The Prodigal – Blog Tour
Welcome to The Prodigal Blog Tour at Create With Joy! Today I’m excited to introduce you to one of the most interesting and beautifully written novels I’ve read this year! The book is The Prodigal by Michael Hurley, and it’s the perfect pick for those of you who are looking for something beyond the ordinary fare!
On this blog tour stop, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the book and the author – read my review – watch the book trailer – and possibly win 1 of 5 signed copies of the book from Michael himself!
So, please extend a warm welcome to Michael and let’s meet The Prodigal!
The Prodigal – Book Review
Review Copy
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:
The damned are said to wander in a dimension that waits eternally between the sinking setting of the sun, while the saints of every age abide forever in that moment when the hope of darkness meets the dawn. To those with eyes to see what once lingered in the shadows of twilight, there might appear the long-forgotten image of a boy – a sailor in the sapling of his manhood – running hard through the countryside. Running beside the boy was a girl – an uncommonly beautiful girl – with her hand fixed tightly in his. The day of their flight is lost to legend. More than a century has passed since men lived in whose memories those hours were counted. The place has also fallen out of living knowledge, but when once that black earth was known, it lay upon a hillside in the country of Greece.
It’s a pleasure to discover a writer of Michael’s caliber. The Prodigal – Michael’s first novel – is a 5/5 star book. I look forward to reading more from this talented writer!
The Prodigal – Book Trailer
If you are reading this review in a format that does not display the book trailer, visit The Prodigal Book Tour.
The Prodigal – Book Synopsis
For 2,000 years, Christendom has believed that faith and penitence are the narrow gates through which all who seek heaven must pass, and that the church on Earth holds the key. What if a forgotten relic, hidden inside an abandoned ship thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago, suddenly reappeared and cast doubt on that belief? Who would seek to use it? Who would seek to destroy it? And whose lives would it forever change?
This sweeping allegorical tale begins with the escape of a Gypsy princess and her young lover from her father’s camp in 1851, recalling the flight of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The boy steals Prodigal, a sailing ship blessed with unnatural speed, and the lovers escape to sea, leaving the father to grieve for the loss and pine for the return of his child.
More than 150 years later on Ocracoke Island we meet Aidan Sharpe, an aging lawyer, as he rises from the sand of a remote beach after a lost weekend. In a strange foreboding, one woman gives him wine and another gives him water just as his world is about to be consumed by scandal. While struggling to rebuild his life in this lonely outpost of the Outer Banks, Aidan is caught up in a two-thousand-year-old mystery that unfolds with the sudden reappearance of Prodigal off the coast, adrift and unmanned. Its discovery will lead Aidan and those close to him into the deep, in a race between time and eternity.
For a limited time, you can purchase The Prodigal (Kindle Version) on Amazon for only 99 cents. Don’t miss out on this incredible offer!
About Michael Hurley
Michael Hurley and his wife Susan lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. Born in Baltimore in 1958, he holds a degree in English education from the University of Maryland and a law degree from St. Louis University.
His first book, Letters from the Woods, was a collection of essays compiled from eight years of wilderness canoeing expeditions with his children. It was a finalist for the Book of the Year Award by ForeWord magazine in 2005.
In April 2013 Hachette Book Group published his memoir, Once Upon a Gypsy Moon. The Prodigal is his first novel.
For More Information:
- Visit Michael’s Website.
- Visit The Prodigal Blog Tour Page.
- Connect with Michael on Facebook and GoodReads.
- Visit Amazon.
For More Great Books:
- Visit Create With Joy – Book Reviews.
- Follow Create With Joy on GoodReads.
The Prodigal Giveaway
Welcome to The Prodigal Giveaway – Hosted by Michael Hurley!
5 Lucky Winners will Receive a SIGNED Copy of The Prodigal!
Open to Readers in the US/Canada
Rafflecopter Entries Accepted through October 20, 2013
Best of Luck To You!
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.
Copyright © 2013 by Create With Joy. All Rights Reserved.
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On my tbr list and really looking forward to reading it !!
I hardly ever read fiction, but your review makes me want to read this book!
Twitter: CreateWithJoy1
says:
Thanks Peggy – did you see the Kindle special?