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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Terrifying, beautiful, inspiring, thought- provoking — these are just some of the words I could use to describe this amazing debut by Karen Thompson Walker. Some authors try — and fail — to write a good dystopian/apocalyptic story by adding pages and pages of endless action and death, of zombies and gore and explosions, leaving you with nothing but a 600 page action dystopian/apocalyptic novel with no background. Too many authors forget the one thing that should drive these stories forward: fear. But Karen Thompson certainly did not forget when she wrote this novel. Packed with vivid descriptions of the Earth's slowing and the ecosystem's decaying state, The Age of Miracles embodies what an apocalyptic novel should be — frightening. And amidst the realistic apocalypse that is the slowing of the world, the lengthening of the days, the dying of the flora and fauna, there is a story of a family falling apart, of a young girl coming of age and falling in love, of a civilization changing in a world that is going through something that seems entirely too real to the reader. There is a reason this novel received starred reviews from pretty much everyone…because it's perfect.
The "Science" in the book is a joke (it is presented as being real-world), and there are some physics plot holes you could drive a truck through. But as a story, it had me engrossed from beginning to end. The concept (although it could never happen physically) is a great one to hang a story on...what if the earth's day/night cycle got progressively longer?
There is some "good" science in there (what happens to plants that are used to 16 hours of sunlight that now get, say, 30? It'd kill 'em), and you can tell the author did her research. So there are tons of little "I thought about how a lengthening would change the world, and what that would mean" moments.
I had to eyeroll a few times, because the author either ignored certain aspects of how the universe works, or made up something to explain the situation that violates laws of physics. But, if you can get past the sketchy science (we all do it for blockbuster superhero movies), it is engaging. The characters are very real. The mix of catastophe and banality seems very grounded. And the author has a great voice.
Very enjoyable read, but you had to get past the science "liberties."
There is some "good" science in there (what happens to plants that are used to 16 hours of sunlight that now get, say, 30? It'd kill 'em), and you can tell the author did her research. So there are tons of little "I thought about how a lengthening would change the world, and what that would mean" moments.
I had to eyeroll a few times, because the author either ignored certain aspects of how the universe works, or made up something to explain the situation that violates laws of physics. But, if you can get past the sketchy science (we all do it for blockbuster superhero movies), it is engaging. The characters are very real. The mix of catastophe and banality seems very grounded. And the author has a great voice.
Very enjoyable read, but you had to get past the science "liberties."
3.5 stars, maybe. This was a very interesting premise. The story, the slowing of the earth's rotation, was mainly a device around which to build a character sketch. I thought the writing was good, the characters were fairly real to me, and I was able to suspend disbelief for the majority of the book.
I did think the end was a bit of a let down, and I wonder if she is planning to write more with these characters.
I did think the end was a bit of a let down, and I wonder if she is planning to write more with these characters.
An interesting premise, but the events that unfold are glossed over by the teenager narrating them. She's not sophisticated enough to get to the heart of people's motivations or draw conclusions - she just observes.
Not as good as I had hoped for, but it was worth reading. What I found totally implausible was how calm everyone behaved in light of what was happening. Oh the earth's spin is drastically slowing and all the vegetation is dying? Just install plastic lawns and carry on. No freaking out. Puhleaz...
reflective
sad
"The Age of Miracles is a beautifully written book. The prose is gorgeous and vivid with some great imagery, but it never goes over the top. The plotting is subtle, and the book is definitely more about the characters than what happens to the world they are living in. That is not to say there isn't a plot, but it is definitely not a plot-heavy story. It also has some very interesting and well-executed coming-of-age aspects. Make no mistake though. This is not a YA book. It does have a little crossover appeal because the protagonist is eleven, but at the same time, some of the topics covered and underlying themes are more geared towards an adult reader. Most YA books have a very distinctive plot and medium to fast pacing, and I felt this book had more of a meandering style. Definitely a literary book."
I agree with the reviewer.
I agree with the reviewer.
I thought this was a fabulous book. 12-year-old Julia's world changes forever when the earth's rotation starts slowing down, resulting in longer days and nights. I was impressed with how realistic all the side effects and problems seemed to be and there was very good government speak, etc. But I'd still highly recommend this one.
Spoiler
But then it just ended! No resolution, no real hope for the future. I was waiting for it to go somewhere and it never really did - that knocked off one star.
Touching and probably not the best book to read as you hunker down to ride out Hurricane related storms. The YA factor of this book was very true - I'd say 6th grade and up for language and content. However, there were aspects of this story that felt very real and true to me as an adult, and I really appreciated the story even if the ending felt rushed.
I really liked this book although I can't really pinpoint why. Coming of age, soft sci-fi, full of sadness.