The Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a historical novel written by Thornton Wilder in 1927.
"On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru broke and precipitated five travellers into the gulf below. This bridge was on the high-road between Lima and Cuzco and hundreds of persons passed over it every day. It had been woven of osier by the Incas more than a century before and visitors to the city were always led out to see it.
This book is illustrated with original drawings by Amy Drevenstedt.
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Public domain (US)·No sign-up·DRM-free·Real text, not scans
Copyright note. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading The Bridge of San Luis Rey in PDF or EPUB.
- Pages
- 100
- Reading time
- 2 hours 45 minutes
- Pace
- Intermediate
- First published
- 1927
- Language
- English
99 years later, still timely
Why Read The Bridge of San Luis Rey in 2026?
Five lives, one accident, and a search for meaning. Wilder turns fate into a study of love’s arithmetic.
Today's connection
After collective losses, this novel asks what truly binds us: community, virtue, and acts of care that outlast explanation.
Ties that hold
Networks stronger than chance.
Meaning made
Grace in ordinary acts.
Love's ledger
What we owe, what we give.
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About the author
Thornton Wilder
Stage and novel about time and community; ritual, chance, and grace in clear form.
