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The Prodigal
Pride, betrayal, forgiveness . . . and the eternal sea. The Prodigal tells the mystical tale of four people on Ocracoke Island whose destiny is tied to an abandoned schooner, thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago, that one day drifts ashore. Marcus O'Reilly, a renegade Catholic priest, must confront his inner demons. Ibrahim Joseph, a Bahamian fugitive, must face his past. Aidan Sharpe, a fallen lawyer, struggles with self-doubt and his growing affection for Molly McGregor, a fearless towboat captain who cannot find the courage to love. They will all be drawn into a 2,000-year-old mystery that unfolds with the reappearance of the ship.
358 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2013
5 people are currently reading
3267 people want to read
About the author
Michael Hurley
7 books401 followersMichael Hurley is an American novelist, memoirist, and essayist living in London. He keeps up with readers at his website, www.mchurley.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
August 20, 2018
3.5 review soon.
September 20, 2015
Beautiful, well written, spiritual with romance, and mystery. All worked for me. The story starts with the disappearance of a stolen ship in 1851. The story then jumps ahead to present time where we meet Aiden Sharpe, a talented partner whose life will take a sudden disastrous turn. Add a beautiful naked woman, a renegade Catholic priest, a fugitive, a woman towboat operator, and you have a provoking tale of redemption and courage. All of the characters are well developed and the story flows seamlessly from past to present. Faith is stressed and the storyline tells us that life is unpredictable. Very good book.
A Goodreads win! Thank you!
A Goodreads win! Thank you!
September 20, 2015
What do an alcoholic priest, a towboat operator, a disgraced lawyer, and a mysterious woman have in common? In The Prodigal by Michael Hurley, the answer is Ocracoke Island. Telling the story of four people trying to come to terms with their inner demons, The Prodigal offers a stunning portrait of human vulnerabilities.
This book is two really two stories in one, though they blend together seamlessly and come full-circle in the end. The first is about redemption and overcoming past mistakes, for each of the main characters is battling their own demons and mistakes. The second is of a more mythical nature, which centers around Sarah and an ancient ship that the characters stumble upon. It is their quest to find the origins of the boat that sends them down a path of danger, which draws the attention of both a powerful businessman and the Vatican.
For the full review, visit The Book Wheel.
This book is two really two stories in one, though they blend together seamlessly and come full-circle in the end. The first is about redemption and overcoming past mistakes, for each of the main characters is battling their own demons and mistakes. The second is of a more mythical nature, which centers around Sarah and an ancient ship that the characters stumble upon. It is their quest to find the origins of the boat that sends them down a path of danger, which draws the attention of both a powerful businessman and the Vatican.
For the full review, visit The Book Wheel.
August 3, 2013
“Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another.”
― Homer, The Iliad
“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
THE PRODIGAL NOMINATED FOR BOOKBUNDLZ AWARD!!!!!
Michael Hurley’s astoundingly good novel, The Prodigal was chosen as a finalist along with four other novels by reviewers for the 2013 annual BookBundlz Book Club Pick contest. The finalists were announced on August 1. This is an annual contest to select the best novel for thousands of book club members around the world. The reviewers selected the finalists, but the winning book, to be named on September 1, will be determined solely by the greatest number of votes from the general public between now and August 31. People can sign up at the BookBundlz website to vote once per day and see where each of the five finalists stands in the running day by day. Here’s where you go to vote: http://www.bookbundlz.com/votingpage....
UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE PRODIGAL!!!
As many of you know, I have used The Prodigal as a favoured book recommendation to my followers on GoodReads and have been happy to do so. I hope those of you who have received the recommendation have purchased the book and enjoyed it as much as I have. If not, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Winning this contest means enormous exposure for the book and the author, which explains why Random House and other established publishers have 3 out of the 5 books in the finals. This is an AMAZING FEAT for a self-published author.
Good luck, Michael and The Prodigal!!!
We now return to our regularly scheduled review:
Aidan Sharpe is a weapon. A tightly honed weapon of savage grace, designed to cut and hew his way through a courtroom, leaving a trail of blood and broken lives in his wake. And a man who, as Michael Hurley describes him, a man who refused above all else to learn from his own mistakes . . .” And a man who, apparently, neither learns from his own mistakes, nor understands the depths to which he has fallen when his world comes crashing down. A man so intent on his own destruction, so lost in admiration of his own reflection in the mirror that that he thinks, even then, to grasp glory from ignominy.
And hence begin the travels of a man, once powerful, into a world entirely new. A world that, unbeknownst to him, will change his life, and his soul, forever.
Aidan washes up upon the dwindling sands of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, a man once renowned for this ability to miss no objection, to leave no emotion unexploited; now empty and barren, a shattered career leaving him no anchor to hold against the wind, and yet no sail to cross the wine dark sea of his own inner landscape.
Forced now, to become someone he never thought to be, he settles into the home of the local Catholic Priest, and begins his life as a simple boat yard hand, surrounded by the beauty of the island and the people there. A land of unadorned and sometimes brutal honesty, where life or death lie upon the break of a wave or the gust of a wind.
Hurley’s characters are heart wrenching and uplifting by turns. A lost woman, washed up amongst the waves, with no name to call her own. A priest more interested in kindness than creed. A Bahamian sailor, with secrets of his own. And a redheaded, female Irish tugboat captain, whose openness and honesty are in diametric opposition to Aidan who, in his own words, is quite capable of betrayal, deceit, manipulation, cruelty, self-pity and cowardice. And yet, those around him still think him a good and true man . . .
Into his life comes a sailing ship, lost upon the seas, empty and forlorn, which changes not only his life, but the lives of those around him. A boat, perhaps, out of time, and out of legend. A boat which, once again, changes his life and his destiny. Or does it?
There are great swaths of this book that I found touching, heart breaking and deeply moving. There is kindness and black cruelty, deception and honesty, lies and the purest of truths. In all honesty, I was brought up rather short about three-quarters of the way through the book when it became bogged down, in my opinion, in a type of blatant religiosity which pulled down the narrative. The story line is drug down, into a fog of didactic symbolism that lessened much of the joy inherent in Hurley’s words. The story to that point was poetic in nature, carrying me along in a haze of beautiful words. The story did pick back up, though some of the joy of the story was stolen from me, much to my disappointment. But it was, in all, not a deadly issue for the overall clarity and poetry of the book.
Much is made of the human ability to change and grow, and the possibilities of absolution. The setting of the story greatly encourages that idea. The sea, unchanging in its potential for change at any moment, the poetry of the words, do much to encourage the possibilities of redemption, of an answer to the question of what makes a ‘good man’ and whether an evil man can change, can become ‘good’.
Overall, except for the hiccup described, the book is beautifully done. Hurley’s descriptions of the land, the sea, and the people are charming. The story harkens back to the days of Homer, and the sailing of the great and unknown seas. I could nearly smell the sea and hear the waves. I wanted very much to walk the streets of Ocracoke and gaze out upon the Atlantic, to horizons unknown and unseen.
Highly Recommended.
― Homer, The Iliad
“I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.”
― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
THE PRODIGAL NOMINATED FOR BOOKBUNDLZ AWARD!!!!!
Michael Hurley’s astoundingly good novel, The Prodigal was chosen as a finalist along with four other novels by reviewers for the 2013 annual BookBundlz Book Club Pick contest. The finalists were announced on August 1. This is an annual contest to select the best novel for thousands of book club members around the world. The reviewers selected the finalists, but the winning book, to be named on September 1, will be determined solely by the greatest number of votes from the general public between now and August 31. People can sign up at the BookBundlz website to vote once per day and see where each of the five finalists stands in the running day by day. Here’s where you go to vote: http://www.bookbundlz.com/votingpage....
UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE PRODIGAL!!!
As many of you know, I have used The Prodigal as a favoured book recommendation to my followers on GoodReads and have been happy to do so. I hope those of you who have received the recommendation have purchased the book and enjoyed it as much as I have. If not, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Winning this contest means enormous exposure for the book and the author, which explains why Random House and other established publishers have 3 out of the 5 books in the finals. This is an AMAZING FEAT for a self-published author.
Good luck, Michael and The Prodigal!!!
We now return to our regularly scheduled review:
Aidan Sharpe is a weapon. A tightly honed weapon of savage grace, designed to cut and hew his way through a courtroom, leaving a trail of blood and broken lives in his wake. And a man who, as Michael Hurley describes him, a man who refused above all else to learn from his own mistakes . . .” And a man who, apparently, neither learns from his own mistakes, nor understands the depths to which he has fallen when his world comes crashing down. A man so intent on his own destruction, so lost in admiration of his own reflection in the mirror that that he thinks, even then, to grasp glory from ignominy.
And hence begin the travels of a man, once powerful, into a world entirely new. A world that, unbeknownst to him, will change his life, and his soul, forever.
Aidan washes up upon the dwindling sands of Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, a man once renowned for this ability to miss no objection, to leave no emotion unexploited; now empty and barren, a shattered career leaving him no anchor to hold against the wind, and yet no sail to cross the wine dark sea of his own inner landscape.
Forced now, to become someone he never thought to be, he settles into the home of the local Catholic Priest, and begins his life as a simple boat yard hand, surrounded by the beauty of the island and the people there. A land of unadorned and sometimes brutal honesty, where life or death lie upon the break of a wave or the gust of a wind.
