Title: The Age of Miracles

Author: Karen Thompson Walker

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: 2012

Genre: Adult Fiction

Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Synopsis can be found here.

Review:

I’ve heard wonderful things about The Age Of Miracles. In fact, it jumped to the top of my to be read pile not only for the hype, but also because my friend L wanted to read it at the same time so we could discuss. I’m really glad i listened to her.

The earth’s rotation has slowed and a dark foreboding takes over Earth. The days and night grow longer and longer, to impossibly long lengths. The animals and birds are dying away, the tides are changing. And through it all, young Julia tackles what every young girl finds equally important- school, friends, crushes and the challenges only her family can provide.


While the topic and themes of the book are heavy and can be quite sad, the author does a fantastic job with Julia’s voice. it lightens the mood, making it a fresh read instead of something dark and depressing.

A beautifully written novel. Walker’s writing is slow and detailed, flowing easily over the page like warm honey. As the world slows, Julia’s observations are sharp and older than her eleven years of age. But she sees more than most of the adults see, for better and worse. I love Julia. She’s much braver, in a very human way, that can be admired and related to. Young, an outsider already, she watches with a keen eye the small devastations of ordinary life grow. She forms a new friendship, or maybe something more, with Seth Moreno, a classmate who seems to be one of the few who get her. And it adds a depth of sweetness, this awkward and young relationship, against such a harrowing backdrop.

Totally original, we see Julia and her family slowly stumble and fall, the rotation of the Earth causing panic and fear, but also allowing deep fissures to expand from smaller ones. Cracks that may be there erupt and Julia watches it happen in all aspects of her life. I particularly hear her mother very clearly, the worrier. Julia’s mother, Helen, is so real to me, I hear her in many of my friends, relatives and co-workers. Her clear, short comments are precisely what everyone is thinking, as the fear pulls them in. 


The Age of Miracles is a thoughtful read, a coming of age story. 

Rating 8 Cookie Worthy


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