The Age of Miracles

Hello Bloggy Amigos!

I'm back.  I spent all of last week following Armchair BEA blogs, Twitter parties, link ups, interviews, giveaway, UFF DA! Armchair BEA is the online following of the BEA in New York (Book Expo America). Publishers, authors, speakers, and readers all converge on NY for a few days of book-lovin' fun! Armchair BEA is for us poor saps who can't go. An agenda was provided with daily blog topics to link up with, Twitter parties to participate in, and even an Instagram challenge a day! It is great fun if you love to read, like I do!

So in the spirit of book blogging, I am here to share a review of "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson Walker!

 
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

GoodReads Summary:
“It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change.
 
On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world.

The Age of Miracles follows Julia and her family as the world, literally, changes. Somehow  for some reason, the Earth's orbit around the sun is changed, now revolving much slower. Blazing days and freezing nights are elongated, stretching out for 30, 40 hours now instead of the 24 hours we grew up knowing. This book is a fictional study about what would happen to gravity, animals, and humans if this were to ever happen.

I found this book extremely captivating, but basic as well. First, I will explain the latter. The idea of the Earth slowing is a novel one, I myself have never read anything like it. But I couldn't help but feel that this story was bred from the author's college writing courses. Most authors are taught to ponder "What would happen if.." and then breed a story from the answer. This book does that to a "T". So it does feel a bit formulaic.

Also, as the book follows Julia, a girl of middle school age, we don't often get to see the complex 'grown up' decisions and emotions that would follow a 'disaster' like this.

However! This adds a whole new view point. This is a coming of age story in the vein of Judy Blume, but set in a semi post-apocalyptic world. Julia has her foot in the Old World and the New World and thus can relate to us, with honest, open child eyes, all the changes happening around her.

I love the way the book is written, as if Julia is telling us the story from after the point. Sure, big events are never a surprise then, but it builds up the suspense. We know something is about to happen because Julia cryptically alludes to it, but we don't know what it will be, how it will affect her until after it is finally fully described.

The Age of Miracles may be slower paced for some, but even still, is one of those novel's you won't want to put down. This is the type of book you will think about for days, wondering what your own life would be like if the Earth slowed. Being somewhat short (269 pages? Really?? Felt like less!), it is an easy read. Add it to your TBR pile today!!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Check it out on Goodreads HERE or Amazon HERE.

 
No affiliate links were used. Photo source: Goodreads.com. I bought and paid for this book myself. All opinions are my own. Enjoy!