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The Ferryman
Like most large career moves, this one happened by accident. Karen spent a lot of time planning what she was going to do with her life, but Fate had other plans for her, as she often does for most of us. Karen just happened to rob the wrong grave.
As a single mother who's struggling to make ends meet, Karen stumbles into the worst job on earth: transporting souls into the afterlife. To make matters worse, she is contractually bound to continue the job indefinitely, and her difficult employer is none other than Fate. It doesn t take long for Karen to learn that Fate may be fashionable, but she's also heartless.
As a single mother who's struggling to make ends meet, Karen stumbles into the worst job on earth: transporting souls into the afterlife. To make matters worse, she is contractually bound to continue the job indefinitely, and her difficult employer is none other than Fate. It doesn t take long for Karen to learn that Fate may be fashionable, but she's also heartless.
213 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2014
5 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Amy Neftzger
14 books178 followersAmy Neftzger (born June 23) is an American researcher and author who has published fiction books, non-fiction books, business articles, and peer review research. Her works have reached an international audience.
Amy was born in Illinois and graduated from Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She received her bachelors degree from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida and her Masters in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She graduated from both Universities with honors.
She has written numerous business and journal articles, but her fiction works have been the most commercially successful. In 2003 she published Conversations with the Moon, which was also translated into Korean and published in South Korea. In 2005 she collaborated with her husband, guitarist Tyra Neftzger on a children's book called "All that the Dog Ever Wanted." The book was designed to introduce children to jazz music at an early age and included a CD sampler of jazz tunes. In 2007 she worked as an editor on a business fable called "The Damned Company."
Amy was born in Illinois and graduated from Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. She received her bachelors degree from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida and her Masters in Industrial/ Organizational Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She graduated from both Universities with honors.
She has written numerous business and journal articles, but her fiction works have been the most commercially successful. In 2003 she published Conversations with the Moon, which was also translated into Korean and published in South Korea. In 2005 she collaborated with her husband, guitarist Tyra Neftzger on a children's book called "All that the Dog Ever Wanted." The book was designed to introduce children to jazz music at an early age and included a CD sampler of jazz tunes. In 2007 she worked as an editor on a business fable called "The Damned Company."
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 14, 2017
It was better than I expected it to be. That ending was confusing though...
October 17, 2014
What an unusual concept for a book. I loved it. Karen robs graveyards to make money to keep herself and young son in food and a house. One night she is seen taking two gold coins from a grave by Fate. Caught in a game between Fate and her husband Fortune, Daren must escort ghosts over the "river" and leave the earthly plain. The book is about her helping 8 ghosts but before she escorts them she learns from them. One of the most interesting is a ghost who died from MS who spends his time racing his wheelchair down steep bridges. She takes that lesson home and stops smothering her asthmatic son and lets him to play sports. He blossoms and their life is better for it. A great read. I've never read Amy Neftzger before and look forward to finding more of her writing.
December 4, 2014
This book had a great plot and I really looked forward to seeing what the author did with it. I am sorry to say that although the storyline was promising, the writing left much to be desired. I found it to be rough, stilted in places and well, just awkward and sophomoric for the most part. One example of the bad writing: The hot summer sun was baking the waste into a bacteria-laden mess with a scent more sour and rancid than the average politician's soul, Karen thought. (that is an actual sentence... really)
While I do think that the story has a tremendous amount of potential, it is just too badly written to recommend to anyone... unless you'd like a few examples of how not to construct a sentence.
Thank you to librarything for the advance readers copy. I guess they can't all be winners.
While I do think that the story has a tremendous amount of potential, it is just too badly written to recommend to anyone... unless you'd like a few examples of how not to construct a sentence.
Thank you to librarything for the advance readers copy. I guess they can't all be winners.
October 18, 2014
"I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review."
What a surprise this book was!! Even after reading the synopsis, I thought it would be dark and scary. The thought of someone ushering souls to the afterlife and the experiences that person would have is intriguing. But instead the author compels you to take an honest look at your life and decide who has the control and who should have the control.
