Holiday Sale! Get an annual membership for 20% off!

Read advance reader review of The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The Age of Miracles

A Novel

by Karen Thompson Walker

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Published:
  • Jun 2012, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews


Page 1 of 4
There are currently 27 member reviews
for The Age of Miracles
Order Reviews by:
  • Mona B. (Phoenix, Arizona)
    The Age of Miracles
    The setting is in a small California town and is narrated by an 11 year old girl whose world is drastically changed as day by day the earths' rotation around the sun is shortened. Never knowing what to expect, she tries to maintain life as she's known it---part of a family consisting of mother, father and grandfather, in school where she struggles with friendships and the always difficult coming-of-age problems of self esteem, body image, and fashion all while trying desperately to attract the attention of one particular boy. Meanwhile, society is disintegrating ---there are battles between those trying to live by the 24 hr. "clock time" and those living on "physical time" corresponding with the ever lengthening hours of daylight and darkness. All the simple activities of daily life are altered, the food supply is at risk leading to hoarding and growing vegetables and fruits under artificial lights, utilities are strained, severe climate changes occur, and eventually solar radiation takes the lives of the people who venture out in the sunlight. This book is very thought-provoking, offering no solutions, but leaving one with a deeper appreciation of life as we know it today.
  • April D. (Monroe, NC)
    Age of Miracles is Breathtaking
    I rarely find debut novels truly great, but The Age of Miracles surprised me. The Age of Miracles is Julia's recollection of the day everything changed. It was disturbing and the voice of the young protagonist, Julia, was haunting. I highly recommend this book for adults and young adults alike.
  • Carole V. (West Linn, Oregon)
    Thoughtful book
    This book will stick with you; I loved it, and it's a book that I won't soon forget. Julia is a normal 6th grader, but nothing in the world is normal. Not only does she have the daily life issues - first love, friend that dumps her - but the Earths rotation is slowing down and days are growing longer every minute. The world's crisis is told from her point of view; this is not a scientific book that explains what and why in a scientific manner. Rather, it shows the catastrophic 'slowing' from a personal level from real people; a young girl and her parents. Get this book; you will not be sorry.
  • Elizabeth K. (Dallas, TX)
    Intriguing concept delivered with a unique voice
    From the first page this book captured my heart. Julia, the young narrator of the story, feels very real, and the author's ability to show how people react to changing circumstances is uncanny. Not only is the story intriguing, the author's use of spare, elegant language, along with her insights into human nature, make this a must-read book. Once I started it, I could not put it down, and I've recommended it to several friends. I look forward to more work from Karen Thompson Walker.
  • Alexandra S. (Chicago, IL)
    Miraculous
    From start to finish, I found this book riveting. The Age of Miracles tells the story of young girl coming of age right as the world as we know it, ceases to exist. The impossible becomes possible and rotation of the earth begins to slow, days become longer, nights become colder, the laws of gravity fail us and all through these miraculous times, Julia still experiences the normal growing pains of a young girl. The lose of friendships, her first crush, buying a bra and everything in between.

    The world around Julia may be changing, but her story is timeless.

    The Age of Miracles is a fantastic read and I look forward to reading more books from Ms. Walker
  • Melissa Y. (Knoxville, TN)
    It captured me on the very first page....
    A beautiful book. It captured me on the very first page as it realistically captured the normal insecurities of an eleven year old girl and her fears in dealing with a world falling apart. As the earth's rotation slows, the events of everyday life are no longer certain. The things she could always count on are no longer so. Not only is it easy to draw parallels with the world in which we are all living, the sequence of events in the book all seem entirely feasible. While reading I found myself feeling that I was in the altered world in which the characters lived.

    I started reading the book on a Saturday morning and did not put it down until I finished. The story unfolds in a way that makes it easy to see how these events could happen. I found myself thinking about the book long after I finished. A sure sign of a great book.
  • Linda P. (MEDFORD, WI)
    What If?
    Something is terribly wrong. Everything that you took for granted can no longer be counted on. The narrator is 11, dealing with middle school issues, and something too terrible to contemplate. The writing is flawless. This author is someone to return to. The subject makes you think---what if? I highly recommend this novel for YA & adults.

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Daughters of Shandong
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Daughters of Shandong is the debut novel of Eve J. Chung, a human rights lawyer living in New York. ...
  • Book Jacket
    The Avian Hourglass
    by Lindsey Drager
    It would be easy to describe The Avian Hourglass as "haunting" or even "dystopian," but neither of ...
  • Book Jacket: Roman Year
    Roman Year
    by Andre Aciman
    In this memoir, author André Aciman recounts his family's resettlement for a year in Rome due ...
  • Book Jacket: Before the Mango Ripens
    Before the Mango Ripens
    by Afabwaje Kurian
    Set in 1971, this work of historical fiction begins in the aftermath of an apparent miracle that has...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters
A four-year-old Mi'kmaq girl disappears, leaving a mystery unsolved for fifty years.
Who Said...

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.