FROM AMAZON: Dr. Owen Whelan and his wife Sarah have seven bright and expressive children. However, one of them is very unique; he’s been followed since birth by lost souls.
However peculiar Ennis Whelan has been for the first six years of his life, not until the day he found the bird did the degree of his strangeness become so tangible.
Ennis claimed it flew away.

His sister Teagan was about to bury it.

Teagan becomes increasingly suspicious of his odd behavior but their mother dismisses her claims; that is until he starts healing people.
When he also reveals the gift of sight, he questions his father about visions of his past, including his voyage to America in 1844. Owen prayed he’d never have to share those tragic memories but he will share them, when he realizes he has no choice. Ennis’ life depends on it. ( )

This is the story of a young boy named Ennis. He lives with his parents and his 6 siblings in Pennsylvania. Since his birth, Ennis has been followed by lost souls. But nothing comes to light until he is 6 years old and helps a hurt bird by healing it. His sister, Teagan, witnesses this but tell Ennis that he can never tell anyone what happened. One day, Teagan is injured badly, and Ennis heals her. At this time, his sister thinks they must tell their parents because she does not understand what is happening.



Their mother dismisses the claim that Ennis is healing people until she and their father witness it for themselves. Soon Ennis reveals he has a gift of sight and soon starts questioning his parents about their past voyage to America from Ireland. And he can see that a neighbor is physically hurting his children. His gifts start to bring many past secrets to light, and soon Ennis realizes the connection between his father's past and the reason for his gifts.



This is a pretty decent story. It moves pretty fast. The writing isn't great - seems to be written for middle grade readers. She does a good job developing the characters. At the end of the book, it left me wanting to know what happened to them, so I took that as a good sign. The author wasn't consistent with her writing - the characters were immigrants from Ireland. Sometimes she would write as they had an Irish accent, and sometimes she wouldn't. It was like she forgot whom was speaking. But, if you can overlook that, it is a sweet story. ( )

I purchased this book last summer where it sat in my Kindle unread for months until I caught up with my to be read pile. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked on the Whelan family.

The story begins in Pennsylvania in the late 1880's. The Whelan's are Irish immigrants raising their family of seven children in what appears to be a typical setting for that era. The older children have come of age and are ready to leave the family nest.

Everything within this family seems normal until you meet six year old, Ennis, who the author, P. S. Bartlett, must have created and written with divine guidance. You immediately sense the child has an otherworldly quality about him. It is when the boy finds an injured bird and heals it that you begin to understand that something marvelous is waiting for you inside this book.

Ennis' oldest sister, Teagan, is the next to receive his healing energy when she cuts herself with a knife while washing dishes. With her life teetering on edge, Ennis heals her too. From then on, I realized the boy was a crystal star child, highly sensitive and psychic, with a primary life purpose.

As the story unfolds, Ennis and Teagan find themselves caught up in the reality of his gifts. They explain to their parents how Ennis has been employing his healing skills. The parents consult with the local pastor and come to the understanding that these miracles are truly heaven sent.

The parents have their own stories unfolding through flashbacks of their previous lives in Ireland and their journey to their new home in America. Be prepared to go on an emotional rollercoaster as their narratives unfold leading the reader to an explosive and startling ending.

I will hold the image of fireflies dancing around a small boy in my heart for a long time.

If you believe in the power of love this book will restore your belief in miracles. I loved this story and am sorry I waited so long to read it. I have read many of P. S. Bartlett's books, and this one really captured my heart. I've added "Fireflies" to my Me-Time paranormal fantasy category. This is one of those books whose message will stay with you! ( )

When a six-year-old starts showing some very unique abilities, life for his entire family will never be the same.

This book drew me in immediately with characters I easily found myself caring about. I never wanted to put it down, wanting only to continue reading and find out what would happen next. I would love to have the opportunity to read more about the Whelan family. ( )

Fireflies is one of those books that I just couldn't get a handle on. It is the story of the Whelan family, Irish parents Owen and Sarah and their many children, who live on a farm somewhere in Pennsylvania (I think). Owen is a doctor and Sarah runs the house and the children. The story centers on the youngest child, Ennis. Ennis starts to manifest a gift, paranormal power and the story goes from there (I don't want to give any spoilers).
The writing is fine, but rather simplistic and I thought I was reading a book for young teens until the second half of the book when it morphed into sex and violence (none of it is graphically described). The author also attempts an Irish accent which baffled me. Sarah and Owen were both raised in wealthy families and I couldn't see why they would talk like poor Irish or allow their second-generation children to speak that way. The Olsen family (Swedish neighbors) did not. It threw me out of the story.
I liked the first half of the book much better than the second and the ending left me confused. There were a few typographical errors and a few anachronistic phrases uses, but those were fine and shouldn't put a reader off. I was given this book in a LibraryThing giveaway for an honest review. ( )