One of my favorite quotes:
“Life is short,” Will announced. “Even when you live a long life, it’s never long enough. You shouldn’t waste time on people who don’t make you happy.”
What a surprise this book was!! Even after reading the synopsis, I thought it would be dark and scary. The thought of someone ushering souls to the afterlife and the experiences that person would have is intriguing. But instead the author compels you to take an honest look at your life and decide who has the control and who should have the control.
One of my favorite quotes:
“Life is short,” Will announced. “Even when you live a long life, it’s never long enough. You shouldn’t waste time on people who don’t make you happy.”
October 17, 2014
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This synopsis for this book was super intriguing. It sounded like a really unique book with a little bit of humor, paranormal, and suspense thrown in as well. I really liked the idea of someone being made to ferry souls to the other side to face their judgement. And the way that Karen is chosen is quite entertaining. The spirits that she is meant to help to the afterlife are a mixture of the down trodden, depressed, amiable, crazy, and kooky. The lengths that Karen goes to to help these poor souls is astounding. She is very good at her job. Too bad she doesn't want it.
Amy Neftzger is a very adept author in this genre. This is the first of her books that I have read, but I have already bought others. I really like her writing style and the way she works the humorous and thought provoking stuff into her story. She is definitely able to hook a person in and keep their attention throughout the book. I read this book in one sitting and devoured every word. I found no faults with any of the characters nor any of the plot. All of the loose ends appeared to be tied nice and tidy and she even threw in a surprising little twist. I truly recommend this book for anyone who'd like to read a gripping page turner with a side of humor and a dash of whimsical. I give The Ferryman 5 books.
This synopsis for this book was super intriguing. It sounded like a really unique book with a little bit of humor, paranormal, and suspense thrown in as well. I really liked the idea of someone being made to ferry souls to the other side to face their judgement. And the way that Karen is chosen is quite entertaining. The spirits that she is meant to help to the afterlife are a mixture of the down trodden, depressed, amiable, crazy, and kooky. The lengths that Karen goes to to help these poor souls is astounding. She is very good at her job. Too bad she doesn't want it.
Amy Neftzger is a very adept author in this genre. This is the first of her books that I have read, but I have already bought others. I really like her writing style and the way she works the humorous and thought provoking stuff into her story. She is definitely able to hook a person in and keep their attention throughout the book. I read this book in one sitting and devoured every word. I found no faults with any of the characters nor any of the plot. All of the loose ends appeared to be tied nice and tidy and she even threw in a surprising little twist. I truly recommend this book for anyone who'd like to read a gripping page turner with a side of humor and a dash of whimsical. I give The Ferryman 5 books.
October 22, 2014
Fate vs Fortune
This book really took me by surprise. I was unable to formulate an opinion just by reading the summary. Yet as I started to read it, it read like a typical sci-fi novel. It was until I was nearly 2/3s of the way through the book that I realized the symbolism that was occurring.
The way the author used the philosophies, concepts, and elements of the legend of the Ferryman to relay the relationships of fortune and fate in a person's everyday life was truly remarkable.
I do not believe in coincidences, and choosing this book opened my eyes to the realities of what people hold true and dear to them and the willingness to to put our lives into the hands of concepts that have been passed down from generation to generation.
What are you tomorrow of the story... You and only you control your life and the things that ing happen within them.
"I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review."
This book really took me by surprise. I was unable to formulate an opinion just by reading the summary. Yet as I started to read it, it read like a typical sci-fi novel. It was until I was nearly 2/3s of the way through the book that I realized the symbolism that was occurring.
The way the author used the philosophies, concepts, and elements of the legend of the Ferryman to relay the relationships of fortune and fate in a person's everyday life was truly remarkable.
I do not believe in coincidences, and choosing this book opened my eyes to the realities of what people hold true and dear to them and the willingness to to put our lives into the hands of concepts that have been passed down from generation to generation.
What are you tomorrow of the story... You and only you control your life and the things that ing happen within them.
"I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review."
October 30, 2014
This book should be classified as a novella. It was some 200+ pages but there were pictures interspersed within the novel.
