Reviews with content warning for Child death - The Ferryman

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

41 reviews

ripxw's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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chaptersofchase's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

r e v i e w || The Ferryman ⛴️
Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of The Ferryman {partner}

Genre: Science-Fiction
Trope: Mystery/Dystopian
Format: 🎧
Audiobook Narration: ☆☆☆☆
Pub Date: 5.2.2023
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"There is power in a name. It is through names that we bring all things into this world, and when they leave, it is names we carry with us so they are never truly gone."

The Ferryman is a melting pot of genres and themes - I can't say for sure that it ever settled on just one. It was a science-fiction, dystopian, mystery, and family drama with themes of health, power struggles, environmental issues, aging, marriage, child loss, and grief. The first 20% of the book reminded me of The Truman Show, and the last 30% reminded me of Inception - I still can't pinpoint what the middle reminded me of, but I'll figure it out one day.

It's one of those books that makes you think - especially with the current climate of our country (and world). But, the author may have tried to tackle too many big ideas, and because of this, the heart of the book was lost on me. I spent a good chunk of The Ferryman very confused about what was happening with the story, and I'm still not entirely sure what transpired, nor am I sure if I enjoyed it or not.

🌀 Eclectic mix of genres & themes
🎬 The Truman Show meets Inception & Westworld
🎢 Pacing that ebbs & flows
🔀 Didn't love the twist

I recommend reading The Ferryman if you enjoy Blake Crouch novels!

_

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wheeliechick's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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aimeebaker's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

Anyone who was enthralled with Justin Cronin's earlier THE PASSAGE trilogy is probably, like me, eagerly awaiting his latest release, THE FERRYMAN, so I was thrilled to get my hands on an ARC. Set on the utopian island of Prospera, this novel focuses on Proctor, a ferryman whose task it is to escort citizens whose lives are coming to a close to the awaiting ferry. From there, the residents of Prospera are sent to the Nursery where they are, in a sense, reborn and sent back to the island. But, as any sci-fi thriller reader expects, something seems not quite right with this process or the world, and soon, Proctor finds himself trying to unravel what's happening.

As a writer, one of the parts I love about Cronin's work is his way of what seems like poking fun at the "rules" of writing. If you've ever been in a creative writing classroom, you've probably been told at some point not to write "genre" fiction. His trilogy, filled with vampires, felt like a challenge to that rule. The Ferryman, meanwhile, breaks one of the most common "rules" in a major way. I can't exactly say which one here since I don't want to spoil his work, but it's fun to watch him pull it off.

I don't love this book as much as his trilogy (though I confess, I still need to read the 3rd), but this was filled with the kind of action and plot twists that make me think that if it hasn't been optioned for film rights yet, it will be soon. It's got a cinematic quality to it.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for sending me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

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sarahweyand's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feedback are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Ferryman when I began reading - I own a copy of The Passage but haven't read it yet, so this was my first experience with Cronin. I cannot wait to read more by him. This book left me confused, in awe, whiplashed...how else can I describe it? I absolutely love when a twist falls into place that you absolutely do not see coming, but can see in retrospect the signs and how everything ties together. It was pretty masterfully done.

I really enjoyed our characters, the setting and off-putting atmosphere, the social tensions. I don't really have a lot of complaints. This isn't a perfect five stars because I found the plot to drag slightly at times, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to someone if they feel up to reading a bigger book.

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goldenbeebookshop's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This is my first Cronin book, and having not read his popular Passage series, I wasn't sure what to expect.
What I liked:
The dystopian setting had enough unique aspects and mystery around it to stay engaged with the world and I was eager to tease out what exactly was going on.
There are good resolutions and payoffs for a lot of the plot choices that made me look back at some of the book in a new, better, light. Cronin captures the intense emotions of being a parent in a way that hit deep, often with the mostly delightfully simple turns of phrase.
What was neutral:
There are a fair amount of action sequences- primarily car chases and riots. This is content that I tend to skip over in books no matter the genre. This is a me thing and not a book thing, so zero judgment there.
There is a very formal tone to the writing. At first I thought it was intended to conjure a kind of "bygone era" style that one might associate with the 60s in this dystopian world, but I think it might be more about the author's voice. Hard to say, it was neither good nor bad, just a noticeably different style from the more contemporary/colloquial tone of other novels.
I'm wary of dreams as tools in storytelling because generally it's a piece of non reality that while potentially informing us of the character's state of mind, usually doesn't add anything to the story. In this case the dreams are important to the plot so I'm trying to make my peace with all the dream content.
A lot of boat content. I have never wanted to know what anything on a sailboat is called and I have retained none of the names or details of the various boats in this novel. If you love sailing, you may be thrilled by all the nautical details.
What didn't work for me:
The book feels a little long in some places. Admittedly, I like a sharp and lean book, so this is veering into personal preference territory, but I do think that paring down the story just a little bit more might have helped with pacing.

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