Customer Reviews

Between the Bridge and the River

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

There is a sharp needle, called a 'between', that is used for fine stitching in heavy fabric. This implement is a perfect metaphor to describe the crafting of the unique and inspiring fiction that is "Between the Bridge and the River." The golden thread of Craig Ferguson's sharp wit and keen insight into the depravity and glory of the human psyche shines in stark contrast to the novel's weighty themes: death and illness, abuse and misogyny, self-loathing and depression, redemption and grace, and above all, love and miracles and hope.

Before the story begins in earnest, the author reminds us of the mysterious nature of time and of bumblebee flight. Synchronicity and serendipity surface again and again, weaving a pattern of transformation and miracles. Improbable-impossible coincidences and twists propel the characters through their adventures.

Mr. Ferguson shines a harsh and unforgiving light on western popular culture. Sex and violence are used as expertly as a surgeon wields a scalpel, exposing the disturbing pathology that underlies much of modern life. But the author also reveals an unexpected tenderness and depth of emotion. It is the author's expression of the profound poignancy of the human experience that has stayed with me after this read, leaving me with a sense of the sweetness of life.

"Between the Bridge and the River" is funny, sexy, desperate, heart-breaking, hopeful and beautiful. I love this book and I recommend it highly, because we are born and we die and the journey between is a mystery. And because bumblebees can fly.

I'm not a huge Craig Ferguson fan (I prefer Conan O'Brien's brand of late night fun), but I have to admit, this novel is outstanding. It is witty, incisive and worldly wise. Ferguson does what many novelists find difficult -- he combines humor with insight to give us a layered and satisfying novel about love and loss, corruption and faith. You will laugh out loud and gain a further appreciation for Ferguson's intelligence along the way. A must read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Bridge is very comprehensive and funny. I got a great sense of each character. The story was widely divergent than I had anticipated and I loved reading Mr. Ferguson's uncensored prose! He is a naughty boy and who doesn't love a naughty boy! He is wonderfully descriptive (think George's tumor! or vulgar Saul!). His recipe of good and evil, love & sex, funny & sad, and redemption, make for a clever and intelligent read. I highly recommend BETWEEN THE BRIDGE AND THE RIVER ...More books please, Mr. Ferguson!

Ferguson has crafted what is, simply, the wildest, most hilarious ride I've had the pleasure to read in ages. A little Carl Hiassen, a dash of Hunter Thompson... but comparisons do little justice to this magnificent opus. It is a singular, riotous, bit of work. Nobody is spared: Religion, vanity, showbiz, sex -- it's all target practice for Ferguson, and his rapier wit. It's not a book for the timid.

I can't remember laughing out loud so often, while reading a book. This is a true gem.

Between the Bridge and the River is a swift and crowded tour through contemporary sex, drugs, and rockin' religion. Fans of Christopher Moore, Bill Fitzhugh, Tom Robbins and Tom Holt will be delighted to welcome another wild man to the scene. Ferguson's many characters are easy to keep track of, as their distinct personalities and traits are very well drawn. TV preachers, Hollywood stars, serial killers, a femme fatale, and many other folks careen around Glasgow and Paris, Florida, California, and Vegas. As they ricochet in valiant confusion, occasional slapstick and manic misadventures, some find a clearer understanding of what they really want from life. It's a very entertaining and hilarious read.

I bought the book because I love his Late Late Night Show, but was wonderfully thrilled with his writing. The plot was exciting and moved along at a rapid pace, with participants gradualy more and more defined and unpredictably connected. It held my interest throughout, especially once I got the diverse charcters and their relationships straightened out. It was hard to put down. The people were amazing and easy to identify with, as I've had a pretty bizarre life too. The realistic language and actions at times were hilarious. Hopefully there will be more books like this by Mr Ferguson.

This is hi-la-ri-ous. smart, fun, witty, clever, all of the above. I was transported. Rare book that can make you laugh out loud but also ponder the meaning. Never saw his show in my life (have now, though) and it makes you think what's going on behind that on screen persona and that charming accent?
Obviously some brainpower.

I couldn't help hearing Ferguson's voice in my head as I read this book. Smart, droll, and surreal, this delightful romp is full of literary and historical references. By page 60, I was telling all my friends to read this book.

With his debut novel, Craig Ferguson establishes himself as much more than the saucy talk-show host we see nightly on CBS. As one reviewer aptly states, Ferguson "is not a talk-show host moonlighting as an author - it might be the other way around".

It is impossible to summarize this book and do it justice. At once poignant and profane, bawdy and beautiful, it is a morality tale of several seemingly disparate individuals each on his own warped road to grace and redemption. Mind you, though, this is not some dreamy esoteric spiritual journey. Ferguson's description of Saul getting action in a bathroom stall will have you fall off your own chair with fits of laughter. And yet just a few pages away the reader is treated to a lovely fairy story of a shape shifting witch and her love for a man. It's an ADD romp of human emotion and experience.

The slapstick parodies of everything from Starbucks to Scientology are hilarious. No one escapes Ferguson's rapier attacks. Certainly no one in Southern California. And casting the movie will be a giggly joy for whichever agency gets that happy task. Who will play the cameo dream sequence appearance of Carl Jung? Of Marat?

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ferguson at the LA Times Festival of Books ( a gargantuan annual convergence of authors and readers at UCLA), and he proved as personable and charming there as he seems on the telly.

Craig, by all means use the CBS vehicle to get your face etched firmly into American popular culture. Then please devote yourself full time to writing. You're too good to just interview Tara Reid.

That was the sugar.

Now for some salt.

Craig, Craig, Craig. It's not nice to slap the hand that feeds you. During the Monday Late Late Show following the book festival you did a very witty monologue on a concurrent event, the Coachella [music] Festival, and then described the book festival as "Coachella for Nerds". Which arguably would have been ok, had you followed it with something tempering like: I had a great time, met a lot of lovely nerdy fans, and sold a lot of books to some very nice nerdy people. But no, you let your comment stand alone as some sort of denigration, and went to commercial, with the audience tittering at your dissing of the very folk who spent money on your book and stood in queue in the direct sun for the chance to meet you. Poor form. So, you naughty donkey, you are in the naughty chair. But then, you won't mind, as apparently I am only a nerd.

I am amazed and intrigued by the way the writer takes you on a very graphic journey of human experience. Causing you to feel, think and learn, rather than being shocked or offended. Certainly hope Mr. Ferguson continues to write!