Hurley’s characters are heart wrenching and uplifting by turns. A lost woman, washed up amongst the waves, with no name to call her own. A priest more interested in kindness than creed. A Bahamian sailor, with secrets of his own. And a redheaded, female Irish tugboat captain, whose openness and honesty are in diametric opposition to Aidan who, in his own words, is quite capable of betrayal, deceit, manipulation, cruelty, self-pity and cowardice. And yet, those around him still think him a good and true man . . .
Into his life comes a sailing ship, lost upon the seas, empty and forlorn, which changes not only his life, but the lives of those around him. A boat, perhaps, out of time, and out of legend. A boat which, once again, changes his life and his destiny. Or does it?
There are great swaths of this book that I found touching, heart breaking and deeply moving. There is kindness and black cruelty, deception and honesty, lies and the purest of truths. In all honesty, I was brought up rather short about three-quarters of the way through the book when it became bogged down, in my opinion, in a type of blatant religiosity which pulled down the narrative. The story line is drug down, into a fog of didactic symbolism that lessened much of the joy inherent in Hurley’s words. The story to that point was poetic in nature, carrying me along in a haze of beautiful words. The story did pick back up, though some of the joy of the story was stolen from me, much to my disappointment. But it was, in all, not a deadly issue for the overall clarity and poetry of the book.
Much is made of the human ability to change and grow, and the possibilities of absolution. The setting of the story greatly encourages that idea. The sea, unchanging in its potential for change at any moment, the poetry of the words, do much to encourage the possibilities of redemption, of an answer to the question of what makes a ‘good man’ and whether an evil man can change, can become ‘good’.
Overall, except for the hiccup described, the book is beautifully done. Hurley’s descriptions of the land, the sea, and the people are charming. The story harkens back to the days of Homer, and the sailing of the great and unknown seas. I could nearly smell the sea and hear the waves. I wanted very much to walk the streets of Ocracoke and gaze out upon the Atlantic, to horizons unknown and unseen.
Highly Recommended.
July 19, 2013
The Prodigal, by Michael Hurley, is essentially a story of finding peace and refuge despite the challenges of life. In this story, the refuge happens to be Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Aiden, the main character in this novel, says the place is a "sheltered harbor" in a "time of storms in his life," and this sentiment represents the feelings of the other characters as well. Each character has their own struggles but they all find common ground in the island they come to call home. Hurley pulls the reader in from the first pages. The prologue definitely makes one wonder how the modern day story ties into the historical tale.
The characters are extremely well developed. Hurley does an excellent job of providing background information, and makes smooth transitions between the present story and the flashbacks. The writing is very descriptive, and almost flowery; sometimes it is too much so, but usually really well written. It is common for novels with little dialogue and many descriptive paragraphs to get bogged down and slow moving, but this book flows seamlessly and keeps the reader's interest. The descriptions of the ocean are perfect, as are the descriptions of Ocracoke. I love all the beaches in my home state, but there is something special and unique about Ocracoke, and Hurley captures that.
The Prodigal illustrates the fact that life is as unpredicatble as the sea. Furthermore, the boats are just as worn and tired as the people, but they manage to stay afloat. Whether sailing on the sea or making way through life, risks must be taken. This book shows the importance of faith in every aspect of life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Every character finds a safe place on the island, from the disgraced lawyer, to the towboat operator who let her father down, to the minister who has just as much to confess as his congregants. Through the portrayals of his characters and the setting, Hurley demonstrates that just as when sailing with your back to the wind, one is said to be running free, Aiden and the others turn their back to their troubled pasts and find their own freedom in the waters of Ocracoke. This book makes me want to start sailing again.
**I Received This Book In A FirstReads Giveaway**
The characters are extremely well developed. Hurley does an excellent job of providing background information, and makes smooth transitions between the present story and the flashbacks. The writing is very descriptive, and almost flowery; sometimes it is too much so, but usually really well written. It is common for novels with little dialogue and many descriptive paragraphs to get bogged down and slow moving, but this book flows seamlessly and keeps the reader's interest. The descriptions of the ocean are perfect, as are the descriptions of Ocracoke. I love all the beaches in my home state, but there is something special and unique about Ocracoke, and Hurley captures that.
The Prodigal illustrates the fact that life is as unpredicatble as the sea. Furthermore, the boats are just as worn and tired as the people, but they manage to stay afloat. Whether sailing on the sea or making way through life, risks must be taken. This book shows the importance of faith in every aspect of life. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Every character finds a safe place on the island, from the disgraced lawyer, to the towboat operator who let her father down, to the minister who has just as much to confess as his congregants. Through the portrayals of his characters and the setting, Hurley demonstrates that just as when sailing with your back to the wind, one is said to be running free, Aiden and the others turn their back to their troubled pasts and find their own freedom in the waters of Ocracoke. This book makes me want to start sailing again.
**I Received This Book In A FirstReads Giveaway**
September 19, 2013
In what seems like a few brief moments, Aidan Sharpe watches his life and then his law career implode and he has no clue as to why. Why is his life unraveling? Why is it that his only real ally left after he tanks an important case by making a junior-attorney move and getting caught, has sent him to Ocracoke Island and Father Marcus?
An old legend and a historical prophecy are about to bring answers to all of Aidan Hurley’s questions; and give him the real destiny for which he’s been searching – long before that fateful day in the courtroom.
Michael Hurley has most excellently weaved together a tale of prophecy, history, mystery and romance that extended from 1851 to the present time that drew me in and captured me. It’s difficult to intertwine so many elements of time into one man’s story, and then make it become one woman’s story by introducing Molly McGregor, and still successfully keep the reader involved. Hurley was able to do that.
From the beginning Hurley takes the reader into Aidan’s life journey and allows us to see that he’s at the pinnacle of a richly rewarding career, yet also questioning what it’s all supposed to mean. When we meet Molly, we know that she is also at some pivotal point in her life because she’s wise to innuendos, she does not put herself in compromising positions and she fears anything happening against her will. The work she does makes her even more intriguing. That the two of them will ever meet is not evident until later.
I especially like the foreshadowing element in this writing, and the way Hurley sets the town up to be both mystical, but also healing in a way. I felt like the criminal element was out of place, but in my mind that element would not be able to blight the town, or stain it, just because of the mysticism I had built up in my mind of the Island.
This novel, The Prodigal, is a good read. It’s a great rainy day, sofa sitting, and Irish coffee; don’t interrupt me, kind of novel. Don’t hesitate to grab a copy.
An old legend and a historical prophecy are about to bring answers to all of Aidan Hurley’s questions; and give him the real destiny for which he’s been searching – long before that fateful day in the courtroom.
Michael Hurley has most excellently weaved together a tale of prophecy, history, mystery and romance that extended from 1851 to the present time that drew me in and captured me. It’s difficult to intertwine so many elements of time into one man’s story, and then make it become one woman’s story by introducing Molly McGregor, and still successfully keep the reader involved. Hurley was able to do that.
From the beginning Hurley takes the reader into Aidan’s life journey and allows us to see that he’s at the pinnacle of a richly rewarding career, yet also questioning what it’s all supposed to mean. When we meet Molly, we know that she is also at some pivotal point in her life because she’s wise to innuendos, she does not put herself in compromising positions and she fears anything happening against her will. The work she does makes her even more intriguing. That the two of them will ever meet is not evident until later.
I especially like the foreshadowing element in this writing, and the way Hurley sets the town up to be both mystical, but also healing in a way. I felt like the criminal element was out of place, but in my mind that element would not be able to blight the town, or stain it, just because of the mysticism I had built up in my mind of the Island.
This novel, The Prodigal, is a good read. It’s a great rainy day, sofa sitting, and Irish coffee; don’t interrupt me, kind of novel. Don’t hesitate to grab a copy.
September 24, 2013
I experienced just about every emotion imaginable reading this novel! I can honestly say that the plot that unfolded was nowhere near the story-line I expected when I began reading this novel. I was quickly drawn in and engrossed within the lives of the characters in this story.
The biggest take away for me from this book was that no matter who we are and where we are in our lives' journey - we still have room to grow and can often learn from the most unexpected people in our lives. I love the hodge podge community this novel is set in - just about everyone has a history that seems to have taken them to the lowest of the low, but there's hope and a spirit of rejuvenation and rehabilitation.
The biggest take away for me from this book was that no matter who we are and where we are in our lives' journey - we still have room to grow and can often learn from the most unexpected people in our lives. I love the hodge podge community this novel is set in - just about everyone has a history that seems to have taken them to the lowest of the low, but there's hope and a spirit of rejuvenation and rehabilitation.
June 27, 2014
The magic of Ocracoke Island is the perfect setting for this story. Sophisticated and moving...i cheered for the crew of The Prodigal. Bought the book at The Buxton Bookstore in Hatteras Island. When I asked the owner if it was a "good read" she just smiled. Now i know what that smile meant.
June 20, 2018
I received this book as a Goodread Giveaway. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about this book, but as I continued to read, I really enjoyed it. The cast of Character are - An alcoholic priest, a beautiful naked woman, a disbarred attorney, a female tow boat captain and an illegal alien accused of murder. The story is set on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
As the story comes together and you find out the truth behind each person, you realized that is a story of redemption as each of them has to deal with their past mistakes and overcome them and learn to trust each other.
As the story comes together and you find out the truth behind each person, you realized that is a story of redemption as each of them has to deal with their past mistakes and overcome them and learn to trust each other.
