
The Family Ship
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $25.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lisa Flanagan
-
By:
-
Sonja Yoerg
About this listen
From the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of True Places comes a disarming and emotional novel about a family in distress and a daughter’s mission to keep it from going under.
Chesapeake Bay, 1980. Eighteen-year-old Verity Vergennes is the captain of the USS Nepenthe, and her seven younger siblings are her crew. The ship - an oyster boat transformed into a make-believe destroyer - is the heart of the Vergennes family, a place both to play and to learn responsibility. But Verity’s had it with being tied to the ship and secretly applies to a distant college. If only her parents could bear to let her go.
Maeve and Arthur Vergennes already suffered one loss when, five years earlier, their eldest son, Jude, stormed out and never returned. Now Maeve is pregnant again and something’s amiss. Verity yearns to follow her dreams, but how can she jump ship now? The problem, and perhaps the answer, lies with Jude.
When disaster strikes and the family unravels, Verity must rally her sibling crew to keep the Nepenthe and all it symbolizes afloat. Sailing away from home, she discovers, is never easy - not if you ever hope to find your way back.
©2021 by Sonja Yoerg. (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
A Peculiar Combination
- By: Ashley Weaver
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie's cousins, Colm and Toby, are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick's more honorable business as a locksmith can't pay the bills anymore. So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can’t resist.
-
-
Spectacular
- By Emily on 12-27-21
By: Ashley Weaver
-
Our Best Intentions
- A Novel
- By: Vibhuti Jain
- Narrated by: Ulka Simone Mohanty
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Babur “Bobby” Singh, single parent and owner of fledging Uber business “Move with Bobby,” remains ever hopeful about ascending the ladder of American success. He lives in an affluent suburb of New York with his daughter Angie, an introverted teenager who is uncomfortable in her own skin unless she’s swimming.
-
-
Excellent
- By Suzanna on 03-23-23
By: Vibhuti Jain
-
Birds in Flight
- By: Anni Taylor
- Narrated by: Harriet Gordon-Anderson
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1998, the American Jorgenson family had been on a year-long road trip in Australia. One humid, storming night, the mother - Elsa Jorgenson - vanished in an isolated stretch of Australian everglades. Elsa was never seen again. That night, twelve-year-old Lily Jorgenson was left alone and terrified in the family camper—even her teenage sister Iris is missing. When Iris comes racing back through the rain, she refuses to tell where she’s been. Lily is certain her sister is hiding a dark secret.
-
-
Kept me hooked, even with mispronunciations
- By Jujube33 on 03-10-23
By: Anni Taylor
-
Factory Girls
- By: Michelle Gallen
- Narrated by: Amy Molloy
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the summer of 1994, and all Maeve Murray wants are good final exam results so she can earn her ticket out of the wee Northern Irish town she has grown up in during the Troubles—away from her crowded home, the silence and sadness surrounding her sister’s death, and most of all, away from the simmering violence of her divided community. And as a first step, Maeve’s taken a summer job in a local shirt factory working alongside Protestants with her best friends, kind, innocent Caroline Jackson and privileged and clever Aoife O’Neill.
-
-
Best Book of 2022!
- By Michael on 12-10-22
By: Michelle Gallen
-
Ozark Dogs
- By: Eli Cranor
- Narrated by: Eli Cranor
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his son is convicted of capital murder, Vietnam War veteran Jeremiah Fitzjurls takes over the care of his granddaughter, Joanna, raising her with as much warmth as can be found in an Ozark junkyard outfitted to be an armory. He teaches her how to shoot and fight, but there is not enough training in the world to protect her when the dreaded Ledfords, notorious meth dealers and fanatical white supremacists, come to collect on Joanna as payment for a long-overdue blood debt.
-
-
Riveting story with unexpected twists!
- By Corbey Dukes on 07-31-23
By: Eli Cranor
-
The Sister Effect
- By: Susan Mallery
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike how she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom, and when the grandfather who was left to raise them abandoned her and her sister, Sloane, when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.
-
-
Book conveys the dynamics in a family
- By Shumpie on 04-23-23
By: Susan Mallery
-
A Peculiar Combination
- By: Ashley Weaver
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie's cousins, Colm and Toby, are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick's more honorable business as a locksmith can't pay the bills anymore. So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can’t resist.
