The Prodigal: A Ragamuffin Story
Starred Review. Cowritten by the late Manning (The Ragamuffin Gospel) and Garrett (Free Bird), this novel is more than an updated version of a well-known Bible story. The authors take the essence of the prodigal son saga and put it in the context of a fresh fictional tale that is both relevant and realistic. The story's characters are human and given to failures, but also filled with compassion and a deep desire to do the right thing. Jack Chandler has been doing the right thing for a long time, but for all the wrong reasons. As senior pastor and founder of a Seattle megachurch, Jack's good deeds are headline-making news. When he flounders, his mistakes are equally visible. As he lands at the bottom of a bottle, the last person Jack expects to come to his rescue is his long-estranged father. Jack's road to recovery and restoration is not an easy, forgive-and-forget path, but a rollercoaster ride through others' misconceptions and trepidations. Many readers will relate to Jack's struggle to reconcile relationships and redeem himself. A wonderfully written story that is as entertaining as it is thought provoking. Agency: Alive Communications. (Nov.)