The Bridge Builders

The Bridge Builders is a novel written by Rudyard Kipling, first published in 1899. The book is set in the late 19th century and tells the story of the construction of a bridge over a river in India. The novel follows the lives of the people involved in the project, including the British engineer, the Indian workers, and the local villagers.The story is told through a series of interconnected episodes that explore the cultural clashes and tensions between the British and Indian characters. The British engineer, Angus Duer, is determined to build the bridge to showcase his engineering skills and to prove his worth to his superiors. However, he faces numerous challenges, including the harsh climate, the difficult terrain, and the resistance of the Indian workers.The novel also explores the themes of colonialism, imperialism, and cultural identity. Kipling portrays the British as arrogant and insensitive to the needs and traditions of the Indian people. He also highlights the complex relationships between the British and Indian characters, which are often marked by mistrust and misunderstanding.Overall, The Bridge Builders is a thought-provoking novel that offers a nuanced portrayal of the complexities of colonialism and cultural identity in India during the late 19th century. Kipling's vivid descriptions of the landscape and the characters bring the story to life, and his exploration of the themes of identity and cultural clash remain relevant today.There were labour contractors by the half-hundred - fitters and riveters, European, borrowed from the railway workshops, with, perhaps, twenty white and half-caste subordinates to direct, under direction, the bevies of workmen - but none knew better than these two, who trusted each other, how the underlings were not to be trusted. They had been tried many times in sudden crises - by slipping of booms, by breaking of tackle, failure of cranes, and the wrath of the river.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.