The Passing Storm

A Novel

By: Christine Nolfi

Narrated by: Megan Tusing

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A gripping, openhearted novel about family, reconciliation, and bringing closure to the secrets of the past.

Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days. As memories sweep through her, some too precious to bear, Rae gives shelter from a brutal winter to a teenager named Quinn Galecki.

Quinn has been thrown out by his parents, a couple too troubled to help steer the misunderstood boy through his own losses. Now Quinn has found a temporary home with the Langdons - and an unexpected kinship, because Rae, Quinn, and Connor share a past and understand one another’s pain. But its depths - and all its revelations and secrets - have yet to come to light. To finally move forward, Rae must confront them and also fight for Quinn, whose parents have other plans in mind for their son.

With forgiveness, love, and the spring thaw, there might be hope for a new season - a second chance Rae believed in her heart was gone forever.

©2021 Christine Nolfi. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Tautly plotted, expertly characterized, and genuinely riveting, Nolfi’s emotional tour de force will capture readers’ hearts.”—Publishers Weekly

“Nolfi has a gift for drawing out her character’s secrets slowly, and crafts interesting depictions that feel real, complicated, flawed, and compelling.”—Booklist

“The Passing Storm is a touching tale of healing, hope, and belonging. The characters were richly layered, and the satisfying ending hit a perfect note. You don’t want to miss this unforgettable novel.”—Karen McQuestion, bestselling author of The Moonlight Child

Unexpected -

This was an unexpectedly sweet story of love and forgiveness. Clean enough that it didn’t make me cringe when it talked about some tough subject matter.

Decent

Grief can wreak havoc on a person and so can trauma, especially if it’s buried way down deep and left untreated. That is the crux of this family‘s story. Not much of a mystery like I was expecting but still a good story.

I loved this book!!

Such a refreshing change to read a book that has some unexpected turns, some emotion and no offensive language or erotic episodes!! I loved the story from beginning to end.

Good story

The performance was hard to follow because the characters all sounded the same every time she said Lark it sounded like Mark.

Character Driven Read

If you're the type of reader that prefers a more character driven plot, this novel could be a good fit for you. Honestly, I almost stopped listening to the audiobook several times before it finally grabbed me enough to make me want to finish it. Don't get me wrong, I expect good character development in every story I read or listen to. But I generally prefer novels with more than just dialogue about people and past events in them. The first part of this book was a bit like watching a soap opera. If you're into the characters, it might be okay. If the characters haven't reached you yet, it's pretty ridiculous.

Something about the main character, Rae, just couldn't connect with me. She'd suffered a terrible loss, one most of us (thank heavens) have not experienced. Maybe it's harsh of me to feel like she was stuck and wasn't moving on; she didn't seem to be trying to find her new normal following that life changing night. Everyone grieves differently, so maybe if I had been able to connect with her, I would have enjoyed this read better. But the fact that Rae's character reacted to her pain by being harsh with so many people just wasn't resonating well with me.

The story itself, when it finally begins to sort out, is fairly complex in the sort of way that people's lives often are. Especially when some of their previous life choices have been dubious. I did find the second half or so of this novel to be much more to my liking as previous events came to light.

Hallmark movie script and narration

If you like Hallmark channel movies you’ll like this book and it’s narration. All conflicts are resolved, bad people get their just desserts and everyone lives happily ever after.

superb and provocative writing from this author an

and writer. It kept me captive and trying to guess the twists and plots .

VERY TOUCHING

I will want to read more books by this author. She makes you feel like you are right there in this story my favorite part was about her mother's artistic ideas.

Time moving slowly in life

This story was very slow moving and difficult to follow. The last few chapters finally brought it all together.

Character driven story needing more emotional connections.

Good story. There were places I think it could have been better if the author had delved deeper into the emotions the characters were feeling when recounting flashbacks. My best example was when a keepsake box was mentioned but not clearly described or ever saying what exactly was in the box. It was a significant item connecting two characters. I wanted more detail and depth of the feeling component of the characters. I felt this way frequently. That’s why the story is only a 4 in my opinion.