The Age of Miracles - Book Review

Happy 4th of July everyone! Here is my latest book review: Title: The Age of Miracles: A Novel Author: Karen Thompson Walker Publish Date: June 26th, 2012 Publisher: Random House Fiction - 288 pages Synopsis: On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life—the fissures in her parents’ marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues. Review: This book was named as one of Amazon's top book of June 2012. When I read the premise of the book before it came out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. The book starts right off and grabs you from the begining and doesn't let go until the very last page. I finished this book in only 2 days. I guess the slight let down for me was that I really wanted more from the main character and the other characters as well. I wanted to really feel for them or at least know how they were feeling but it came out a bit dry for me. This is an eager and difficult topic for any writer and as I turned each page I found myself very uncomfortable with the realism. I loved the fact that it was not over dramatized. Instead it was an intriguing look at people and our society as a whole. The psychology behind people trying to gain control of their lives in the light of a situation so far beyond their control was facinating. This is a very easy and quick read that will stay with you long after you finish it. My rating: 4 out of 5 stars The next book I am currently reading is: Shine Shine Shine by Lydia Netzer