The Family Ship
By Sonja Yoerg


A poignant and skillful story of drama, tragedy and hopefulness

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️	

SUMMARY
Verity Vergennes, 18, is the captain of the USS Nepenthe, and her seven younger siblings are her crew. An old oyster boat has been transformed into a make-believe destroyer beached in the Vergennes’ backyard in a small Virginia town on the Chesapeake Bay.  The family’s ship is a place for the kids in the crew, ages, 4, 6, 8, 8,11,13,14, to both play and learn responsibility.

Verity’s parents, Maeve and Arthur Vergennes are already struggling to keep up and now Maeve is pregnant again.  They count on the kids to help take care of each other. But now Verity wants to abandon ship and has secretly applied and has been accepted to Halliwell College in Roanoke which is hours away from home. Because the Vergennes eldest son, Jude, left home five years ago under troubled circumstances and has never returned, Verity knows this decision will be a difficult one for her parents. 

When disaster strikes and the family begins to unravels, Verity is forced to marshall her siblings to keep the Nepenthe and all that it symbolizes afloat.

REVIEW
The Family Ship is a poignant and skillful story by beloved author Sonja Yoerg. Her descriptions of the USS Nepenthe, and its crew and their responsibilities aboard the ship were vivid and enchanting. This intrepid old ship is a integral part of this delightful story that is full of drama, tragedy and hopefulness. 

Yoerg keenly introduces us to the crew by alternating chapters from different family members points of view.  She guides us through the  treacherous seas of family relationships and her writing is full of emotion and tension. She demonstrates both the shocking depths people will go to and the strength people can find when face with tragedy. 

Yoerg can alway be counted on for in-depth exploration of family relationships in her books. Her books are perfect for book clubs and she includes perfect discussion questions.  She has published six additional novels including Stories We Never Told (2020) and one of my all-time favorites, True Places (2019). Thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union and Sonja Yoerg for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 


Publisher    Lake Union
Published   February 23, 2021
Review       www.bluestockingreviews.com

I was hooked on this book from page 1... absolutely amazing! You will fall in love with this family! Highly highly recommend

I am fascinated by family and the intricate layers of relationships and bonds between family members, and The Family Ship offered all of this and more. I loved every single word on every single page and just could not get enough of the Vergennes family. So much was beautifully captured and written about, the talent of this author shines and sparkles brilliantly in this novel. I was so incredibly moved and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Sonya Yoerg has quickly become a must-read author for me. The Family Ship only helped to cement that standing with me as it was another marvelous read filled with family, joy, tragedy, life lessons, and love. 

The characters are so interesting and unique that you'll greatly enjoy getting to know them all. I don't even want to go into discussing the plot because it's hard not to give it all away. Suffice it to say I spent most of the book disliking the father and thinking the mother was kind of a doormat, but I loved the children. They were awesome.

Pick up this book and prepare to lose yourself to an entirely different sort of story that will leave you feeling many emotions. 

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

loved, loved this book.  Received an arc for an honest review, it started slow for me but Sonja's beautiful way of getting the characters down to a tee, had me routing for this family and making me cry as well.  Sonja outdid herself and can't wait to read more of her books

Sonja Yoerg is a truly talented author.   I have thoroughly enjoyed every single book of hers that I've read and The Family Ship is no different.  She did a wonderful job with the character development and the complex family dynamics.  A superb family drama that provoked not only smiles and laughs, but tears and heartbreak.

𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒖𝒍, 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔 𝒂 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒆.

On Chesapeake Bay, 1980 the Vergennes family run a tight ship being taught valuable lessons of responsibility and discipline aboard an oyster boat made into a destroyer called the USS Nepenthe. Their father Arthur, a former Navy man, believes it is the glue for family loyalty and that by earning ranks his brood will learn confidence. For their eldest daughter, eighteen-year-old Verity, the rank of Lieutenant Commander to her younger siblings no longer feels like fun. Not the type of person who enjoys giving orders, all she truly wants is a life of her own and more freedom to live it. Arthur’s plan to attend the local community college after high school isn’t what she wants. As much as she loves her siblings and parents what she wants is a chance to stand on her own, to discover who she is besides the eldest Vergennes girl. Despite secretly applying to college further away than her father would allow, she wonders if such a hope could ever come to fruition. Certainly, money is a concern, something she knows full well they can’t afford. Then, there is the guilt she feels for wanting to leave the nest, especially knowing her parents depend on her to help run their own little crew. With eldest brother Jude having jumped ship after a fight with his father, she shoulders the burden of being the ‘good’ child. With her mother’s latest pregnancy and exhaustion, how can she possibly be so selfish? Yet, what is so wrong about wanting a life of her own? Isn’t that what children do, grow up and leave home?