The story centers around Karen who somehow is tricked by Fate to be the new Ferryman transporting departed souls across to the other side. She is unhappy in her new role but is under contract to Fate (of Fate & Fortune who turns out to be her husband).
Anyway, this novel comes off as a cautionary tale of the impact fate and fortune have on our lives, is it all pre-ordained or, more importantly, how we handle what comes our way.
Overall this was an uninspiring book. The writing was sophomoric and choppy. I cared nothing for any of the characters and found them all rather tiresome.
The story centers around Karen who somehow is tricked by Fate to be the new Ferryman transporting departed souls across to the other side. She is unhappy in her new role but is under contract to Fate (of Fate & Fortune who turns out to be her husband).
Anyway, this novel comes off as a cautionary tale of the impact fate and fortune have on our lives, is it all pre-ordained or, more importantly, how we handle what comes our way.
Overall this was an uninspiring book. The writing was sophomoric and choppy. I cared nothing for any of the characters and found them all rather tiresome.
December 8, 2014
I was not impressed with Amy Neftzger’s The Ferryman at all. I felt that the book should have been a lot longer to allow a much more gradual introduction to the plot device and concept. You have a main character who is a grave robber in the present time, to leap in and just assume we are on board with this career decision in the modern day was not believable. A longer book would have allowed her to give us a better back story that would explain this, but instead it felt contrived and took away from the story.
August 31, 2020
"I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review." I found this book to be much more interesting than I originally thought it would be. The main characters with the ghosts she must transport are thought provoking and make the reader think twice about their own choices. While there was not a lot of description, except for Fate's gorgeous clothing, the pace was steady and I was able to finish this in one sitting. I liked the author's writing style and hope to read more of her books.
November 17, 2014
Karen is a single mother, who is at her wits end financially, that decides to grave rob; however, this was clearly a poor decision. Fate finds her and hires her to ferry souls across the river. This becomes both a hilarious and frightening for Karen. All she wanted to do was get by, now she is in the middle of a marital fight between Fortune and Fate, and dealing with lost souls.
A quirky quick read.
3 out of 5 stars. Thanks Edelweiss
A quirky quick read.
3 out of 5 stars. Thanks Edelweiss
November 9, 2014
"I was provided with a free copy of this book so I could give an honest review."
The concept was interesting but I left feeling the story could have been better developed. I liked that Fate and Fortune are married and are messing around with Karen(Charon) and the interactions with the dead are humorous. Karens character could have been better fleshed out though. All in all a decent story and commentary on philosophy.
The concept was interesting but I left feeling the story could have been better developed. I liked that Fate and Fortune are married and are messing around with Karen(Charon) and the interactions with the dead are humorous. Karens character could have been better fleshed out though. All in all a decent story and commentary on philosophy.
December 31, 2014
The book was not long enough to develop such a creative storyline. I was left wanting more of the story, but it did have a good resolution. There was a lot of philosophy provoking thoughts on the story, and I did enjoy how the author play with the idea of Fate and Fortune. A quick and different kind of read, which I found refreshing, in a time were mostly everything I get my hands on seems to be authors just changing a bit other authors stories.
November 13, 2014
Kate is bound do to fate to transport souls to the afterlife. Not by choice is she doing this. Mainly she is chosen by some poor choices where fate intervened.
The soulsouls she has to transport are a great bunch of characters. She is great at helping them cross over but hates what she does.
I found this book very interesting. The description gives eno ugh away to make you want to read it. The story is written to make you laugh and think I definitely recommend you read this story.
The soulsouls she has to transport are a great bunch of characters. She is great at helping them cross over but hates what she does.
I found this book very interesting. The description gives eno ugh away to make you want to read it. The story is written to make you laugh and think I definitely recommend you read this story.
December 27, 2014
This book was fun! I like how the author played with the relationships of Fate, Fortune, and the gravedigger. The book is also supplemented with pictures of graves and graveyards, giving it a realistic feel. There is humor and action and mystery all tied up with a little bow. It was a short read for me; I finished it on the couch in one night.
October 25, 2014
interesting concept, mediocre execution.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews