May 2023 TMB Book Club: The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by The Blackfish, May 2, 2023.

  1. The Blackfish

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    Discuss!
     
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  2. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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  3. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Prologue.

    Oh yeah. I’m in

    who is oranios :warn:

    is Mother Proctors mom???

    is Caeli Proctors mom from her past life?!? Proctors wife gives me major Sharon Stone vibes from Total Recall. Is she a plant??!?

    - Don’t really have any more thoughts but I love this so far. Proctor’s wife being the Chairman’s daughter makes me think she’s a plant even more to monitor him. Even if she may not know.
     
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  4. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    I’m loving this so far. Didn’t want to put it down.
     
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  5. The Blackfish

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    Should finish the last Beartown book in the next 2 days then I’ll dive straight into this.
     
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  6. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    I’ll be finishing The Wager this week and my library copy of this book already came so I drive right in
     
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  7. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Still loving it


    Dont really have any specific thoughts. Just really enjoying this book. There are so many familiar tropes in this book, but it doesnt feel stale. Cronin is so good. I wonder if Thea actually cares for Proctor or is just part of the mission. Right now feels like the latter.

    Part III

    Liked how Proctor just now is taking the time to consider his housekeeper. Didn’t even considerate after the run in on the train. Just when he needs her to sympathize w him. I like that he’s not so ‘woke’ even now. Btw - starting to feel Elise isn’t a plant. Bad guess

    Can they control they weather? Seems like a storm comes in every time shit pops off. Also they are artificially dropping his number, aren’t they?

    Elise is totally in on it. Goddammit Truman. Stick to your guns. Oh no hope Jess isn’t dead
     
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  8. jkun

    jkun UGA, United, Falcons, Braves, Tennis, Chelsea
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    pumped for this - actually ordered it instead of going the kindle route and received yesterday.. didn't realize it was the large print - this font is freaking huge
     
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  9. Truman

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    Must be a door stopper. Because the book is kind of long to begin with.
     
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  10. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Feels like Neo was just rescued from the Matrix

    Part IV

    I was right about his mom!

    Jess dead :tebow:

    also in general - :blowup:

    Man the twists in this book are nuts. So many threads to pull on. Love the social commentary this is setting up. The technocrats saving themselves from the climate disaster they helped create. Keeping the class stratification even in their dream world. Elise and co wanting to continue a fake life of privileged blissful ignorance. We also got a new planet that may or may not been through a nuclear holocaust. Can’t wait to see how this ends.

    Finished - 8.5

    I really enjoyed the book, but even after 24 hours of sitting on it, Im not sure about the ending. So the plan was to bilk all these billionaires for their money, create a social stratification in the dream world so the underclass would rise up and take the power when the settled Caeli? Idk about all that. Also 'fixing' the dream world on the way back to earth? ehh.

    I absolutely loved the ride the book took me on, not sure about the destination. (A little bit like The Passage Trilogy). Still love those those books.

    Also so many plot points and tropes felt so familiar. You could see him borrowing from The Matrix, or any shows/movies with the twist that the main plot isnt really the main plot ect. I could see how some people wouldnt enjoy that. So many times during reading I thought this is just like a summer blockbuster movie.
     
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  11. The Blackfish

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    I’m on chapter 3. Enjoying it so far.
     
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  12. Doug

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    Was able to get started yesterday, not terribly far in yet
     
  13. The Blackfish

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    Through part 2. I’ll try to type up some thoughts soon but mainly a lot of questions. Not a bad thing I’m excited to see how everything plays out and am enjoying the book.
     
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  14. The Blackfish

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    This book is nothing like The Passage series but sometimes I feel like I’m back in it because of Cronin’s writing style and Scott Brick’s voice and cadence.
     
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  15. The Blackfish

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    Chapter 12

    no fucking way Procter killed that guy, this is a setup
     
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  16. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    I felt the same about the writing style.
     
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  17. Dildo Dawgins

    Dildo Dawgins Well-Known Member
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    Through part 2. Not really gonna comment on story or style, but am really enjoying so far.
     
  18. Doug

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    This is where I'm at now, also enjoying it a good bit.
     
  19. Doug

    Doug Skeptical Doug-o
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    Agree with you on spoiler chapter 4 & part 1.

    edit - I just finished part one this morning.
     
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  20. The Blackfish

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    Finished Part 3 - shits getting real
     
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  21. Brandon Chicken

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    So, I’d never heard of this author before but while reading the pub for this book I decided to give the Passage a try. Wow. I went in completely blind and was hooked immediately. I think I read the first two in ten days or so. Such fun reads. Anybody have a link to an epub for the third? It’s not on my Libby app.

    Looking forward to the Ferryman. Cronin knows how to reel you in.
     
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  22. Truman

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    Here's the third book

    https://we.tl/t-Hin1X2Ds1u
     
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  23. Brandon Chicken

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  24. shivious

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    Just hopped in on this one.
     
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  25. Dildo Dawgins

    Dildo Dawgins Well-Known Member
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    Chapter 25

    Nevertheless, I stabbed him. :laugh:
     
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  26. shivious

    shivious He thinks the carpet pissers did this?
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    Have only been able to read the prologue and first chapter, but damn I missed the way Cronin writes. I can't pinpoint it exactly, but something about his diction puts me at ease.
     