Arthur isn’t always the fair, calm master he wishes to be. His wife Maeve knows all too well that he “worried a great deal and blamed himself unnecessarily when life went sideways”. It is about to go sideways for them all when Maeve becomes pregnant again. Arthur is about to be tested, triggering off an incident from his past that has shadowed his entire life. Jude is the black sheep, persona non grata in Arthur’s estimation, but Verity needs him now more than ever to lean on, despite their rocky past. She isn’t the only one.

This is a story about family, guilt and redemption. It is about the ways we blame ourselves for things out of our control and the terrible effect it has on our relationship with others. It is a tale of being forced into roles that no longer fit, of not knowing how to move forward in forgiveness. The Family Ship proves that we can’t always control the ocean of life, that we can only steer the ship and hope the direction we are headed leads us to a safer shore. We cannot control fate, nor protect our children or ourselves from the waves of tragedy but we can decide what to do with what is left of us once we’re shipwrecked. A heartfelt read that tugs at the heart as the adults begin to unravel.

Publication Date: February 23, 2021

Lake Union Publishing

This book is so sweet and had me feeling all the things from laughter and warmth to tears and heartbreak.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good family story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced release copy in exchange for an honest review.

i could not imagine finding a book filled with marine terminology so interesting as i did. as someone who hasn't really been near water a lot (mountain child), it was strange to come across something so exciting but all around water, it was an interesting experience and i can see that Sonja researches her books really well. this was a rather unique experience. and good storytelling.

The Family Ship encouraged me to research yachts and marine terminology - this always happens when I read her books though. I love that she takes a subject that I’m not familiar with (boating) and turns it into something I’m looking up later on! I loved this family dynamic and that everything works out for the best. I had high anxiety for a while - but it ends sweet and I loved it.

A family with nine children, a ship in the backyard, and a house run like a drill sergeant was in charge.

We meet the Vergennes family and learn that the ship is a diversion to keep the children busy as well as teach them how to be self-sufficient and learn life skills.

THE FAMILY SHIP has a storyline that takes us into a pecking order of sorts with the oldest child being respected as the leader.

Both parents love their children deeply, but they do rely on the children to help take care of each family member.

There is a slow start that will make you wonder where this book is going.

As you keep reading, you will find out where the book was going, and what a marvelous story line.  

You will fall in love with most of the characters. You will also feel the pain of tragedies as well as happy moments which were few since their father was so strict.

Their strict father was a bit much because the children always behaved and were doing their best to help each other.

I really enjoyed the family‘s interaction and how tight knit they were.

Helping out is what happens in a large family as well as having to make sacrifices for some or all family members.

Anyone who has come from a large family will definitely enjoy this book and might see some of their own family with the array of different personalities and a mother who has to make each one feel special in their own way.

THE FAMILY SHIP is a beautiful read with lovely characters, heartbreaks, and a writing style and story line that pull you in.

You won’t want to miss this book. 4/5

This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Sonja Yoerg does it again. I have read all 6 of her novels now, and all 6 have been winners! She is one of my favorite go-to authors. I never read the blurb before diving in as I know I will like whatever she comes up with. Her books are so different, yet every one has depth, compelling characters, and a lesson to be learned.

This story is about the Vergennes family who dwell in small town Virginia. The mom, Mauve, is a caring and loving mother. The dad is a navy veteran who suffers from a form of PTSD. Together they have 9 children, ranging from ages 4 to 22. I was impressed that despite the size of the cast, we get a very clear take on everyone. Ms. Yoerg has the family members taking turns being the focus of each chapter, a technique that works extremely well and makes it easy to keep track of who is who.

Early on as introductions are being made, the narrative moves slowly. Once that is complete, the book is hard to put down. Not only are we privy to the thoughts and perspectives of each character, but we also get a fascinating look at complex family dynamics. I especially enjoyed the hair-raising suspense and some heart-wrenching moments as a major crisis strikes the Vergennes family. 

I really appreciated the way Ms. Yoerg brought the tale to a close. One of my reading pet peeves is abrupt endings, which are all too common in my opinion.  However, the way the author closed this one out was like an exceptionally smooth landing of an airplane on a good long tarmac. There was no epilogue per se, but we got one just the same. Well, done, Ms. Yoerg.

I will miss these characters, including the non-seaworthy family ship parked in the backyard. They provided a wonderful escape along with all the feelings during a difficult time in real life. Where would we be without our favorite authors when we need to step off the world for a bit? Many thanks, Sonja, for being there with a terrific story when I needed it the most.