November 27, 2013
Literary fiction that is exciting, satisfyingly eloquent and a delight to read. The book starts quite gradually drawing the reader further and further into the plot. Adrian Sharpe is a Lawyer who is extremely successful, charming his way up the legal ladder. He rarely loses a case and is the top Lawyer in one of the top firms in Raleigh. His personal life has fallen apart with a divorce and a drinking problem that is rapidly getting out of hand. The story begins with Adrian and two of his fellow workers on the island of Ocracoke. The mini vacation takes a strange twist for Adrian when he becomes involved with certain interesting locals. Sharpe’s journey of self discovery begins and continues to the end of the book.
On his return to the mainland, a misjudgement by Sharpe in a medical malpractice trail has major repercussions and changes his life forever. Ironically, Adrian ends up back on the geographically remote barrier island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, living with Marcus O’Reilly. O’Reilly, a Priest sent to the Island because of his disparity with the doctrines of the church. Farther Marcus helps Adrian find manual work in the local boatyard, thus begins a life the antipathy of his earlier one. Enter several colorful and strange characters. All of them dealing with their own personal demons of alcoholism, abuse, failure and loneliness. One thing pulls these individuals together, a salvaged hundred-fifty year old North African sailing ship. A mystery of a 2000 year old legend surrounding the ship is central to the plot. Much of the story takes place on a sailing ship, the personalities and relationships evolve throughout their journey. A yacht race against large and experienced sail boats and their crews challenges the group. Each of them has to come to terms with their individual strength and weaknesses. Adrian’s journey of growth continues.
Michael Hurley has written a brilliant and riveting novel. The style is classic and scenes realistic. Hurley's mastery of language and creative use of words painted vivid pictures that carried me along with the story and emotions of the characters. This novel includes innumerable aspects that will delight readers. Mystery, a legend, romance, personal trails, law, Catholicism, and sailing. Not many clues are given at the start to show how the story will progress. But Hurley is very skilful at keeping the reader in suspense, and wanting to read more. Adrian's character grows as the story develops, pulling the reader further into the plot. I found the story compelling, it was hard to put the book down at any point.
The religious element is presented by the author in a manner that flows easily through the self discovery of individuals to legendary mythology. The characters are intricate and extremely well done. You can feel the emotions, heartaches, and joys Adrian and the people that cross his path experience. One of my favorites, Father Marcus who is confronting his own demons spends most of his time helping others to deal with their issues. Molly, who is a captain of her own tugboat, is portrayed as self sufficient, even masculine. But Hurley surprises us as Molly's role in the adventure develops. As you read you will start to question a few of your values and way of life. A truly rare find and incredibly well written. Michael's first novel is a hit and not to be missed. I cannot wait for this author’s next publication.
On his return to the mainland, a misjudgement by Sharpe in a medical malpractice trail has major repercussions and changes his life forever. Ironically, Adrian ends up back on the geographically remote barrier island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, living with Marcus O’Reilly. O’Reilly, a Priest sent to the Island because of his disparity with the doctrines of the church. Farther Marcus helps Adrian find manual work in the local boatyard, thus begins a life the antipathy of his earlier one. Enter several colorful and strange characters. All of them dealing with their own personal demons of alcoholism, abuse, failure and loneliness. One thing pulls these individuals together, a salvaged hundred-fifty year old North African sailing ship. A mystery of a 2000 year old legend surrounding the ship is central to the plot. Much of the story takes place on a sailing ship, the personalities and relationships evolve throughout their journey. A yacht race against large and experienced sail boats and their crews challenges the group. Each of them has to come to terms with their individual strength and weaknesses. Adrian’s journey of growth continues.
Michael Hurley has written a brilliant and riveting novel. The style is classic and scenes realistic. Hurley's mastery of language and creative use of words painted vivid pictures that carried me along with the story and emotions of the characters. This novel includes innumerable aspects that will delight readers. Mystery, a legend, romance, personal trails, law, Catholicism, and sailing. Not many clues are given at the start to show how the story will progress. But Hurley is very skilful at keeping the reader in suspense, and wanting to read more. Adrian's character grows as the story develops, pulling the reader further into the plot. I found the story compelling, it was hard to put the book down at any point.
The religious element is presented by the author in a manner that flows easily through the self discovery of individuals to legendary mythology. The characters are intricate and extremely well done. You can feel the emotions, heartaches, and joys Adrian and the people that cross his path experience. One of my favorites, Father Marcus who is confronting his own demons spends most of his time helping others to deal with their issues. Molly, who is a captain of her own tugboat, is portrayed as self sufficient, even masculine. But Hurley surprises us as Molly's role in the adventure develops. As you read you will start to question a few of your values and way of life. A truly rare find and incredibly well written. Michael's first novel is a hit and not to be missed. I cannot wait for this author’s next publication.
September 1, 2013
This book was a bit hard to review for me, because I kept having ups and downs in my opinon.
The story circles around our main character - Aidan, who loses his job as lawyer and is forced to go live and work oon a small island. The books goes with a slow start after revieling something like a little tale before the first chapters, leaving you to wonder how this will fit in the rest of the story.
I don't mind slow starts. Not that I am a fan of them, but I know well enough that a real gem of a story can be hidden later in the pages. This was the case here. The book slightly bored me for the first about 100 pages, even of the authors style was beautiful, realistic and like painting a picture. It all made it a nice read and helped me going. Things changed suddenly after the episode with the bar fight, when my interest to the story was reborn once again and didn't leave me till the last page.
My heart grow warm to many of the characters, and especially to what I started to call the Crew - the four ones on the board of the Prodigal. Aidan, Molly, Marcus, Ibrahim - I loved them all and I felt for them through every page.
I loved how the different storylines enterwined, I enjoyed the blooming love between Aidan and Molly, the humour is some of the dialogs and the characters of almost everyone. But what I loved the most was that the book gives you the chance to choose - if there was a magic and miravles behind all that happens or not. I love sotrylines that go on the edge like this. Also, the use of the legends and tales was great and captivating. The mystery surrounding the boat was beautiful and well developped.
However, there were at the same time many things that annoyed me, apart from the slow beginning (if it wasn't only for it, I wouldn't drop the rating)
-this is a book about sailing, and it is great! But I felt the need of some underline notes. I know some total basics like a nautical mile, but other terms left me wondering. It wasn't a problem to grasp the whole of the story, but still annoying. I think I wouldn't be the only reader who'd feel like this. I know many people don't like sidenotes, but they are easy to skip, and yet very useful if you decide to go through them after all.
-the Vatican. It is just with sooo many books in the later years that go with a Da-Vinci-code like conspiracies, that when this came up in the book, I started eye rolling. Thankfully, it didn't become a main part of the story lines, but it could have been left on the level of the "battle of the ships", without adding an extra spice. Because, as I said, I loved the use of the legends! I was even hoping for more of it.
-the death of one of the characters. It just saddned me so, and I rate books on how I feel.I felt a bit better after the "return from death" of another character, but even so.
To wrap it all in the end - it is a beautiful story. It has love subplots, but is not a romance novel. It talks about faith and finding yourself and finding a home and place to go back to, but is not a book of the type "Change your life (in 9000 easy steps)" - that I hate by the way. It has real adventure and great mystery and I can say I enjoyed it a lot. If you don't mind the points listed above and don't see them like flaws, you'd like the book even more than me.
The story circles around our main character - Aidan, who loses his job as lawyer and is forced to go live and work oon a small island. The books goes with a slow start after revieling something like a little tale before the first chapters, leaving you to wonder how this will fit in the rest of the story.
I don't mind slow starts. Not that I am a fan of them, but I know well enough that a real gem of a story can be hidden later in the pages. This was the case here. The book slightly bored me for the first about 100 pages, even of the authors style was beautiful, realistic and like painting a picture. It all made it a nice read and helped me going. Things changed suddenly after the episode with the bar fight, when my interest to the story was reborn once again and didn't leave me till the last page.
My heart grow warm to many of the characters, and especially to what I started to call the Crew - the four ones on the board of the Prodigal. Aidan, Molly, Marcus, Ibrahim - I loved them all and I felt for them through every page.
I loved how the different storylines enterwined, I enjoyed the blooming love between Aidan and Molly, the humour is some of the dialogs and the characters of almost everyone. But what I loved the most was that the book gives you the chance to choose - if there was a magic and miravles behind all that happens or not. I love sotrylines that go on the edge like this. Also, the use of the legends and tales was great and captivating. The mystery surrounding the boat was beautiful and well developped.
However, there were at the same time many things that annoyed me, apart from the slow beginning (if it wasn't only for it, I wouldn't drop the rating)
-this is a book about sailing, and it is great! But I felt the need of some underline notes. I know some total basics like a nautical mile, but other terms left me wondering. It wasn't a problem to grasp the whole of the story, but still annoying. I think I wouldn't be the only reader who'd feel like this. I know many people don't like sidenotes, but they are easy to skip, and yet very useful if you decide to go through them after all.
-the Vatican. It is just with sooo many books in the later years that go with a Da-Vinci-code like conspiracies, that when this came up in the book, I started eye rolling. Thankfully, it didn't become a main part of the story lines, but it could have been left on the level of the "battle of the ships", without adding an extra spice. Because, as I said, I loved the use of the legends! I was even hoping for more of it.
-the death of one of the characters. It just saddned me so, and I rate books on how I feel.I felt a bit better after the "return from death" of another character, but even so.