-
-
Spectacular
- By Emily on 12-27-21
By: Ashley Weaver
-
Our Best Intentions
- A Novel
- By: Vibhuti Jain
- Narrated by: Ulka Simone Mohanty
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Babur “Bobby” Singh, single parent and owner of fledging Uber business “Move with Bobby,” remains ever hopeful about ascending the ladder of American success. He lives in an affluent suburb of New York with his daughter Angie, an introverted teenager who is uncomfortable in her own skin unless she’s swimming.
-
-
Excellent
- By Suzanna on 03-23-23
By: Vibhuti Jain
-
Birds in Flight
- By: Anni Taylor
- Narrated by: Harriet Gordon-Anderson
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1998, the American Jorgenson family had been on a year-long road trip in Australia. One humid, storming night, the mother - Elsa Jorgenson - vanished in an isolated stretch of Australian everglades. Elsa was never seen again. That night, twelve-year-old Lily Jorgenson was left alone and terrified in the family camper—even her teenage sister Iris is missing. When Iris comes racing back through the rain, she refuses to tell where she’s been. Lily is certain her sister is hiding a dark secret.
-
-
Kept me hooked, even with mispronunciations
- By Jujube33 on 03-10-23
By: Anni Taylor
-
Factory Girls
- By: Michelle Gallen
- Narrated by: Amy Molloy
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s the summer of 1994, and all Maeve Murray wants are good final exam results so she can earn her ticket out of the wee Northern Irish town she has grown up in during the Troubles—away from her crowded home, the silence and sadness surrounding her sister’s death, and most of all, away from the simmering violence of her divided community. And as a first step, Maeve’s taken a summer job in a local shirt factory working alongside Protestants with her best friends, kind, innocent Caroline Jackson and privileged and clever Aoife O’Neill.
-
-
Best Book of 2022!
- By Michael on 12-10-22
By: Michelle Gallen
-
Ozark Dogs
- By: Eli Cranor
- Narrated by: Eli Cranor
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After his son is convicted of capital murder, Vietnam War veteran Jeremiah Fitzjurls takes over the care of his granddaughter, Joanna, raising her with as much warmth as can be found in an Ozark junkyard outfitted to be an armory. He teaches her how to shoot and fight, but there is not enough training in the world to protect her when the dreaded Ledfords, notorious meth dealers and fanatical white supremacists, come to collect on Joanna as payment for a long-overdue blood debt.
-
-
Riveting story with unexpected twists!
- By Corbey Dukes on 07-31-23
By: Eli Cranor
-
The Sister Effect
- By: Susan Mallery
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike how she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom, and when the grandfather who was left to raise them abandoned her and her sister, Sloane, when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.
-
-
Book conveys the dynamics in a family
- By Shumpie on 04-23-23
By: Susan Mallery
-
Little Ghosts
- By: Gregg Dunnett
- Narrated by: Katie Villa
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As I sit in her dimly lit bedroom, surrounded by flickering candles, I feel the crushing weight of my daughter’s absence. It's been two years since Layla was murdered. The police have searched tirelessly for her killer, but they've found nothing – it's like whoever did it vanished into thin air. My once-perfect marriage is falling apart, we can hardly look at each other anymore. Our ten-year-old son Gale is struggling. He’s changed since she died. He’s more secretive and also…
-
-
Oh my! Another British audiction I craved!
- By Karenique on 08-13-23
By: Gregg Dunnett
-
Love Betrayal Murder
- By: Adam Mitzner
- Narrated by: Brian Hutchison, Bronson Pinchot, Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matthew Brooks and Vanessa Lyons are a perfect love match, both attorneys at a powerful New York City law firm. But there’s a hitch: Matt just made partner, and Vanessa is coming up for partner next year. And Vanessa’s husband has his suspicions. Vanessa is assigned to the biggest case at the firm, the one that will determine her future. Unfortunately, Matt has been working the case for years, leaving him no choice but to supervise his lover in violation of firm policy.
-
-
Fully engaging Legal Thriller!
- By Barbara S on 06-10-23
By: Adam Mitzner
-
All He Has Left
- By: Chad Zunker
- Narrated by: Christopher Ryan Grant
- Length: 6 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After Jake Slater’s wife dies in a tragic hit-and-run, all he has left is his daughter, Piper—nearly lost, too, in a brutal custody battle with his wealthy in-laws. A year later, Jake reluctantly agrees to a reunion with the estranged family for Piper’s thirteenth birthday. Then a single gunshot rings out, and a new nightmare begins. Piper is kidnapped, and her cousin Caitlin is murdered. Caitlin’s cryptic dying words: Piper knows the truth.
