Alexander's Bridge

Construction engineer and world-renowned bridge builder Bartley Alexander has everything in mid-life: wealth, good looks, and fame. Yet he finds himself restless and discontented with life — until he meets a former love from his student days and resumes his relationship with her. Living a double life, Alexander is torn between Winifred, his American wife — a cold woman with clearly defined standards — and Hilda Burgoyne, his alluring mistress in London who helps him recapture his youth and sense of freedom. Alexander's affair, which eventually gnaws away at his sense of propriety and honor, proves disastrous. Willa Cather's first novel — a fascinating study of a man's growing awareness of the breach in his integrity—is essential reading for fans of this great American novelist. " … exceptionally well-conceived and well written." — Outlook " … told with a good deal of charm and skill." — New York Times Book Review " … a story of brilliant and unusual power." — McClure's