Audiobook Review – A Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon, Narrated by George Newbern (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Length: 20 hours and 4 minutes (608 pages)
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date: October 7, 2014
ASIN: B00NLKGKGO
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Zephyr, Alabama, is an idyllic hometown for eleven-year-old Cory Mackenson—a place where monsters swim the river deep and friends are forever. Then, one cold spring morning, Cory and his father witness a car plunge into a lake—and a desperate rescue attempt brings his father face-to-face with a terrible vision of death that will haunt him forever.
As Cory struggles to understand his father’s pain, his eyes are slowly opened to the forces of good and evil that are manifested in Zephyr. From an ancient, mystical woman who can hear the dead and bewitch the living, to a violent clan of moonshiners, Cory must confront the secrets that hide in the shadows of his hometown—for his father’s sanity and his own life hang in the balance.”
Previous to reading this book I had read McCammon’s “Swan Song” and absolutely loved it. This was amazingly well written and engaging. I enjoyed it a ton. It’s a murder mystery all wrapped up in the story of a boy growing up in a small Southern town in the 1960’s. This is one of those books I loved so much, that I don’t think I can write an adequate review for it.
I listened to this on audiobook and it was incredibly well read. Newbern was the perfect narrator for this book and I highly recommend listening to this on audiobook if you like audiobooks.
McCammon is one of those writers who is just amazing. His writing style is so spectacular and absolutely masterful.
In this book we follow Cory Mackenson through part of his boyhood life. When he is eleven years old him and his father see a man driven into a lake and killed. As Cory’s dad gets more and more obsessed with the murder, Cory himself is driven to figure out who the killer is.
Woven in between the above is Cory’s day to day life, some of it ordinary and some of it spectacular. There are a number of magical things that happen to Cory through this summer, most of them have a tone of magical realism to them rather than outright fantasy.
This story is full of poignant and heartfelt thoughts. In addition to being highly entertaining, humorous, and terrifying it’s also incredibly thought-provoking. This book worked at so many levels for me that I was left amazed and astounded at the cleverness of it all. Some of the scenes get a bit gory and intense but I still plan on reading this again with my son (11 yr old)/husband on audiobook.
Overall this was an amazing read, it was so much more than I was expecting. I think this is one of those books everyone should read. It’s a great look into the past, a thrilling story, a wondrous look at growing up, magical, and a great look at family too!
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Goodreads Reading Challenge
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
