I first picked this book up because of the title. Something about the work ‘prodigal’ always draws me in! But then I saw the setting, Ocracoke Island, and knew I would be reading this one. The Outer Banks is one of my favorite places and I’ve been to Ocracoke more than once! The beginning of the book seemed to ebb and flow, just like the ocean. It was slow paced, which was good, because there were several characters introduced, and I sensed eventually they would all be connected, so I wanted to take my time getting to know them. I loved the characters. All were flawed, some more than others, but most were loveable characters that I wanted to know.

The story revolves around Aiden, a recently disgraced lawyer who has been struggling with himself for some time. After losing his law license, he comes to Ocracoke to regroup under the care of a priest, Father Marcus. Marcus is himself flawed, an alcoholic, banished to the island because of his conflict with the Bishop. There are so many characters, I can’t tell you about all of them, but one of my favorite is Sarah, a woman who washed ashore with no memory of who she is, but who marches to her own drummer.

Once we get to know the characters, the action begins. Sarah disappears, and while searching for her, Marcus and his friends discover Prodigal, a worn old boat in need of refurbishment. The group decides to race Prodigal in a big money sailing race. There are ‘bad guys’ racing the big new boat. I don’t know much about racing, and some of the terms were new to me, but I think the author did a good job of using the language of sailing while explaining what I needed to know to understand this story. I think if I were actually involved in racing, I would enjoy this story even more! The story was exciting and the ending good.

There was some sadness in the story but I enjoyed it anyway. The story would be great for a discussion group! It is thought provoking on several levels! I’m still thinking about it and what it all means. There were some things at the end that I still didn’t quite understand, but that is okay. I think I’m going to take the advice of one of the characters in the book…“telling me not to try -- to just accept it on faith, along with everything else we don’t know or can’t understand”

While this one took a while to get on its main path, once it got through a longer-than-usual setup, the story took off. The writing just flows, which is an interesting way to describe it, considering that the sea serves as the background and a character in and of itself. With slight mysticism and a recurring theme of how religious faith and practice relate to real life, this is a story that has more going on under the surface than might be apparent at first.

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The Prodigal by Michael Hurley

From the Publisher...

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.

From Me...

I would definitely recommend this book, though I can't give it a five star review. This book has a really great story. The beginning remind me so much of John Grisham. A successful lawyer who loses everything and must restart his career and fins himself. Once the ship is introduced to the story, it becomes completely and wonderfully original.

The characters in this novel are well thought out and very intricate. The characters are really beautiful examples of the human condition, with its strengths and frailties. The plot twists and turns, pivoting on a mystery that percolates from the books initial pages.

The only reason I didn't give 5 stars to this book is because the beginning is a little slow. I normally don't mind waiting for a story to develop, but I felt like this story was a little disjointed until the ship came in. I'm hoping to read this again once I have the time just to understand why the beginning needed to be so detailed. I know that the character depth ended up being important to my appreciation of the story, it just made getting into the book difficult in the beginning.

Even with the slow beginning, this is still a beautifully written novel. You can pick it up for $0.99, just click the link below.

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.

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.

Read my full thoughts over on Read.Write.Repeat.

I really enjoyed The Prodigal. It is not a book that you sit down and read all at once. You must take it chapter by chapter and truly digest its intricacies and the paths of the characters. It's a book for people who like people, not people who like explosions.

Takes a while to get going. The story picks up 100 pages in after the protagonist's life takes an unexpected turn. Aidan must pick up the pieces of his life and start over after an error in judgement. The latter part of the book sets up a boat race with a climactic ending. The plot is a bit uneven and the writing is inconsistent. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book overall. It's worth struggling through the first third of the book to get to the satisfying later chapters.

After a well-intentioned deception on a case is revealed, hot-shot lawyer Aiden Sharpe finds himself suddenly without a job. A helpful friend sends him to Father Marcus on Ocracoke Island, a man known for helping lost souls in more ways than one. Island life is much simpler for Aiden and here he begins to put the pieces of his world back together. Soon, however, Aiden and his friends become part of a mystery that's generations in the making.

Hurley's book is packed with interesting characters - from Aiden and Marcus to Ibrahim and Zoot and of course, Sarah. And we get to spend quite a bit of time with each of them, learning their histories and their quirks, before really getting into the meat of the story. I guess, though, that the characters could really be considered the "meat" of this particular story. The promised mystery doesn't so much come into play until about 2/3 of the way through the book, which I initially found a bit confusing. After all, we begin with a prologue from 1851 and then jump directly into Aiden's story spending the next two hundred pages (give or take) wondering when they'll come back into play and how they relate to the rest of the book.

They do say patience is a virtue and THE PRODIGAL is a book where patience pays off.

All of that said, I would be doing the book a disservice if I led you to believe that any part of it is without merit or in any way something other than a joy to read. Because it is - a joy to read. Getting to know Aiden and the islanders, learning some of the ins and outs of island life and boating, all of it is incredibly descriptive and well written. Really, it's a wonderful character driven literary read that would stack up against the best of book club choices.