-
-
I enjoyed this book!!!!
- By shelley on 04-06-23
By: Chad Zunker
-
When the Rain Ends
- By: Mary Ellen Taylor
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When artist Dani Manchester learns she’s slowly losing her vision, she becomes unmoored. Her ex-husband died only months before, leaving Dani and her preteen daughter grief stricken. Suddenly, the life Dani built for her family on the Outer Banks feels like a painful reminder of all they’ve lost. On a whim, Dani sells her waterfront home and buys an old farm inland near the Virginia state line. But Dani’s daughter recoils at the sudden, drastic change. The Outer Banks’ sun-swept beaches, pink dawns, and savage storms are all she’s ever known.
-
-
Excellent for Grievers
- By Jeri B on 07-19-23
-
The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Banash
- Narrated by: Jess Nahikian, Samara Naeymi
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem, Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé. Years ago, another rising star from Lexi’s past mysteriously leaped to her death. Some things are better off forgotten, Lexi says. Kayla disagrees. It’s 2005 and Ava Petrova moves to New York with a notebook full of songs and a dream. Then she meets Lexi, an up-and-coming singer who brands Ava with an enigmatic new stage name and introduces her to an intoxicating city alive with possibilities.
-
-
Gaga For Ava
- By Dubi on 08-01-23
By: Jennifer Banash
-
Too Soon for Adiós
- By: Annette Chavez Macias
- Narrated by: Luzma Ortiz
- Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No one expects to meet their father at their mother’s funeral. But for Gabby Medina, that’s exactly what happens. Her dad abandoned her when she was a baby, and now he’s back. And he wants to give her a house. Gabby doesn’t want the house—or him. But she could use the money. So Gabby agrees to take it under two conditions: First, she can sell the house whenever she wants. Second, accepting it doesn’t mean she accepts him.
-
-
relatable
- By Jessica on 04-23-23
-
Wild, Beautiful, and Free
- A Novel
- By: Sophfronia Scott
- Narrated by: Channie Waites
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born the daughter of an enslaved woman and a Louisiana plantation owner, Jeannette Bébinn is raised alongside her white half sister—until her father suddenly dies. His vindictive wife refuses twelve-year-old Jeannette her inheritance and sells her into slavery. Now on her own, Jeannette must fight the injustices she faces because of her mixed race. She escapes enslavement and travels from Mississippi to Philadelphia to New York to Ohio, all while searching for purpose, love, and her place in a country torn asunder by the burgeoning Civil War.
-
-
Beautiful
- By AP on 05-19-23
By: Sophfronia Scott
-
Indigo Isle
- By: T. I. Lowe
- Narrated by: Justis Bolding
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sonny Bates left South Carolina fifteen years ago and never looked back. Now she’s a successful Hollywood location scout who travels the world, finding perfect places for movie shoots. Home is wherever she lands, and between her busy schedule and dealing with her boss’s demands, she has little time to think about the past . . . until her latest gig lands her a stone’s throw from everything she left behind.
-
-
Cannot put it down
- By Janice E. Rockwood on 08-19-23
By: T. I. Lowe
-
Everything She Feared
- By: Rick Mofina
- Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a teen falls while taking a selfie at the edge of a cliff, the last thing she sees before plummeting to her death is Katie Harmon, the nine-year-old girl she was babysitting, looking down at her. Investigators gather at the scene, and Katie’s mother, Sara, rushes to comfort her daughter. Yet there’s a small, secret ping of alarm in Sara’s heart that she cannot share—though rookie detective Kim Pierce senses it. For years, others have tried to unravel this secret. Now, Sara is consumed by her darkest fear—that the babysitter’s death was not an accident.
-
-
Couldn’t finish
- By Anonymous User on 06-09-23
By: Rick Mofina
-
Her Secret Son
- By: Hannah Mary McKinnon
- Narrated by: Alex Wyndham
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Josh’s longtime partner, Grace, dies in a tragic accident, he is left with a mess of grief - and full custody of her seven-year-old son, Logan. Wanting to do right by Logan, Josh begins the process of becoming his legal guardian - something that seems suddenly urgent, though Grace always brushed it off as an unnecessary formality. But now, as Josh struggles to find the paperwork associated with Logan’s birth, he begins to wonder whether there were more troubling reasons for Grace’s reluctance to make their family official.
-
-
I have never experienced a narrator like this one 😍
- By Brad&Britney on 07-22-19
-
Ask Again, Yes
- A Novel
- By: Mary Beth Keane
- Narrated by: Molly Pope
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mary Beth Keane's extraordinary novel, a lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 30 years. Heartbreaking and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness....
