'd give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. This is not only because she currently resides in Athens, Greece, but because of her life as a thirty-something Australian-native literary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs she's written.

Being the daughter of a semi-famous rock 'n' roll duo from Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by song. For a while it seemed logical to travel the musician's path, especially when her first band, spAnk, hit it off in the Melbourne indie music scene back in the late 90s. Although she spent her years writing and recording dozens of songs she decided she also had a love for the written word, and began to pursue a career as a writer.

Visit her website for a full list of published works.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Lucky Press, LLC (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984631747
• ISBN-13: 978-0984631742
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,919,934 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If Jessica Bell could choose only one creative mentor, she'd give the role to Euterpe, the Greek muse of music and lyrics. This is not only because she currently resides in Athens, Greece, but because of her life as a 30-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, award-winning poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, whose literary inspiration often stems from songs she's written.

Being the daughter of a semi-famous rock 'n' roll duo from Melbourne, she grew up surrounded by song. For a while it seemed logical to travel the musician's path, especially when her first band, spAnk, hit it off in the Melbourne indie music scene back in the late 90s. Although she spent her years writing and recording dozens of songs she decided she also had a love for the written word, and began to pursue a career as a writer.

She started as a poet, drawing from her musical background and etching her thoughts and feelings into verse. Those stanzas soon turned into sentences and paragraphs, and eventually into published books. Her literary voice is said to overflow with "lyrical descriptions, unique metaphors, tight dialogue, and an abundance of sensory detail." She has also been told she has the ability to take a seemingly ordinary three-chord type story and turn it into a main stage event.

In addition to her novels (STRING BRIDGE, THE BOOK), her poetry collections (TWISTED VELVET CHAINS, FABRIC which was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards in 2012), and her pocket writing guide (SHOW & TELL IN A NUTSHELL), she has published a variety of works in online and print literary journals and anthologies, including Australia's Cordite Review, and the anthologies 100 STORIES FOR QUEENSLAND and SHADOWS AT THE STAGE DOOR, both released through Australia's, eMergent Publishing.

Additionally, she is the Co-Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and makes a living as an editor/writer for English Language Teaching publishers worldwide, such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, Macmillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.

Note: Check out the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop she annually runs. In 2012 she had Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest, this year, 2013, she has Katharine Sands, New York literary agent as the main instructor.

Read more at www.jessicabellauthor.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Women's Fiction with punch. A remarkable debut. November 3, 2011

By Bee

Format:Paperback

Dare you call this chicklit. And as much as I adore chicklit, this is not the tale of a single girl, lost in the city, romping about to find HER MAN. String Bridge goes beyond that. This is after the girl has found her man, her family and is pushed over as she is made to face the hard realities of life. You could call this the after-the-fairy-tale part of life.

Familial love, marital drudgery, long suppressed dreams - Jessica Bell brings it all in and questions it all. What really is more important?

The writing is awe-inspiring. It's easy to see that she's a poet. Don't get me wrong. There's no floweriness. Bell's writing hits hard and yet there's an underlying musical cadence to it.

I was so surprised with this book. I'm a YA book whore. So much so that other genres often get neglected. But reading this reminded me how much I love a good women's fiction. And this wasn't just good. It was effing brilliant.

Bell picks at the nuances of life. The little things magnified. She isn't afraid to mention things that often go unmentioned. Like, sometimes getting irritated with the demands of the daughter you love so much that you'd wish she'd shut up. Or feeling jealous when you see her smiling with her father. Or wanting to throw utensils at your husband like a stark raving lunatic even though he's not really the villain you think of him to be. Or make him out to be. Emotions run high here, so high they spiral into cracks in the main character, Melody's life and her relationships with the people around her.

The author deftly paints relationships like she is really exhibiting the pages out of the tormented mind of a woman trying to find an identity for herself beyond being a mother and a wife. Melody's relationships with each and every character that appears in the book is explored in such depth, it is as real as it gets. The strains with her mother. The annoyance with her husband, Alex. The love for Tessa. The need for music. The fluttering feelings for a certain 'button boy'. Bipolarity, anxiety, depression. It's raw but dealt with a sensitivity, much like the one used to deal with the oddity of love.

And if you think you have it all figured out, think again. Because String Bridge veers off the path of predictability and throws you off your seat in such a way it makes you gasp for breath.

String Bridge is evocative of music that comes from a sad place then rises above the din and makes you appreciate the beauty of the world we live in and the time we have here.

I highly recommend this.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Hard time to get through November 13, 2012

By J. Levra

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I struggled with this book because of the intense every-single-thought-put-on-paper that Melody had. There are plenty of reviews of what the book was about, so my 'review' is about how this book hit ME.
I would've liked it so much more if it wasn't so centered on Melody's thoughts about every little thing she encountered. I felt like I was slowly going mad, right along with Melody. To that end, that is why I gave this BOOK 2 stars, instead of 1.... The writer IS a good writer, it is just that what she chose to write about was not for me.
When the author was not rambling about Melody, I was enraptured with her way of speech and description.

I wanted to know more about every single character, except Melody and Tessa. Tessa is Melody's daughter and there was good character development for both Melody and Tessa. The other main characters, her husband Alex and Melody's mother and father, could've used a lot more fleshing out, as they were interesting to me.
The ending was abrupt and I was completely floored by that, beCAUSE of how detail-oriented the writer had been about so many other things Melody went through.
(Are there any books out there with satisfying endings, anymore?)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! March 17, 2013

By Elle T.

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book took me by surprise! I started off feeling that it would be dull and a chore to finish. No more than three pages in I was hooked! The style of writing was unique; combined with the "realness" of the storyline and characters that felt like you just know them. I did not put this book down other than to sleep, and even that was hard to do (lol!). If there were more stars to give for a rating this book would definitely deserve them!