To wrap it all in the end - it is a beautiful story. It has love subplots, but is not a romance novel. It talks about faith and finding yourself and finding a home and place to go back to, but is not a book of the type "Change your life (in 9000 easy steps)" - that I hate by the way. It has real adventure and great mystery and I can say I enjoyed it a lot. If you don't mind the points listed above and don't see them like flaws, you'd like the book even more than me.
June 14, 2017
As seen on my blog:
There are books that excel at descriptive narrative, and then there are books that OWN it. The Prodigal owned the hell out of it's imagery. I didn't get the smallest chance to wonder what someone looked like, what the wind was doing to that sand dune over there-Michael Hurley painted the most beautiful pictures. My knowledge on the ways of the sea is nil, and even less so for the boats that roam it's surfaces. Hurley comes from a background of sea and law, so The Prodigal is abundant with both. My brain glazed over at those spots, but my GOD how his poetic writing kept my awake and highly engrossed.
Aiden Sharpe is described as man that controls the world around him. Though calm, and collective by nature, and practically a demi-god in his position as a lawyer, Aiden can feel his sanity slipping. His grip is completely loosened when a a decision at work results in the destruction of life as he knew it. Father Marcus is hiding behind lies, and helping Sarah hide behind the ones he's created for her. Bobbi, Molly, and Ibrahim are all coming to terms with aspects of their life they've never fully had a hold on. Each character in The Prodigal was so intricately broken in their own, and each word that was used to heal them, helped heal me in the process. This book was a dose of something that everyone should take, it was medicine for the soul.
I love the way a book set alongside the sea has a way of calming my brain. Hurley was generous with his words as he created each wave, and mixed scents of sea salt, with earth. I wish I was able to better appreciate his passages that involved boats, and sailing, and the general mechanics of such machinery, but alas, I understood little, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it's involvement in the story. Having read many books that had aspects of law, and coming from a Catholic background myself, I welcomed those ideas, and felt more connected to the book because of it. Above it all, however, was the mystery of The Prodigal, a boat that came with an age-old past. I loved the interweaving of past, and present, and each characters role in the mystery was intriguing and well thought out.
I expected so much less from The Prodigal, and was surprised to find that what I found there was a narrative that will stay alive in my head for the next few days. This is a great read to start the holiday season with!
Recommended for Fans of: Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, Contemporary, Romance, Literary Fiction.
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*DISCLAIMER* I received this book as a print copy from the publisher, in order to participate in the blog tour
There are books that excel at descriptive narrative, and then there are books that OWN it. The Prodigal owned the hell out of it's imagery. I didn't get the smallest chance to wonder what someone looked like, what the wind was doing to that sand dune over there-Michael Hurley painted the most beautiful pictures. My knowledge on the ways of the sea is nil, and even less so for the boats that roam it's surfaces. Hurley comes from a background of sea and law, so The Prodigal is abundant with both. My brain glazed over at those spots, but my GOD how his poetic writing kept my awake and highly engrossed.
Aiden Sharpe is described as man that controls the world around him. Though calm, and collective by nature, and practically a demi-god in his position as a lawyer, Aiden can feel his sanity slipping. His grip is completely loosened when a a decision at work results in the destruction of life as he knew it. Father Marcus is hiding behind lies, and helping Sarah hide behind the ones he's created for her. Bobbi, Molly, and Ibrahim are all coming to terms with aspects of their life they've never fully had a hold on. Each character in The Prodigal was so intricately broken in their own, and each word that was used to heal them, helped heal me in the process. This book was a dose of something that everyone should take, it was medicine for the soul.
I love the way a book set alongside the sea has a way of calming my brain. Hurley was generous with his words as he created each wave, and mixed scents of sea salt, with earth. I wish I was able to better appreciate his passages that involved boats, and sailing, and the general mechanics of such machinery, but alas, I understood little, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it's involvement in the story. Having read many books that had aspects of law, and coming from a Catholic background myself, I welcomed those ideas, and felt more connected to the book because of it. Above it all, however, was the mystery of The Prodigal, a boat that came with an age-old past. I loved the interweaving of past, and present, and each characters role in the mystery was intriguing and well thought out.
I expected so much less from The Prodigal, and was surprised to find that what I found there was a narrative that will stay alive in my head for the next few days. This is a great read to start the holiday season with!
Recommended for Fans of: Mitch Albom, Paulo Coelho, Contemporary, Romance, Literary Fiction.
----------
*DISCLAIMER* I received this book as a print copy from the publisher, in order to participate in the blog tour
October 1, 2013
Aidan Sharpe is one of the best lawyers in Raleigh. When opposing counsel walk in and see him behind the defendant's desk, their hearts sink, as Sharpe has the ability to make juries see things as he does and rarely loses a case. He is the primary practicing partner at one of the most respected law firms, and is highly compensated. Life is his for the taking.
But things are not going as well as they seem. His marriage fell apart a few years ago and he has been hesitant to form another relationship. Trials are too easy these days and he is starting to phone it in. His drinking is getting out of control. Then comes the ultimate moment; one moment when a bad choice takes away everything he has worked for all these years.
Stunned, he flees to Ocracoke Island, the most remote island on the North Carolina Outer Banks. It takes a lot to live on Ocracoke, and those who manage to survive there are not too quick to worry about other people's sins or judge them too quickly. Aiden moves in with the priest who has watched over the island for years and starts to rebuild his life. He spends his days now doing manual labor at the local boatyard, his friends a collection of other individuals who are also looking for a way to survive.
There is Father Marcus, who was shipped to Ocracoke for his deviations from church theology and his personal issues. Ibrahim is fleeing from his past, but the best ship worker Ocracoke has seen in years. Bobbi is fleeing a bad marriage and her addiction to alcohol and men. Molly is a tugboat captain, determined to make it in a man's world. Sarah is, well no one is sure what Sarah is. She washed up on shore nude several years ago. Father Marcus watches over her, but she remains a remote figure who speaks to few and is closer to fewer.
Together this group of individuals learn to support each other and work towards finding redemption. That redemption may come from a surprising source. They discover a sailboat floating as scavenged goods; it has apparently been floating in the ocean for several years. It is an amazing boat, obviously an ancient one built with care and love. Is it the mystical Prodigal that is the source of so many legends over the years and can it help this group find themselves as they attempt to win a race that means everything? The race is small against large, islanders against those with money and power, a race to prove that character means something even in boat races.
Michael Hurley has written a fascinating look at the issue of flaws and redemption. Ocracoke Island is the perfect setting for the characters to find themselves; the land itself has to rediscover and reclaim itself all the time as the ocean attempts to overwhelm it. Readers from the South will be especially pleased to read about this North Carolina treasure. This book is recommended for readers of literary fiction and those interested in the chance to start anew, regardless of what has come before. Hurley lives in Raleigh, NC, and is quickly on the way to becoming another North Carolina treasure.
November 19, 2013
Posted first on Blog Critics as Book Review:'The Prodigal' by Michael Hurley.
Romance and Romanticism, are they one and the same, or is the distinction just so complicated they sometimes get interchanged. Or can they also be just a part of the same whole. In real diction romance is about that feeling associated with love, while romanticism is often a description of that romance or a feeling emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity and the primacy of each individual.
In the Prodigal by Michael Hurley, both come together in a battle of supremacy. The romance of a story from long, long ago, one of star crossed lovers finds a way into the present. In 1851 a pair of young lovers steel away from their parents disapproval, stealing a sailing ship known as the Prodigal. With this beautiful ship known for its blessings and unnatural speed, they escape leaving behind both grief and loss.
150 years later we meet Aidan Sharpe. As an attorney he has done well, rising to the top, but he has never really lived his dream. Yet visiting on Ocracoke Island he finds himself in an untenable situation. Some of his time is lost in memory, yet he remembers wine given to him by a nude woman on the beach, and when gathering himself together as best he can in his aftermath of the evening another woman offers him water. A seeming portent, his life is soon infected by scandal and disbelief.
Hiding away from his painful dismissal he find himself caught up in the story of a two-thousand-year-old mystery when the sudden appearance of a ship is found off the coast, adrift and unmanned. As he researches the possibility of its history and the chance it could be the Prodigal, he finds himself even deeper in the morass as he races against time to pit himself against the best in the regatta world.
Hurley has given us a story of hope and romance, yet the romanticism is what drives his motivation. There is something magical and majestic in his descriptions of the sea and the character of his histories.
His protagonist, Aiden, is like many of those people we sometimes think of as oily in their choice of career, yet when he finds himself down and out, he discovers a different person inside. We are there as he becomes a hero to many and we go from thinking he got his comeuppance, to rooting for him to win the race now the most important thing. The others along the way try to stop him, yet he somehow comes up with solutions even as all seems lost.
This is a story of amazing depth, and exciting adventure. There is a deep and abiding belief in both magic and religion, but the true mystery is the ship and the ocean. You will find this an interesting contrast to most romance, but will be intrigued with the vagaries.
This would be a great book for a reading group or book club. It would also do well as a curl up on the couch and dream of adventure story. Hurley had given us something to think about and believe in. (ourselves)
Romance and Romanticism, are they one and the same, or is the distinction just so complicated they sometimes get interchanged. Or can they also be just a part of the same whole. In real diction romance is about that feeling associated with love, while romanticism is often a description of that romance or a feeling emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity and the primacy of each individual.
