The Miracle on Monhegan Island: A Novel (Paperback)
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Description
An O, The Oprah Magazine Best Summer Read
Back with another "tragicomic romp" (O, the Oprah Magazine), the award-winning author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns brings her sparkling wit and big-hearted touch to Maine's Monhegan Island.
When Spark—the rakish prodigal son—returns unannounced to the dilapidated family home, his arrival launches an unforgettable summer on Monhegan Island. During his absence, his gentle brother and shrewd, fork-tongued father, Pastor Ragnar, have been caring for Spark’s son, Hally. A temperamental adolescent emboldened by tales of his father’s mischief, Hally is careening through an identity crisis when he stuns his family by claiming to have had a spiritual vision. Though Spark is permanently dubious, Pastor Ragnar pounces on the chance to revitalize his flagging church. Hally is shoved into the spotlight and, in the frenzy that follows, this fragile family is pushed to the brink.
Narrated in larger-than-life, crackling prose by one charismatic shih tzu, The Miracle on Monhegan Island is another "exquisite and occasionally uproarious" (Elizabeth Egan) must-read summer blockbuster from Elizabeth Kelly.
About the Author
Elizabeth Kelly is the best-selling author of The Last Summer of the Camperdowns (finalist for the New England Society Book Award) and Apologize, Apologize!. She lives in Merrickville, Ontario, with her husband, five dogs, and three cats.
Praise For…
Man’s best friend turns out—no spoiler alert needed—to be a most reliable narrator.
— Stephanie Clifford - New York Times Book Review
At once touching and humorous.
— Publishers Weekly (starred and boxed review)
Serious and thought-provoking, shot through with dark humor and dark observations on religion and faith…The Miracle on Monhegan Island builds slowly from a story about a dysfunctional family to a novel about obsession, religious fervor and mental illness—and the sometimes very fine line between them. Even with a canine storyteller, this is one of the meatier books of the summer.
— Laurie Hertzel - (Minneapolis) Star Tribune
Charming, witty, and well-paced novel…this novel is equally thrilling and therapeutic.
— Booklist
Kelly allows her vulnerable, fallible characters to grope toward better understandings of themselves and each other, with Ned acting as their engaging and affectionate chronicler. More terrific work from a writer who gets better with each book.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Who needs a bird’s eye view when you can see the world through a dog’s eyes instead? All the better if that world happens to be gorgeous coastal Maine, as seen by the opinionated family pup in Elizabeth Kelly’s exquisite and occasionally uproarious Miracle on Monhegan Island. If you think your family is dysfunctional, you’ll love the madcap Monahans. Their story is so memorable, touching and dog-eat-dog (sorry), it can only be told by a true insider.
— Elisabeth Egan, author of A Window Opens