-
-
Grabs Hold of Your Heart and Doesn't Let Go
- By Amazon Customer on 09-05-19
By: Mary Beth Keane
-
Beyond
- By: Catina Haverlock, Angela Larkin
- Narrated by: Katherine Billings
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Presley Hale has no idea the guy she just told off in the school parking lot died in a drowning accident four months ago. Why would she? It's not like she knows she can see the dead. Stunned by Presley's sixth sense, Landon Blackwood rethinks his planned departure and begins tracking her to find answers to their mysterious connection. When their complicated relationship turns dangerous, they learn that tampering with the boundaries of death comes with consequences. Can Landon save Presley from the insidious spirits who marked her for death, or was their love doomed from the beginning?
-
-
Great story, great narrator
- By Brookie Cowles on 12-05-19
By: Catina Haverlock, and others
Critic reviews
“This richly-drawn and insightful story demonstrates an exceptionally deep understanding of family relationships.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Families, like ships at sea, sometimes founder on hidden rocks and begin to break apart. Which is exactly what happens to the Vergennes family in Sonja Yoerg’s luminous The Family Ship. Only a heart of stone would be immune to the charm of the Vergennes children, all nine of them. Yoerg offers this large, disparate crew to the reader with the wisdom and compassion of a consummate storyteller. And she tops off the tale with one of the most exciting finales I’ve read in years. I recommend this book with my whole heart.”—William Kent Krueger, New York Times bestselling author of This Tender Land
“With both wit and wonder, Sonja Yoerg navigates The Family Ship through choppy waters. This novel is completely immersive and highlights the enduring power of story in both our lives and our families. Yoerg’s prose and imagination are the strong currents that bring this fabulous tale to life.”—Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis
What listeners say about The Family Ship
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- FullOfGratitude
- 11-04-23
A book to remember
I fell in love with every character. The children each had unique personalities and blended together to form a loving family. I can't say more without giving the story away. I was sorry to see this book end.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 07-08-23
Family Dynamics
Loved the family involvement with the children and the way life twists and turns. Beautiful family story and enjoyed the new twists.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Emery
- 08-16-23
Very engaging story of a large family and all its joys and trials.
Loved the narrator,engaging. Storyline kept me interested and wanting to read more on how people interact with each other and overcome and deal with life’s challenges, trials, and relationships. Highly recommend. Will read again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tara
- 03-09-21
well done !
very well written! a story of family and their dynamics, with interesting twists.
narrator good job!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MishiB
- 04-08-24
Love, love, loved this!
First off, this narrator does an absolutely amazing job — one of the top 5-10 I’ve heard, and that includes Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.
I also really loved the story. It is compelling and unpredictable, but what I liked most is that it is heartfelt without being sappy, which is rare.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Aunt Patty
- 11-03-23
Interesting story
Well written story about a very interesting family. Great character development. Hard to put down. I would love a sequel to find out what happens to the siblings, especially Verify and Jude.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kidewi
- 01-02-24
Heartwarming but leaning sentimental excess
It was a charming story but for me there were several things that detracted from it. First, there was way too much “telling” rather than “showing” as in the basic rule of character writing, “show don’t tell,” and too much telling us the meaning of the events via the characters’ internal dialog. And without including a spoiler, the dad’s trajectory was highly unrealistic. There was another very unrealistic detail but I can’t mention it without revealing too much. Those criticisms aside, it was a good easy listen for a long drive and I mostly enjoyed it.
I also want to mention that the narrator did an excellent job of creating distinct voices for each of the many characters, which is not an easy thing to do, so I appreciated that.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Northland
- 09-26-23
Enjoyed Listening
This book starts off quite slow but really picks up at the middle end. The author did a good job of weaving each of the characters together. It is a story about a large family and how each person contributes to the dynamics of their family life. I found myself cheering for the good times, feeling sorrow for their trials, and silently urging them on as they struggled. Kudos to Yoerg for a well written novel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Susan
- 04-25-23
Wonderful!
It started a little slow, but as things picked up and the depth and personalities of the characters started to come through, I was hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sarah Farley
- 08-27-23
Depressing
Very original, but not a whole lot to feel good about. I still gave it 5 stars because the author is talented and can tell a good story, I just kept dreading going back to it. I would not read it again. I read to get away from the problems of the world, not deep dive into them. Narrator was great.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!