In the Prodigal by Michael Hurley, both come together in a battle of supremacy. The romance of a story from long, long ago, one of star crossed lovers finds a way into the present. In 1851 a pair of young lovers steel away from their parents disapproval, stealing a sailing ship known as the Prodigal. With this beautiful ship known for its blessings and unnatural speed, they escape leaving behind both grief and loss.
150 years later we meet Aidan Sharpe. As an attorney he has done well, rising to the top, but he has never really lived his dream. Yet visiting on Ocracoke Island he finds himself in an untenable situation. Some of his time is lost in memory, yet he remembers wine given to him by a nude woman on the beach, and when gathering himself together as best he can in his aftermath of the evening another woman offers him water. A seeming portent, his life is soon infected by scandal and disbelief.
Hiding away from his painful dismissal he find himself caught up in the story of a two-thousand-year-old mystery when the sudden appearance of a ship is found off the coast, adrift and unmanned. As he researches the possibility of its history and the chance it could be the Prodigal, he finds himself even deeper in the morass as he races against time to pit himself against the best in the regatta world.
Hurley has given us a story of hope and romance, yet the romanticism is what drives his motivation. There is something magical and majestic in his descriptions of the sea and the character of his histories.
His protagonist, Aiden, is like many of those people we sometimes think of as oily in their choice of career, yet when he finds himself down and out, he discovers a different person inside. We are there as he becomes a hero to many and we go from thinking he got his comeuppance, to rooting for him to win the race now the most important thing. The others along the way try to stop him, yet he somehow comes up with solutions even as all seems lost.
This is a story of amazing depth, and exciting adventure. There is a deep and abiding belief in both magic and religion, but the true mystery is the ship and the ocean. You will find this an interesting contrast to most romance, but will be intrigued with the vagaries.
This would be a great book for a reading group or book club. It would also do well as a curl up on the couch and dream of adventure story. Hurley had given us something to think about and believe in. (ourselves)
September 21, 2013
I am going to start off by saying that if you get confused easily, it will definitely happen to you in the beginning of this story. The story begins with the disappearance of a stolen ship, which was called The Prodigal. The ship was taken by a young gypsy girl and her lover. They were never seen again. This part of the story takes place in 1851. You then jump ahead to present day 2010, where the character that you are introduced to is Aiden Sharpe. He is a lawyer whose practice is out of Raleigh but he is vacationing on Ocracoke Island. I loved the book's setting because I lived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina for 11 years and was introduced to some, but not all, of the history and mysteries there.
When Aiden awakes on the beach after a night of drinking, he finds himself naked and no idea how he even got there. He also realizes that there is a naked woman on the beach with him. Once Aiden comes to he meets up with his friends after getting some wine and clothing from the woman and they head back to the mainland. I was a little lost and confused at this point about the woman and why she was there.
You are then taken through Aiden's journey and what leads him to have his law license suspended. This is when he returns to Ocracoke Island to start over. He meets Molly there, and also develops a relationship with a fugitive man. He is also reunited with the naked woman from the beach named Sarah and later introduced to another character that is not at all how he seems named Rowdy.
In a surprising twist that brings everything together as to why the boat scene is featured in the beginning, the Prodigal is found off of the coast. I found the book a little long but there is a reason for it as the Prodigal is set to go against another known as Invictus. I believe that the message that the author is trying to get across is whether you are lovers that do not have family's blessing or you are in a race that you want to win badly if you want it bad enough you can beat the odds!
It does not start off as a read that you will easily find yourself wanting to get into because with the first chapter the author uses old English. I was a little afraid that this was going to be how the whole book was written but thankfully it was not. Once you get past the introductory chapters, what the Prodigal is and introduced to Aiden and the other characters, you find the answers to all the mystery questions that you are looking for. I would give this book FOUR STARS because once you get a few chapters in, it really is a great read.
I was given a copy of this book for my open and honest review.
When Aiden awakes on the beach after a night of drinking, he finds himself naked and no idea how he even got there. He also realizes that there is a naked woman on the beach with him. Once Aiden comes to he meets up with his friends after getting some wine and clothing from the woman and they head back to the mainland. I was a little lost and confused at this point about the woman and why she was there.
You are then taken through Aiden's journey and what leads him to have his law license suspended. This is when he returns to Ocracoke Island to start over. He meets Molly there, and also develops a relationship with a fugitive man. He is also reunited with the naked woman from the beach named Sarah and later introduced to another character that is not at all how he seems named Rowdy.
In a surprising twist that brings everything together as to why the boat scene is featured in the beginning, the Prodigal is found off of the coast. I found the book a little long but there is a reason for it as the Prodigal is set to go against another known as Invictus. I believe that the message that the author is trying to get across is whether you are lovers that do not have family's blessing or you are in a race that you want to win badly if you want it bad enough you can beat the odds!
It does not start off as a read that you will easily find yourself wanting to get into because with the first chapter the author uses old English. I was a little afraid that this was going to be how the whole book was written but thankfully it was not. Once you get past the introductory chapters, what the Prodigal is and introduced to Aiden and the other characters, you find the answers to all the mystery questions that you are looking for. I would give this book FOUR STARS because once you get a few chapters in, it really is a great read.
I was given a copy of this book for my open and honest review.
October 9, 2013
The Prodigal by Michael Hurley opens with a princess and her lover escaping on a boat and then jumps to the present where we meet Aidan Sharpe on Ocracoke Island. Aiden is a talented partner in a prestigious Raleigh law firm whose life is on the cusp of taking a turn in a new direction. While it looks like Aiden's life is headed for a great fall, he actually begins to rebuild his life in an unexpected way back on Ocracoke Island with an unlikely group of cohorts while overcoming an enemy and restoring a boat with a mysterious past.
The Prodigal is an incredibly well written debut novel. This well rounded novel includes a mystery, a legend, a little romance, personal challenges, and pulls in knowledge of the law, Catholicism, and sailing. It is also an allegorical novel. Those with a background of Biblical stories will be able to make comparisons between characters and events in the book and the Bible. But note that the religious underpinnings of this novel are not force fed to anyone and any previous knowledge of them is not necessary because this is also an epic tale of self-discovery. It truly begs comparison to a legendary mythological struggle where the imperfect hero has to overcome great odds - with a hint of magic realism.
Those who enjoy literary fiction are going to love The Prodigal. Themes explored include: human frailty and failings, loss and betrayal, self-awareness and discovery, restoration and redemption, friendship and hope, loyalty, honor, and trust. The characters are all imperfect but many of them are trying to overcome their limitations and do the best they can under their various circumstances. Hurley does a commendable job of not judging his characters, while allowing them their various human frailties and foibles.
I am actually surprised at how much I loved The Prodigal. Admittedly the first third of The Prodigal was slow to totally capture my attention while the backstory and all the characters were being set into place, but once it hit its stride, I was completely hooked. Hurley manages to weave so many diverse elements into his tale, but, just as in life, a good story has many different parts to it.
Its surprising to note that this is Hurley's debut novel. He's written other things, but for a first novel there is a depth, intelligence, and thoughtfulness present that make you crave more.
Very Highly Recommended
(As of the writing of this review on 10/8 the Kindle edition was .99!)
Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
The Prodigal is an incredibly well written debut novel. This well rounded novel includes a mystery, a legend, a little romance, personal challenges, and pulls in knowledge of the law, Catholicism, and sailing. It is also an allegorical novel. Those with a background of Biblical stories will be able to make comparisons between characters and events in the book and the Bible. But note that the religious underpinnings of this novel are not force fed to anyone and any previous knowledge of them is not necessary because this is also an epic tale of self-discovery. It truly begs comparison to a legendary mythological struggle where the imperfect hero has to overcome great odds - with a hint of magic realism.
Those who enjoy literary fiction are going to love The Prodigal. Themes explored include: human frailty and failings, loss and betrayal, self-awareness and discovery, restoration and redemption, friendship and hope, loyalty, honor, and trust. The characters are all imperfect but many of them are trying to overcome their limitations and do the best they can under their various circumstances. Hurley does a commendable job of not judging his characters, while allowing them their various human frailties and foibles.
I am actually surprised at how much I loved The Prodigal. Admittedly the first third of The Prodigal was slow to totally capture my attention while the backstory and all the characters were being set into place, but once it hit its stride, I was completely hooked. Hurley manages to weave so many diverse elements into his tale, but, just as in life, a good story has many different parts to it.
Its surprising to note that this is Hurley's debut novel. He's written other things, but for a first novel there is a depth, intelligence, and thoughtfulness present that make you crave more.
Very Highly Recommended
(As of the writing of this review on 10/8 the Kindle edition was .99!)
Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher and TLC for review purposes.
October 25, 2014
A Rich and Satisfying Read
By Judy on October 24, 2014 in Book Reviews, Reading
The Prodigal
If you’re a fan of sea legends, like the Flying Dutchman, or puzzles from the past, like Dan Brown’s Da Vince Code, I invite you to read Michael Hurley’s The Prodigal, a novel that mixes the aura of such mysteries with parables and romantic suspense for a lively and absorbing read. Kirkus reviews calls it “Stirring, romantic, and evocative of the sea’s magic,” BookTrib writes that it is “a glorious, satisfying read the overnight lept onto this constant reader’s ‘Top 5 of 2013’ list,” and it is the winner of Chanticleer Review’s Grand Prize for fiction of 2013. It is a must read.
