"The Ferryman" By Justin Cronin

 

Unasked for Book review – The Ferryman, by Justin Cronin

I finished listening to Justin Cronin’s “The Ferryman” today (Sunday, 10/15), and what a journey it was.  The main character, Proctor Bennet is complex.  At times I liked him, and at other times, I did not like him at all.  In the end I felt that he was a satisfying main character to take us on this story’s journey.  He is not the only character that narrates the book at times, but he is the primary one.

This is a meaty book.  I don’t know the exact page count, but the book was 19+ hours of listening, so I’m thinking 700+ pages at least.  The length is worth it though. I didn’t feel like anything was wasted in the telling of the story.  There were no gratuitous story arcs or meandering flowery passages. Cronin is NOT Nathanial Hawthorne, thank goodness, and weaves an engaging story and characters, deftly.

This book is a lot of things; thematically it could be best described as post-apocalyptic science fiction.  It was also surprising, action packed and a bit philosophical at times.  I don’t want to get to deeply into the plot, because ruining the surprises would take away from the enjoyment of the book.  There are several sections that act as different acts in the book, and much like Seveneves, there is some major change in these later acts.

I really liked how the book ended. I felt that it came to a satisfying conclusion that made me want to revisit listening to or re-reading the book possibly in the future.

If you have the time, I think this is a book to read or listen to.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61282437



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