Customer Reviews
two very great plays - By: Mr. Ian A. Macfarlane, 20 Apr 2007 
This is a convenient way to get two of the greatest plays of the twentieth century. My preference (and it will be that of most people, I think) is for 'A View from the Bridge', originally writtenin verse to echo the style of a Greek tragedy, & that is really what it is, with the downfall of Eddie Carbone & the catastrophe that surrounds it inevitable, as lawyer Alfieri, whom Miller uses as a kind of observer/narrator, is aware almost from the word go. It is an extraordinarily powerful play, made the more compelling, as always with Miller, by the vigour & rhythms of the longshoreman's language, so unlike that of the Salem villagersin 'The Crucible' or poor Willy Lomanin 'Death of a Salesman' but just as convincing & just as powerful. 'All my Sons' has never moved me quite as much, but it is nonetheless a beautifully contructed play with, again, real tragedy at its heart, & again it is the tragedy of a 'little man' getting things terribly wrong under pressure - haven't we all, though I hope not with comparable results. It seems to me that compassion lies at the heart of both plays, & maybe that is what,in the end, makes them so moving, though Miller's extraordinary technical control is a big factorin realising that too. Anyway, they are wonderful, & this book is worth many times its modest cover price.
A Gripping Play - By: , 27 Mar 2005 Last year i was told that we would be studying Arthur Miller's 'A View From The Bridge' for GCSE. We went to see this play & i immeadatliy fellin love with it. the story was so gripping & kept you hooked all the way. We used this copy of the play to study fromin & out of school & i found it very detailed & helpful. This is deffinatly some of Arthur Miller's best work.
A play that will leave you reeling through to its end - By: , 16 Aug 2002 
For a play that has been set for my GCSE english lit. i found "A View from the Bridge" to be one of the most dramatic & captivating pieces of literature that i have ever encountered.
The play truly immersed me into the world of Italian immigrantsin Brooklyn, i got a taste of their culture, language & firm beliefs. Their firm belief of the "social code" is the main theme that dominates the play & through the main character Eddie Carbone we learn of just how important & ingrained that belief is across the close knit Italian community. Aside from this theme, Miller deals with another issue that plays just as an important part of the plot as the "social code" & that is the unhealthy relationship between Eddie & his neice Catherine. As the play progresses we learn of the true nature of Eddie's relationship with Catherine.
Arthur Miller has a real knack of creating this underlying tension that rides through the play to it's intense finale. In most instances Miller locates much of the tension within the actions of his characters rather than their dialogue,especiallyin regard to Eddie & his feelings towards Catherine.
I found this play refreshing as it was different to anything that i had ever read & to those that yearn for a change i highly recommend "A View from the Bridge"in all it's tense, dark & quite often humourous ways.
Makes a change! - By: , 12 Jun 2001 I am currently studying this book for my GCSE, & I would like to say that this does make a change. It is a good book, & the work involved around it is good as well (that's if you enjoy picking apart the characters) - At least that's what I've been doing. It's definitely worth a read anyway. The character's emotions are what I thought was the most intriguing part of this play, as they motivate the characters so much that the end is unstoppable. The contrasts between the love shared among the characters are very carefully portrayed.
Anyway, I'll leave yiz to find out for yourself. But, I'm tellin' yiz now, do read this book, 'cause you'll only miss out otherwise.
I've only read 4 pages, and I think it's COOL - By: , 01 Nov 2000 Look, I'll keep it simple. This book is ace. Its real. It's believable. Its an excelent read, & it makes a change from Shakespear (this is goin' out to all you Year 10s doing yer GCSEs). Buy it. Read it. Love it.