The novel opens on Ocracoke Island, 2010: “And so Aiden, the proud one, a man who refused above all else to learn from his own mistakes much less the errors of history, came at last to this island.” After a drunken weekend on the island followed by a disaster in the courtroom, star lawyer, Aiden Sharpe, finds himself exiled to Ocracoke to recreate his life among fellow prodigals: Father Marcus O’Reilly, exiled by a bishop exasperated by Marcus’s habit of speaking his mind; Sarah, a naked blond beauty, half real, half illusion, who is either a seer or insane; Bobbi Baker, a recovering alcoholic who runs the general store; Molly McGregor, red headed tow-boat captain who broke her wealthy father’s heart by choosing a solitary life on the island; Ibrahim, a Bahaman escaping wrongful conviction for murder. And finally, an ancient sloop whose history goes back to Biblical times. All are caught in the mystery of the boat and the possibility of racing it against Rowdy Ponteau, drunken son of wealth, who arrives regularly to bully the inhabitant of the isle.
Hurley tells this tale from the omniscient point-of-view, giving each character’s story full weight, and, with the elegant prose of the line above, weaves current time (2010) with past ages. It is, as his reviewers say, masterfully done. If I had any problem with the book, it is with the ending, which I found unnecessarily pat, but others will no doubt find it satisfying, and it doesn’t affect my very high opinion of the book.
July 11, 2013
I received this book as part of Goodreads Giveaways.
In this debut novel from author Michael Hurley, the story of the mysterious ship named the Prodigal is intertwined with a cast of characters on Oracoke Island, NC. We start with what seems a fable, of a gypsy princess who runs away with her true love, a salior, on board an amazingly powerful boat. we then switch to present day. When hot shot lawyer Aidan Sharp makes a mistake in a major case, he finds himself suddenly left with nothing. His mentor sends to him stay with Father Marcus, a Roman Catholic priest in charge of a tiny congregation in Oracoke Island, on the Outer Banks. Father Marcus is a bit of a renegade himself, and feels it is his job to help the lost souls who find themselves on the island with nowhere else to go. One of these is Sarah, a woman who showed up years before on the beach totally naked. Father Marcus gives her a small boat to live on and helps her survive. Also helping Sarah is Molly, a spunky tug boat captain who is trying to survive in a man’s world. When Sarah disappears into the Atlantic on her small boat, Aida, Marcus, and Molly, along with their friend Ibrahim ( a Bahamian on the run boat worker) set out to search for her. As she disappears before them, they happen upon an abandoned boat. Father Marcus digs into the origins of the boat and is amazed at some of the stories surrounding her.
This was a very well written book that surprised me with the changes in the story. Just when I thought I had a good idea what type of book this was, the story would change, subtly, and head in a different direction. I thought the characters of Aidan and Father Marcus were very well written-these felt like men I might have known. As I grew up on a boat every single weekend fishing with my dad, I loved the descriptions of being on the water. As the story moved into sailing and racing, I was a little confused by all the terminology, but never felt lost, as I moved along with the feel of the words.
In this debut novel from author Michael Hurley, the story of the mysterious ship named the Prodigal is intertwined with a cast of characters on Oracoke Island, NC. We start with what seems a fable, of a gypsy princess who runs away with her true love, a salior, on board an amazingly powerful boat. we then switch to present day. When hot shot lawyer Aidan Sharp makes a mistake in a major case, he finds himself suddenly left with nothing. His mentor sends to him stay with Father Marcus, a Roman Catholic priest in charge of a tiny congregation in Oracoke Island, on the Outer Banks. Father Marcus is a bit of a renegade himself, and feels it is his job to help the lost souls who find themselves on the island with nowhere else to go. One of these is Sarah, a woman who showed up years before on the beach totally naked. Father Marcus gives her a small boat to live on and helps her survive. Also helping Sarah is Molly, a spunky tug boat captain who is trying to survive in a man’s world. When Sarah disappears into the Atlantic on her small boat, Aida, Marcus, and Molly, along with their friend Ibrahim ( a Bahamian on the run boat worker) set out to search for her. As she disappears before them, they happen upon an abandoned boat. Father Marcus digs into the origins of the boat and is amazed at some of the stories surrounding her.
This was a very well written book that surprised me with the changes in the story. Just when I thought I had a good idea what type of book this was, the story would change, subtly, and head in a different direction. I thought the characters of Aidan and Father Marcus were very well written-these felt like men I might have known. As I grew up on a boat every single weekend fishing with my dad, I loved the descriptions of being on the water. As the story moved into sailing and racing, I was a little confused by all the terminology, but never felt lost, as I moved along with the feel of the words.
September 30, 2013
GIVEAWAY: Visit Create With Joy for your chance to win 1 of 5 Autographed Copies of The Prodigal by Michael Hurley, now through October 20, 2013 – US/Canada!
It takes a lifetime to build a meaningful life, a flourishing marriage, a successful career.
It takes a moment to watch those things implode.
No one knows this better than Aidan Sharpe – the golden boy who lost his Midas touch. Once a high-powered attorney and partner at the prestigious law firm of McFadden Brown, Aidan now finds himself lying naked on the beach of Ocracoke Island after a night of heavy drinking, without any recollection of where he is or how he ended up there.
And so begins Aidan’s journey of self-awakening and self-discovery– a journey that will force him to reflect on the events of his scandalous past as he seeks to rebuild his life and find the answers to the questions that haunt him.
What revelations do the people of Ocracoke Island hold for Aidan? Will the discoveries he makes transform or destroy him? How do the events of the present tie in to the mysteries of the past?
Countless authors aspire to write great literature, but few achieve that goal. Welcome, Michael, to the club. The Prodigal by Michael Hurley is one of the most masterfully written novels I have read all year.
Michael is an incredible storyteller who weaves magic with words. The Prodigal is filled with evocative imagery and exquisite prose that draws you in from the start.
It’s a pleasure to discover a writer of Michael’s caliber. I look forward to reading more from this talented writer!
This review was written by and originally published at Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
It takes a lifetime to build a meaningful life, a flourishing marriage, a successful career.
It takes a moment to watch those things implode.
No one knows this better than Aidan Sharpe – the golden boy who lost his Midas touch. Once a high-powered attorney and partner at the prestigious law firm of McFadden Brown, Aidan now finds himself lying naked on the beach of Ocracoke Island after a night of heavy drinking, without any recollection of where he is or how he ended up there.
And so begins Aidan’s journey of self-awakening and self-discovery– a journey that will force him to reflect on the events of his scandalous past as he seeks to rebuild his life and find the answers to the questions that haunt him.
What revelations do the people of Ocracoke Island hold for Aidan? Will the discoveries he makes transform or destroy him? How do the events of the present tie in to the mysteries of the past?
Countless authors aspire to write great literature, but few achieve that goal. Welcome, Michael, to the club. The Prodigal by Michael Hurley is one of the most masterfully written novels I have read all year.
Michael is an incredible storyteller who weaves magic with words. The Prodigal is filled with evocative imagery and exquisite prose that draws you in from the start.
It’s a pleasure to discover a writer of Michael’s caliber. I look forward to reading more from this talented writer!
This review was written by and originally published at Create With Joy.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes. I was not compensated or required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
October 1, 2013
Once a high powered attorney Aidan Sharpe, now fallen must pick up his life. The book starts with Sharpe finding himself on the beach of Ocracoke Island after a night of heavy drinking with no memory of where or even how he ended up there. Think of the questions, the confusion. This man was at the top of his game and lost it all. If anyone needed a wakeup call, it was Sharpe and he certainly got it in this book.
The adventure has already begun as he starts his journey of self-awareness, awakening and discovery. One journey that grows throughout the book. I like how his character just builds with each turn of the page. It's a steady growth that has you hooked and wanting to watch him continue his personal quest.
As he meets people throughout the Island he starts to transform, earning trust, finding love again, creating friendships. This all the while he is trying to restore this ship with history back to 1851 which appeared out of nowhere. It's his new task to get this running for a race .
Secrets and questions arise leaving you with the thought of wondering -will all this new adventure he's been traveling with destroy him? Or help him grow even more as it continues? Which path will he take if he even takes one? Will he shut down this chance, or take it and keep moving on, growing not just as a person but as a man who truly has more to offer.
The events given to Sharpe are slowly tying into the past and you're really intrigued from the first page. The saying the past haunts you really come back in this book, not as haunting but linking, a connection I would say. How much does the present connect to the events in our past? This is a constant growing question in the book.
I was taken in by the writing; happy to find out this was Michael Hurley’s first novel. It leaves room for so many more to come, and I look forward to it! I have rated this 5/5 stars and recommend it to any book lover.
The adventure has already begun as he starts his journey of self-awareness, awakening and discovery. One journey that grows throughout the book. I like how his character just builds with each turn of the page. It's a steady growth that has you hooked and wanting to watch him continue his personal quest.
As he meets people throughout the Island he starts to transform, earning trust, finding love again, creating friendships. This all the while he is trying to restore this ship with history back to 1851 which appeared out of nowhere. It's his new task to get this running for a race .
Secrets and questions arise leaving you with the thought of wondering -will all this new adventure he's been traveling with destroy him? Or help him grow even more as it continues? Which path will he take if he even takes one? Will he shut down this chance, or take it and keep moving on, growing not just as a person but as a man who truly has more to offer.