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  27. The Blackfish

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    Chapter 29

    I'm not all the way done with the chapter so maybe some more of this reveals itself but it seems like everyone we've met escaped the end of the world (due to climate change) on the boat and made their way somewhere and are now maybe reincarnating themselves over and over again? Not sure. Also not sure what makes someone a Prosperan (sp? listening to the audiobook) vs. someone that lives in the Annex or wherever. Still a lot of things I don't understand.
     
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  28. rv12

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    Truman any chance you can reupload the ebook?
     
  29. Truman

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  30. The Blackfish

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    Finished a week or so ago, sorry for the late response here.

    8/10

    I really enjoyed it all the way through, the ending wasn't perfect but it was added a unique change to what could have been a pretty typical ending to these types of stories. I really enjoyed the fact that the doctor woke up and realized that the planet was not was inhabitable as they had originally thought and decided to just keep living in their dream utopia.

    A lot of the mechanics of everything were pretty unclear and I think Cronin left it that way on purpose and expected some level of suspension of disbelief which I am okay with. I really don't understand the dream designers and such but okay.

    The decision to make the colonists the servants of the investors is a weird one as is the decision to send them back to earth afterwards. I think that could have been much more adeptly handled. I would definitely read a sequel that included both what how the settlement in the new planet went as well as what Bennett and the other investors found when they reached earth.

    Overall it was really enjoyable and I was engaged throughout the whole book. I enjoy Cronin's writing style. There could have been less suspension of disbelief required as well as a better justification for Bennett's overall decisions as to how to structure the new settlement between the investors and settlors but it didn't diminish my enjoyment too much.

    Glad we chose this one and hope more people read it / respond.
     
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  31. Truman

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    Ending fell a little flat for me too. I think Cronin was trying a little bit to have it both ways w Bennett. At heart he had good intentions, but fell prey to the big money and the influence and status that came with it. Seemed like he was trying to make him an imperfect hero, but never really landed it.

    The decision to just go back to earth didnt really too much sense to me either. Kind of ruined the entire premise of the urgency to leave. But I enjoyed the rest of the book, the just ok ending didnt ruin it too much for me.
     
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  32. The Blackfish

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    I think he (Bennett/Cronin) had to do something with the investors, he couldn't put them on the planet with the settlers so what else could he do but send them back to earth. Like you said the whole thing is a little harebrained, but its at least unique, he was trying something different so I'm okay with it
     
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  33. Doug

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    Have been busy this month and still working though it - but on Chapter 28 and really enjoying the story. Not much else to put at this time- unless it just shits the bed for this last little bit it will be much higher rating that the last couple book club books.
     
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  34. laxjoe

    laxjoe Well-Known Member
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    Finally finished. Dang i really enjoyed that book
    when they switched over from the dream world to the real world, i had to rewind the audiobook a couple of times bc i was certain i missed something (i was distracted during that sequence). Obviously know something was off, but wasn’t sure.

    I also have a habit (now) of jumping into Cronin books without knowing what I’m going into and it’s great. I know very little about this book and I enjoyed that feeling of trying to figure out what was going on.

    Ending wasn’t perfect but I so enjoyed the journey. Can’t wait for whatever comes next
     
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  35. laxjoe

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    Also I’ll listen to Scott brick read a phone book written by Cronin if they put it on audiobook
     
    #35 laxjoe, May 26, 2023
    Last edited: May 26, 2023
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  36. jkun

    jkun UGA, United, Falcons, Braves, Tennis, Chelsea
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    Finished a few nights ago. 8/10 for me.

    Agree with what's been said so far. Fell off a bit at the end for me. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that they were all in stasis fleeing earth and took me a minute to come to terms with it. Just felt like it didn't tie it all together well and as blackfish mentioned I also didn't understand the whole dream designer and there were some gaps you just had to accept. Overall though still a very enjoyable read and his writing style is just super engaging for me. Also kind of had a Nolan script story vibe.
     
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  37. Doug

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    Finished over the weekend

    Just echoing what was said by the others - overall I enjoyed it. A little confusing when jumping from the dream world to the real world. I didn't really understand some parts of it with the designer, and dying without reiteration... etc etc.

    It also felt like it was starting to drag a little in the last 1/4 or so, but I'm being nit picky, overall it was a good read. Felt very Truman show-ish before we learned that they were in a dream world.
     
  38. Dildo Dawgins

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    Finished last night. 7.5/10 and agree with almost everyone else's synopsis. I should be a book reviewer.
     
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  39. shivious

    shivious He thinks the carpet pissers did this?
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    Finished a couple of nights ago. 7/10. Loved the slow burn of the first couple of sections. When it began to move I thought it kind of lost its charm. Felt a bit rushed and underdeveloped at the end.
     
  40. Brandon Chicken

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    Finished this last night. Really enjoyed it. 8/10.

    Cronin is great at keeping familiar themes fresh. This concept has been done so many times but it never felt stale. Plenty of nuts and bolts type questions left open but nothing that really distracts from the overall story. I actually enjoyed the ending as it was a departure from what I was expecting/how these stories usually end.

    On Cronin in general: I read the Passage trilogy and then this one in 60 days or so. One thing that really sticks out to me is how well he describes the relationship between kids and adults/children and parents, particularly as it relates to loss. Some of those passages are so well written I found them difficult to read because I couldn’t help but to imagine them being about one of my kids or me or my wife. I skimmed/skipped the pages describing the drowning of Proctor’s daughter. Just didn’t want to have that image I’m my head. The epilogue left me with a lump in my throat but in the best way possible.

    Thanks for the recommendation . Glad I finally started poking around in here.
     
    #40 Brandon Chicken, Jun 14, 2023
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2023
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