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A review by bandgeek3997
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
3.0
Have you ever read something so beautiful that you wish more than anything that it was a human so you could hug it for a long time? That's how I felt the entire time I read Karen Thompson Walker's The Age of Miracles. This may be some of the most well-crafted prose I've read in quite a while, with each word dripping with poetic mastery. Every sentence felt like it should be inspiration to write in some girl's scrapbook or something of the sort. Most of my way through the book was such a free experience, like I was in a haze, and by the end of the book, I barely felt like I had been reading for long at all. So, kudos to Walker for knowing how to write the perfect sentences.
However, that may also be part of the book's downfall. I often found myself wishing for more story, and while it was beautiful and the premise captivating, many of the chapters were "fluff." The book is not a long novel by any means, coming to around 270 pages. It wasn't until halfway through, though, that I began to feel the story actually grab onto something and the novel picked up quite a bit. It's unfortunate that the first half of the book couldn't have tapped into that storytelling. It's actually in that section of the book that catastrophe occurs, but I felt no sense of urgency or crisis from the writing. Everything was so passive, and I believe the book would have benefitted greatly if Walker had been more active and thrilling in her writing.
My feelings towards the characters was like a roller coaster to say the least. At first, I enjoyed our main character, Julia. She was calm and mature for an eleven year old, but after a while, I began to think she was too reserved to be the main protagonist. She never stepped out and did anything noteworthy at first, and as a star of the book, Walker really should have given her more action. Don't worry, though. I liked her by the end. It was actually astonishing how many characters I despised but ending liking them by the last page. The mother was a worrier, but she was always a great mother (and reminded me quite a bit of my own mother!). I swore I would never like the father, but as things turned for the worse, his character seemed to do the exact opposite, so I gave in and appreciated him. And Seth. I was so happy for the friendship that blossomed there. Julia and Seth together always made my heart happy.
Finally, it's worth mentioning the science of the book. I must admit, science isn't my forte, so I rarely read hardcore science fiction books because they mostly confuse me. I know enough science, however, to know that there were quite a few off things about this book. Walker gave this book a great premise, and I'll give her credit for keeping me up at night thinking what Earth would be like if it actually did slow down. Her error, though, is that she never goes into full detail with anything scientific. There's no explanation for anything, and a lot of times, it felt as if she didn't want to do the research to see what the actual consequence would be for such a catastrophe, so she just wrapped it up by saying, "The scientist still don't know the cause for..." I may not be scientific, but I know enough to realize the sloppiness to that approach.
Overall, while it's very beautiful in both aesthetics and literature, Walker missed an opportunity with this book. The book isn't long, so there was plenty of room to open the story and scientific explanations a bit more. Combined with the great prose, the book would have been an absolute showstopper. Instead, I can appreciate the end result and would recommend it to others, but it's still always going to leave me wanting more.
However, that may also be part of the book's downfall. I often found myself wishing for more story, and while it was beautiful and the premise captivating, many of the chapters were "fluff." The book is not a long novel by any means, coming to around 270 pages. It wasn't until halfway through, though, that I began to feel the story actually grab onto something and the novel picked up quite a bit. It's unfortunate that the first half of the book couldn't have tapped into that storytelling. It's actually in that section of the book that catastrophe occurs, but I felt no sense of urgency or crisis from the writing. Everything was so passive, and I believe the book would have benefitted greatly if Walker had been more active and thrilling in her writing.
My feelings towards the characters was like a roller coaster to say the least. At first, I enjoyed our main character, Julia. She was calm and mature for an eleven year old, but after a while, I began to think she was too reserved to be the main protagonist. She never stepped out and did anything noteworthy at first, and as a star of the book, Walker really should have given her more action. Don't worry, though. I liked her by the end. It was actually astonishing how many characters I despised but ending liking them by the last page. The mother was a worrier, but she was always a great mother (and reminded me quite a bit of my own mother!). I swore I would never like the father, but as things turned for the worse, his character seemed to do the exact opposite, so I gave in and appreciated him. And Seth. I was so happy for the friendship that blossomed there. Julia and Seth together always made my heart happy.
Finally, it's worth mentioning the science of the book. I must admit, science isn't my forte, so I rarely read hardcore science fiction books because they mostly confuse me. I know enough science, however, to know that there were quite a few off things about this book. Walker gave this book a great premise, and I'll give her credit for keeping me up at night thinking what Earth would be like if it actually did slow down. Her error, though, is that she never goes into full detail with anything scientific. There's no explanation for anything, and a lot of times, it felt as if she didn't want to do the research to see what the actual consequence would be for such a catastrophe, so she just wrapped it up by saying, "The scientist still don't know the cause for..." I may not be scientific, but I know enough to realize the sloppiness to that approach.
Overall, while it's very beautiful in both aesthetics and literature, Walker missed an opportunity with this book. The book isn't long, so there was plenty of room to open the story and scientific explanations a bit more. Combined with the great prose, the book would have been an absolute showstopper. Instead, I can appreciate the end result and would recommend it to others, but it's still always going to leave me wanting more.