The events given to Sharpe are slowly tying into the past and you're really intrigued from the first page. The saying the past haunts you really come back in this book, not as haunting but linking, a connection I would say. How much does the present connect to the events in our past? This is a constant growing question in the book.
I was taken in by the writing; happy to find out this was Michael Hurley’s first novel. It leaves room for so many more to come, and I look forward to it! I have rated this 5/5 stars and recommend it to any book lover.
September 28, 2013
This is one of the best books I've read in years if not the best. The Prodigal is destined to become a classic. I don't even know how to put into words how I truly feel about this book. It's like walking into a room, and realizing that you are in the presence of greatness. It isn't just a work of fiction to be enjoyed. It is a stirring, thought provoking tale that will cause you to think about your own life and beliefs. It is a story with a message and lessons that we need to learn.
Hurley does a superb job with characterization, and mesmerizing the reader. He combines his love of law, the sea, Catholicism, and the simpler life to weave this tale. He reminds me of some of the great writers - Hemmingway, Austen, Dickens, etc. His style is not the same, but it is still a literary masterpiece.
I have to admit that at first I was a little hesitant about this book. I was not sure where he was going with the book, and how everything would fit together. Once I got past the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down. I was under Hurley's spell. One that, I was happy to be under. I was captivated. It made me take another look at my life and my beliefs.
While I know that this book will not resonate with all readers, there is no mistaking that this is a literary masterpiece. Adults will enjoy this much more than students and younger generations. Most students do not have the life experiences to connect with the story that adults have.
I definitely rate this 5 stars out of 5. I would give it more if I could. I strongly urge you to pick up this book and read it. You will not regret reading it, or the impact it might have on your life.
I received a free copy of this book from Beck Valley Books in exchange for a review; however, all views and opinions are 100% mine.
Hurley does a superb job with characterization, and mesmerizing the reader. He combines his love of law, the sea, Catholicism, and the simpler life to weave this tale. He reminds me of some of the great writers - Hemmingway, Austen, Dickens, etc. His style is not the same, but it is still a literary masterpiece.
I have to admit that at first I was a little hesitant about this book. I was not sure where he was going with the book, and how everything would fit together. Once I got past the first couple of chapters, I was hooked. I couldn't put the book down. I was under Hurley's spell. One that, I was happy to be under. I was captivated. It made me take another look at my life and my beliefs.
While I know that this book will not resonate with all readers, there is no mistaking that this is a literary masterpiece. Adults will enjoy this much more than students and younger generations. Most students do not have the life experiences to connect with the story that adults have.
I definitely rate this 5 stars out of 5. I would give it more if I could. I strongly urge you to pick up this book and read it. You will not regret reading it, or the impact it might have on your life.
I received a free copy of this book from Beck Valley Books in exchange for a review; however, all views and opinions are 100% mine.
November 6, 2013
The Prodigal is a book that contains many different facets and layers in portraying the hidden tales and mixing it with a contemporary twist. The book begins with a background scene in Greece in 1851 and a father is devastated that his daughter is running off with a young attractive boy. The father hates how the boy has talked his daughter into committing the worst type of sin imaginable, and she freely chose to do so. They steal a ship called the Prodigal and this builds the plot concerning the ship. Next, readers are introduced to the setting on Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. The book contained four main characters: Aidan, Marcus, Ibrahim, and Molly and their different stories are told throughout the novel.
I would recommend this amazing novel to anyone who enjoys reading mystery. Michael Hurley is a brilliant writer in connecting all of the characters back to each other. I was lured in by his exciting descriptive writing style and he knew how to capture reader’s attention. I liked how he wrote each character in a way that revealed their humanness and flaws. They were easy to relate to and I could effortlessly recognize people’s personalities that I have encounter in my own life and tie them back to the story. The overall mystery was shocking and I never saw the depth and the importance of the ship until the very end. I liked how the book composed of some Biblical aspects positioned in the book. The way Michael described sailing made me feel as if I was travelling along! If you’re looking for an excellent written mystery packed novel, then read this book!
“I received a copy of the book for free from TLC Blog Tours for this review.”
I would recommend this amazing novel to anyone who enjoys reading mystery. Michael Hurley is a brilliant writer in connecting all of the characters back to each other. I was lured in by his exciting descriptive writing style and he knew how to capture reader’s attention. I liked how he wrote each character in a way that revealed their humanness and flaws. They were easy to relate to and I could effortlessly recognize people’s personalities that I have encounter in my own life and tie them back to the story. The overall mystery was shocking and I never saw the depth and the importance of the ship until the very end. I liked how the book composed of some Biblical aspects positioned in the book. The way Michael described sailing made me feel as if I was travelling along! If you’re looking for an excellent written mystery packed novel, then read this book!
“I received a copy of the book for free from TLC Blog Tours for this review.”
September 14, 2013
What is there to say about The Prodigal by Michael Hurley other than from the start and page after page, the story is being told with a poetic nuance while details makes us see every scene and sometimes even feel them. In the first part of the book, Aidan Sharps’ life is told briefly up until he reaches Ocracoke Island. He is on the beach and from thereon mystery begins as Michael Hurley introduces all the characters leaving the reader helpless but to just go with his flow, curious and devouring every sentence as they are read in silence.
I really liked Father Marcus O’Reilly because of his outlook with his congregation. I also liked the way he needed to give shelter (Bel Sogno) to Sarah. Who is Sarah? The mystery and the sea was all I could conjure as I kept reading with some temptation to check out the last few pages… but didn’t.
If readers like adventure with history, as I do, then, reading about the discovery of The Prodigal or its return making the novel more interesting since it thus explain that mysterious attraction to the sea from Marcus and Aidan (who enters a boat race).
What I liked also were also the in-depth emotion from the characters as they uncovered facts or myths, it wasn’t sure from my point of view.
It is definitely a good read and a story many will give out their different version of how it really ends, should end or might have ended if… I truly recommend it. And, I can see many readers re-reading this novel just to see if they may have missed something.
Adriana LG
I really liked Father Marcus O’Reilly because of his outlook with his congregation. I also liked the way he needed to give shelter (Bel Sogno) to Sarah. Who is Sarah? The mystery and the sea was all I could conjure as I kept reading with some temptation to check out the last few pages… but didn’t.
If readers like adventure with history, as I do, then, reading about the discovery of The Prodigal or its return making the novel more interesting since it thus explain that mysterious attraction to the sea from Marcus and Aidan (who enters a boat race).
What I liked also were also the in-depth emotion from the characters as they uncovered facts or myths, it wasn’t sure from my point of view.
It is definitely a good read and a story many will give out their different version of how it really ends, should end or might have ended if… I truly recommend it. And, I can see many readers re-reading this novel just to see if they may have missed something.
Adriana LG
September 29, 2013
One of the best books I have read in a long while from page one the reader is totally engrossed. The author creates an air of mystery.
The story revolves around the little town of Ocracoke Island where lawyer Aidan Sharpe is trying to rebuild his life when he meets the local priest father Marcus.
The reason why I loved this book was that each of the main characters had or were keeping a secret and had to learn to trust love and bind together in order for them all to reach / attain their destiny.
As he arrives on the island feeling uneasy he is put to work with Ibrahim to work on the boats which fulfills him but is shocked when he is asked to leave.
Then out of nowhere a mystery boat appears and has history back to 1851. He takes on the task to restore her and race her in a multi million pound race.
The heartache and emotions you feel as you follow Aidan's journey is unbelievable, the friendship he has to make, the trust he receives from Father Marcus and trying to find love is amazing.
The gem of this book is the authors history of the mystery ship which appears and the secrets and powers it holds.
During reading this book you will question your own lifestyle and what is really important is it money, friendship or just to be happy. Hidden in this book is a message telling you that situations change in your life for a specific reason.
Writers rarely come along who can get you hooked on their style of wring and knowledge of personal feelings, which this novelist does and I cannot wait to read more of his work.
The story revolves around the little town of Ocracoke Island where lawyer Aidan Sharpe is trying to rebuild his life when he meets the local priest father Marcus.
The reason why I loved this book was that each of the main characters had or were keeping a secret and had to learn to trust love and bind together in order for them all to reach / attain their destiny.
As he arrives on the island feeling uneasy he is put to work with Ibrahim to work on the boats which fulfills him but is shocked when he is asked to leave.
Then out of nowhere a mystery boat appears and has history back to 1851. He takes on the task to restore her and race her in a multi million pound race.
The heartache and emotions you feel as you follow Aidan's journey is unbelievable, the friendship he has to make, the trust he receives from Father Marcus and trying to find love is amazing.
The gem of this book is the authors history of the mystery ship which appears and the secrets and powers it holds.
During reading this book you will question your own lifestyle and what is really important is it money, friendship or just to be happy. Hidden in this book is a message telling you that situations change in your life for a specific reason.
Writers rarely come along who can get you hooked on their style of wring and knowledge of personal feelings, which this novelist does and I cannot wait to read more of his work.
September 11, 2013
As a NC girl born and raised, I wanted to read this book because it is set on Ocracoke Island here in the Outer Banks of NC. Anyone who is from here has fond memories of their own frolicking in the sand, the sites, and the area.
I loved reading this book, because I have been to Ocracoke, and I can imagine it all in my mind as it is happening in the book as if it were real. I loved how various occurrences in the book are symbolic of things that happened in the Bible. For instance, in the very beginning the daughter and her lover fleeing on a ship are symbolic of Adam and Eve fleeing the garden. 150 years later when Aiden washes up naked on the beach after a weekend of partying he can't remember, one woman gives him wine, while yet another gives him water-again Biblical symbolism.
