The Miracle on Monhegan Island

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Kelly

Narrated by: Richard Powers

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The best-selling, award-winning author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns returns with another rollicking summertime family saga.

Maine's rugged, picturesque Monhegan Island is home to weathered lobster fishermen and curious tourists, a genial if sleepy group. But when Spark Monahan - rakish prodigal son - returns unannounced to the dilapidated family home, his arrival launches a summer the likes of which this quiet town has never seen.

During Spark's absence, his young son, Hally, has been cared for by what remains of the Monahan family: Spark's gentle brother, Hugh, and their shrewd, fork-tongued father, Pastor Ragnar. Pastor Ragnar has led them with an iron will and a unique religious ideology while Hugh has been busy mending the scars of a tumultuous family history. Spark's reentry into the family is rocky; even as adolescent Hally warms to his father's flair for mischief, he struggles to define himself against this new paternal figure. Testing the limits with one dangerous prank after another, Hally suddenly stuns the entire island when he claims to have had a spiritual vision.

Though Spark remains permanently dubious about the alleged apparition, Pastor Ragnar pounces on the chance to revive his flagging church. Hally is shoved into the spotlight, and in the frenzy that follows, each man in the family fights for independence, understanding, and ultimately forgiveness against the tide of a phenomenon reaching far beyond the slippery slopes of their remote island home.

Their unforgettable saga is told by the character best suited to sniff out the family's uneasy secrets: Spark's charismatic, fiercely loyal dog, Ned. Never at a loss for a quip on the stormy affairs of the Monahan family, Ned tells their larger-than-life story with humor and love from his uniquely privileged perspective.

An uproarious tale of an eccentric family of fathers and sons, The Miracle of Monhegan Island is another delightful summer blockbuster from Elizabeth Kelly.

©2016 Elizabeth Kelly (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Good story

Surprisingly gripping. Story of father and son finding reconciliation told through the eyes of a stolen dog.. Interesting religious theories, mix of humanist, Catholicism, and Protestant.
I enjoyed some of the turns of phrase the author employed. Actually illustrated the narrative in places.
Could have used 2 narrators; sometimes difficult to tell who was speaking.
Overall, I recommend this book.

Clever, unique, captivating and delightful!

Using an erudite dog as a credible narrator greatly enhances this unusual story. The interesting flawed characters really appealing. The plot centers on an isolated dysfunctional family, yet provides an insightful view of American culture.
It's not to be missed.
The narrator, however, uses a distracting cadence, putting the wrong emphasis on so many words, that sentences are distorted. It's very distracting. Being able to do accents does not a good narrator make! I suggest reading this one on Kindle.