This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
Gregory Randle has written a beautifully detailed accounting of a lost way of life. In The Last Ferryman, we meet Buck Shyrock, a man who has known little other than being a ferryboat captain for the past forty years. It is now 1939 in Millersville, Illinois, and a bridge is to be built on the Wabash River, finally connecting the states of Illinois and Indiana. Initially, Buck tends to dismiss the idea that the bridge will actually be built as he goes about his simple life as a widower with a son and two granddaughters. But then, the bridge pilings appear and Buck can no longer deny the inevitability of change. Others become concerned that Buck is not facing up to modern reality. His oldest granddaughter takes it upon herself to see that her grandfather remains safe during the transition which is unavoidable for him. It is the intervention of the child that finally startles the grandfather into appropriate thought.
The captivating thing about The Last Ferryman is the way author Randle details the environment and the impact the old ways of life have for the small town of Millersville. The character of Buck is unforgettable as is the personality of his granddaughter Holly. The child is empathetic and intense in her concern for her grandfather and there is a true inter-generational bond that will touch the hearts of readers. This is not a fast-paced novel by any means. Rather it is a sit-back-and-ponder the changes in a single lifetime sort of read. It is bound to stir up stories of nostalgia and memories of the "good old days" when life was simpler and more personal.