I love how Aiden makes the life journey and realizes after being an acclaimed lawyer that money doesn't buy you happiness, and that it's the little things in life like living an unsophisticated life as an islander that helps you live life to the fullest.
The story of the ship and how it get's its ability to sail at speeds unheard of, again takes you back to Biblical stories and times. Overall, whether you are religious or not, this is an excellent read that aptly depicts what beach life is like on a small island in NC!
I loved reading this book, because I have been to Ocracoke, and I can imagine it all in my mind as it is happening in the book as if it were real. I loved how various occurrences in the book are symbolic of things that happened in the Bible. For instance, in the very beginning the daughter and her lover fleeing on a ship are symbolic of Adam and Eve fleeing the garden. 150 years later when Aiden washes up naked on the beach after a weekend of partying he can't remember, one woman gives him wine, while yet another gives him water-again Biblical symbolism.
I love how Aiden makes the life journey and realizes after being an acclaimed lawyer that money doesn't buy you happiness, and that it's the little things in life like living an unsophisticated life as an islander that helps you live life to the fullest.
The story of the ship and how it get's its ability to sail at speeds unheard of, again takes you back to Biblical stories and times. Overall, whether you are religious or not, this is an excellent read that aptly depicts what beach life is like on a small island in NC!
January 1, 2014
The Prodigal by Michael Hurley
I wanted to read this book because it's the story of a boat from very long ago and the front cover looks fabulous. The story line I knew it would keep my interest.
Story starts out with a lawyer Aidan Sharpe and he's a lawyer but on the outer banks island for a few days. Just drifting around drinking and with his law buddies.
Upon returning to the mainland and work they discover they are to be in court for a major trial but things don't quite go as planned and we find Aidan back on the island indefinitely. He is able to live with Father Marcus and work around the island doing odd jobs. He and others land a job doing carpentry work at the boatyard til
a fight breaks out and they get banned. Lots of love scenes and the lure of the island life is abundant.
Loved the boat racing and all the nautical terms as I live close by to Narragansett Bay and am very familiar with the America's cup and Newport to Bermuda races. Lots of action and adventure-the kind I'd expect off the shores of the outer banks.
Felt at peace while reading this story and you wonder if they do find their paradise...Loved knowing that the work the author has done is put into his novel-it's all firsthand knowledge. Loved hearing all about the technical side and what comes into play to make it all work.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
I wanted to read this book because it's the story of a boat from very long ago and the front cover looks fabulous. The story line I knew it would keep my interest.
Story starts out with a lawyer Aidan Sharpe and he's a lawyer but on the outer banks island for a few days. Just drifting around drinking and with his law buddies.
Upon returning to the mainland and work they discover they are to be in court for a major trial but things don't quite go as planned and we find Aidan back on the island indefinitely. He is able to live with Father Marcus and work around the island doing odd jobs. He and others land a job doing carpentry work at the boatyard til
a fight breaks out and they get banned. Lots of love scenes and the lure of the island life is abundant.
Loved the boat racing and all the nautical terms as I live close by to Narragansett Bay and am very familiar with the America's cup and Newport to Bermuda races. Lots of action and adventure-the kind I'd expect off the shores of the outer banks.
Felt at peace while reading this story and you wonder if they do find their paradise...Loved knowing that the work the author has done is put into his novel-it's all firsthand knowledge. Loved hearing all about the technical side and what comes into play to make it all work.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
December 24, 2013
Beautiful story.
This is a tale told by Aidan Sharpe, a 40-something very successful lawyer, probably the best in town, had a wife, money and everything. In one single mistake (stupid mistake), he lost everything... his job, wife, money, and even some friends. As an advice of someone dear to him, he went to Ocracoke Island and there he met a lot of people who would teach him what it means to really 'live' his life.
I liked that this book has a male character lead, Aidan was easy to get along with. When he lost his job, it was very hard for me to accept that he just walked away after that one stupid mistake. Been around lawyers for more than 10 years and they always find ways to make people forget things. They are good at erasing memories... It was when he started his journey to this Ocracoke island I started to really love his character. Rebuilding his life in a remote town suddenly became enticing to me. I mean there are times I would get tired of everything's going on around me and I'd go on vacation somewhere I'd be on my own. Though it would take a lot of courage to do the things he did. Oh well, he lost everything so he didn't really have any choice but to take that path. Love Aidan, I could picture him in my mind and every character made a wonderful contribution in the story. One of the best reads for this year.
This is a tale told by Aidan Sharpe, a 40-something very successful lawyer, probably the best in town, had a wife, money and everything. In one single mistake (stupid mistake), he lost everything... his job, wife, money, and even some friends. As an advice of someone dear to him, he went to Ocracoke Island and there he met a lot of people who would teach him what it means to really 'live' his life.
I liked that this book has a male character lead, Aidan was easy to get along with. When he lost his job, it was very hard for me to accept that he just walked away after that one stupid mistake. Been around lawyers for more than 10 years and they always find ways to make people forget things. They are good at erasing memories... It was when he started his journey to this Ocracoke island I started to really love his character. Rebuilding his life in a remote town suddenly became enticing to me. I mean there are times I would get tired of everything's going on around me and I'd go on vacation somewhere I'd be on my own. Though it would take a lot of courage to do the things he did. Oh well, he lost everything so he didn't really have any choice but to take that path. Love Aidan, I could picture him in my mind and every character made a wonderful contribution in the story. One of the best reads for this year.
July 16, 2013
I received a copy from the author in exchange for my review.
This book was a little outside my normal reading zone but I grew up in and around the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so I tend to want to read the books that talk about the islands. :)
The first part of the book was a little slow for me and I did have my doubts about finishing it but I don't like to do that. The lovers running away gripped me because I know what it is like to have everyone against the love that you have found. I was a little confused in the beginning with the writing style but it was clearer as I moved through the story.
When Michael describes Ocracoke Island, I am enthralled because that is how I saw it growing up. I loved the deepth of the characters and the way they brought a new and challenging aspect to Aiden's life. I can only imagine how hard it was to go from a killer in a courtroom to starting over as a boat hand.
I am not a sailor or a fan of boats so most of the talk of boats wasn't my thing. However, it is all beautiful described and plays a crucial part in the development of Aiden. This is a book that I would recommend for those who want a story with fantasy, love a good sailing story, a touch of religion and a man that surprises us all.
This book was a little outside my normal reading zone but I grew up in and around the Outer Banks of North Carolina, so I tend to want to read the books that talk about the islands. :)
The first part of the book was a little slow for me and I did have my doubts about finishing it but I don't like to do that. The lovers running away gripped me because I know what it is like to have everyone against the love that you have found. I was a little confused in the beginning with the writing style but it was clearer as I moved through the story.
When Michael describes Ocracoke Island, I am enthralled because that is how I saw it growing up. I loved the deepth of the characters and the way they brought a new and challenging aspect to Aiden's life. I can only imagine how hard it was to go from a killer in a courtroom to starting over as a boat hand.
I am not a sailor or a fan of boats so most of the talk of boats wasn't my thing. However, it is all beautiful described and plays a crucial part in the development of Aiden. This is a book that I would recommend for those who want a story with fantasy, love a good sailing story, a touch of religion and a man that surprises us all.
September 21, 2013
The title says, The Prodigal, so the story of the prodigal son came to mind. Thus, I was suspecting a religious tone but discovered that it was more. Along with the spiritual lining, there was law, romance, fantasy, and mystery ..rolled up in one. Just when I thought the setting was going to be courtroom drama, it moved to a beach. So I thought, romance, yay! Then it moved to the ocean and wow it was magical! Before I knew it I found myself at the end of the book feeling very satisfied and happy.
The entire read was a literary gem. The character development was magnificent. I found myself attached to the main characters and grew with them. I was intrigued and engrossed in the mystique of the legend story that surrounded them. This historic-fantasy romance with humanizing evolution was my kind of fiction. Mr. Hurley weaved a novel that prompt me to feel the joy in reading. I was in book paradise. Simply majestic. Brace your heart.
**Finalist, 2013 BookBundlz Book Club
**Ebook copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Jinky is Reading
The entire read was a literary gem. The character development was magnificent. I found myself attached to the main characters and grew with them. I was intrigued and engrossed in the mystique of the legend story that surrounded them. This historic-fantasy romance with humanizing evolution was my kind of fiction. Mr. Hurley weaved a novel that prompt me to feel the joy in reading. I was in book paradise. Simply majestic. Brace your heart.
**Finalist, 2013 BookBundlz Book Club
**Ebook copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
Jinky is Reading
September 25, 2013
A great read! The Prodigal is a book that makes you think. The beginning of the book is a little hard to understand but eventually ties into the rest of the story wonderfully The main character Aidan Sharp is man who loses everything and ends up on Oracoke Island to find himself amongst people he normally wouldn't associate with. The books then turns into an adventurous one when they must search for a friend, leading them to find the ancient boat The Prodigal. I do love how Hurley writes about the boat and makes so much mystery behind it. After finding the boat the friends have a race against Rowdy Ponteau and his boat, "Invictus." It's a pretty great book once you get down to the real meat of it. The meaning behind the book seems to be about trusting and believing in yourself. I give it 4 stars, only because it really is a great book but pushing past the confusing start can be a little difficult.
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