I highly recommend The Family Ship and all of Ms. Yoerg’s novels for readers of contemporary fiction looking for something different with true meaning and outstanding characterization. 

I want to thank Sonja Yoerg and Lake Union who gifted me an advanced copy of The Family Ship through Net Galley. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Maybe this just isn’t my kind of book, but I found myself reading and re-reading sentences, paragraphs, and even whole chapters of this book because I just could not stay focused on it at all. 

There were so many points of view and they spanned different years - and since I couldn’t keep up, it was just a jumbled mess for me. I almost gave up reading it. 

About half-way through, the story does get more interesting (though I think there were things I missed from the beginning because I found myself wondering why a few things happened). 

Overall, I thought the characters were both original and the plot was unique.

Describing The Family Ship is like putting a square peg into a round hole. It just doesn’t work.  This remarkable story is about a family of nine children raised by Arthur and Maeve Vergennes.  Arthur is a former Naval veteran of the Korean War with suspected PTSD who trains his children like a drill sergeant. He has moved his family to a home removed from the rest of town, separated by a bridge.  This point is essential to the rest of the story.  In the back yard is a large boat (ship)  where the children play and escape from family daily difficulties.

Arthur has always had authority issues; people giving him orders make him think he is being persecuted.  His wife, Maeve, is his sounding board and savior.  She loves being a wife and mother and is an expert at handling Arthur. She can usually steer him towards the correct response. They are a close and loving family with the older children taking care of the younger children.  Estranged from their oldest son Jude due to an unfortunate incident that occurred due to their daughter Verity, the parents are at odds over this issue. 

At times, I wavered with this story, as it was sometimes difficult to continue.  The older children, Jude and Verity, are over-burdened with too much responsibility for raising their siblings; it was both sad and beautiful.  As each child strives to find their place in the family hierarchy, tragedy is about to strike, which will level the playing field.  As Arthur deteriorates, Jude and Verity must step up and sacrifice their own desires.

Truly a voyage worth taking, this was not a book I would usually choose, and it took me out of my comfort zone, catapulting me into the lives of the young but unselfish Vergennes children.  Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.  I gave this book three and one-half stars, rounded up to four.  #NetGalley #TheFamily Ship

Publication Date:  February 23, 2021

The Family Ship by Sonja Yoerg was definitely one of the most odd books I have ever read. 
The story  follows the Vergennes family throughout the years. There are multiple points of view.

The book is set in the 1980's in Chesapeake Bay. There are strong family dynamics at play here as well as difficult times for the family all told through the stories on the boat in their back yard. 

An interesting read, but definitely odd.

Wow!  This book immediately drew me in!  I’m always amazed when an author is able to make me feel like I’m right there along with the family. The story follows them through times of joy, heartbreak, resolution, and eventually finding joy once more.

What does it take to keep a family of 9 afloat? This book certainly gives you insight as to how to keep a crowd engaged day after day and it all revolves around a boat in the yard. It’s hard to believe that 7 kids would acquiesce to how this family functions. Not that they all do—there is a lot of conflict between the older children (parents, futures, responsibilities, teenage angst); but it was very hard to imagine such constant complacency for the most part by the kids in the story. As usual, mom is the superhero and the true captain of this ship and as in all large families, the older kids take care of the young ones.  A tragedy that befalls the family results in the expected reunion of the clan. It’s a nice story about different personalities within the same family and to what lengths they will go to stay together.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

It's a decent read. My attention wavered at times when I thought the narrative dragged. The Vergennes family is quite large. Eight children with another on the way. Jude, the eldest is estranged while the parents rely heavily upon Verity. Verity has a full ride to college, but her father selfishly believes she needs to help with the family instead of furthering her education. Several tragic  occurrences befall the family. I just thought the story went on and on longer than what was necessary.

The Family Ship by Sonja Yoerg followed the Vergennes family through times both bad and good. Multiple points of view gave us insight on how this imperfect family truly fit together. My favorite narrator was Cyrus, a sweet little six year old who just wanted his family to be happy.  This story was a whirlwind and kept me interested as it was so true to life.

It only took a few pages to hook me, flashbacks created interest and increased the dramatic effect.  I felt like I knew what was going to happen, but I was rooting for the family to have a better outcome.  The main responsibility for this large family falls on the shoulders of the oldest sibling, Verity, who is only 18 years old.  The book is largely set on the Chesapeake Bay during the 1980s.  

The ideal reader of this book would appreciate the nuances of a complex family dynamic, and have empathy for the intense trials the family endures.  You are in awe of the strength and resilience of Verity as she navigates this complex dynamic to find her own happily ever after.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Lake Union Publishing in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley.  The opinions shared in this review are my own.