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Yep, that Craig Ferguson

By Snuggiepants/Kriegerfrau | Posted Under Book Reviews | Comments (12)

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Yep, that Craig Ferguson. The Scottish comedian and late night TV talk show host. I had always liked him, thought he was funny and witty and warm, the last characteristic something I rarely feel about TV personalities.

And this book made me respect him even more, because the guy can write. I’m not going to lie and said it was mind-blowingly good. But it wasn’t anywhere close to being bad, either.

Actually, it was kind of the perfect summer book. Not terribly demanding, but not mindless, either. And most importantly for me: enough of a storyline to really sink my teeth into mentally. I know a book has hooked me when I think about it when I’m not reading it, and I did that several times with this.

Briefly, it’s an interesting tale of two friends who grow up in Scotland and their convergent lives and two brothers who grow up in America….and how all those lives finally come together in a surprising connection. The best points about this novel are his character development—it’s deep and well-defined. No one was one-dimensional. He even fleshed out the minor characters more than he strictly needed to and as someone who reads novels primarily for the human stories they contain in each character, I fully appreciated that.

He’s funny in print, too, in case you’re wondering. A bit risque, and then in turns philosophical, but never precious or twee. Not even close. He’s sincere, warm and funny—-exactly the way he seems to be as a person.

So while I don’t think the Pulitzer prize for fiction is coming his way, I do hope he continues to write and share his talent with his readers.

This review is part of the Cannonball Read series. For more of Snuggiepants’s review, check out her blog, Kriegerfrau.









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Comments

He melts my panties, but what's up with his hair in that header photo? It's like his stylist said to him, "hmm, what can I do to give panties-melting Craig straw-like hair?"

Posted by: denesteak at July 28, 2010 9:57 AM

Pretty much exactly what I thought of him and the book. He hasn't written another yet, has he?

Posted by: dsbs at July 28, 2010 10:40 AM

I adored this book.

Posted by: Susan at July 28, 2010 10:42 AM

He HAS written another book. "American on Purpose", a memoir about his life so far and how he became an American. I have reread "Between the Bridge & the River" several times, especially after AoP. The more you know about Craig's life, the more you get out of BTBATR. A lot of the stuff is from Craig's life. It has so many layers, I'm sure I still haven't gotten it all. He says he's going to write a sequel, but haven't heard anything yet. He's even funnier doing stand-up.

Posted by: Char Roth at July 28, 2010 11:16 AM

I may pick this up for my next airplane read. I just read his other book on a trip to Vegas. American On Purpose was delightful.

And with the airports' Read and Return program (a great deal) I basically read it for free.

Posted by: VinKong at July 28, 2010 12:06 PM

American on Purpose as audio is the only way to do that book. He truly comes off as a humble man who has made many, many mistakes in his life and realizes that he is truly lucky to have the success he has now.

Posted by: idiosynchronic at July 28, 2010 12:10 PM

I liked this book a lot; he's quite talented as a writer. I hope he does another novel, but I liked American on Purpose a lot as well. I bet the audio versions of both are great.

Posted by: Sara at July 28, 2010 1:08 PM

I've been a big fan of his work, since The Drew Carey Show, and have watched nearly all of his movies. I read Between the Bridge and the River, and laughed so much, I made myself cry. I am currently reading his American on Purpose, and finding myself enjoying his work so much more. I look forward to anything he decides to do in the future.

Posted by: MedicDave at July 28, 2010 3:33 PM

SUCH A GREAT BOOK! Seriously. One of my favorites.

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