A heart-wrenching story collection from the acclaimed author of THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY, Monica Wood. ERNIE’S ARK tells interconnected stories of a small town’s people, determined to survive… Perfect for those who love reading Anne Tyler, Joanna Cannon and Emma Healey.
‘Loving character portraits… help us understand the human condition’ Boston Globe
Abbott Falls, Maine, a town once drenched with ordinary hopes and dreams, is now praying for a small drop of good fortune. Ernie Whitten – out of a job and tending to his ill wife – needs it more than most. Struck with sudden inspiration, Ernie builds a giant ark in his backyard. It is a work of art, a vessel to carry them both away, and a plea to God to spare Marie, come hell or high water.
As the ark takes shape, the rest of the town carries on.
There’s Dan Little, sent to fine Ernie for building the ark, who makes a significant discovery about himself. Francine Love is a precocious thirteen-year-old who longs to be part of a family. And CEO Henry John McCoy, an impatient man determined to be a good father to his twenty-six-year-old daughter.
The people of Abbott Falls will try their best to hold their community together, against the fiercest of odds…
What readers are saying about ERNIE’S ARK:
‘An astounding book. Built one piece at a time, one story on top of the next until the reader is left with a magnificent monument to its characters‘
‘A gorgeous collection about the meaning of life, the beauty of the mundane, the quiet, day-to-day events that make up our lives and define who we are. The perfect book’
‘Monica Wood writes this series of interrelated short stories with heart and intelligence. Honest and heart-warming‘
‘Loving character portraits… help us understand the human condition’ Boston Globe
Abbott Falls, Maine, a town once drenched with ordinary hopes and dreams, is now praying for a small drop of good fortune. Ernie Whitten – out of a job and tending to his ill wife – needs it more than most. Struck with sudden inspiration, Ernie builds a giant ark in his backyard. It is a work of art, a vessel to carry them both away, and a plea to God to spare Marie, come hell or high water.
As the ark takes shape, the rest of the town carries on.
There’s Dan Little, sent to fine Ernie for building the ark, who makes a significant discovery about himself. Francine Love is a precocious thirteen-year-old who longs to be part of a family. And CEO Henry John McCoy, an impatient man determined to be a good father to his twenty-six-year-old daughter.
The people of Abbott Falls will try their best to hold their community together, against the fiercest of odds…
What readers are saying about ERNIE’S ARK:
‘An astounding book. Built one piece at a time, one story on top of the next until the reader is left with a magnificent monument to its characters‘
‘A gorgeous collection about the meaning of life, the beauty of the mundane, the quiet, day-to-day events that make up our lives and define who we are. The perfect book’
‘Monica Wood writes this series of interrelated short stories with heart and intelligence. Honest and heart-warming‘
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Reviews
A masterpiece... Wood's stories are filled with light and hope
Piercingly beautiful... Intelligent and warm-hearted... Quietly wonderful fiction
Praise for THE ONE-IN-A-MILLION BOY: Beautifully written, cleverly constructed, at times hilariously funny and ultimately deeply affecting - this should be a smash'
Clever, intricate plot, beautifully sketched characters and life-affirming message of self-discovery
A lovely, quirky novel about misfits across generations
This inspirational tale of friendship, world records and following dreams is a stunner
Curl up and enjoy this bewitching novel
Loving character portraits that form [these] stories help us understand not only the people of Maine but also the human condition
Wood handles each voice with such grace... Her prose is careful yet still quivers