The Age of Miracles
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.5
(350)
Karen Thompson Walker
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ BooklistNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Karen Thompson Walker
Pages
304
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2012-06-26
ISBN
0679644385 9780679644385
Ratings
Google: 3
Community ReviewsSee all
"How do children deal with dystopia? Well, as children, but they do not have the great childhoods that they hoped to have or that their parents envisioned for them. After reading this book when it was first published I read a lot of dystopian novels, looking for another book that was as good as this one is. Living in the world we know do, I read less dystopia (because: life) but I think this author predicted how humans would behave pretty well."
Read Today
"I really wanted to love this book.......it had such an intriguing storyline....but in the end I found it just okay with never much excitement or punch to it.<br/><br/>I liked the fact that the book was written from an 11 year old girl's perspective....it's not often you get that kind of insight.....and there was a bit of foreshadowing that would cause you to want to hurry and find out what was going to happen.....but I always found that the answer was slightly dull and boring.<br/><br/>It was not a happy book....which is to be expected because of the subject matter......but I just felt it dragged along and the ending was probably the best part of the entire book. I guess I am just one of those in the minority who wasn't blown away by this book.....and that's okay by me. :)"
Tracy Walters
"it was soo good! but it was really slow at times, but it’s an interesting book."
A E
Arisha Elahi
"At this moment, it's Ready Player One"
Raysa Rodriguez
"Phenomenal read. It is a new twist in the ending of the world as we know it through a twelve yr olds eyes. Beautifully written!"
Tania Sala-Emery
"This book does the whole uncomfortable atmosphere perfectly. There's this sense of dread that encompasses the whole story but you keep hoping that there will be some happy fix to everything that happens. I like that it doesn't sugar coat how bad things can get and doesn't try to give you a cookie cutter happy ending."
Renee Delcourt
"Blech. An intriguing premise that ultimately went nowhere. There was so much silliness - the random assortment of disasters and afflictions that didn't seem to be based on any scientific research about what really would happen if the earth's rotation started to slow was ridiculous. Beached whales, fires, earthquakes, birds dropping dead from the sky, gravity sickness, crazy sunburns, space shuttles unable to return to earth, etc. etc. The silliness of the divide between the "real timers" and the "clock timers" bothered me the most though. That seemed completely contrived to me. Add in the sub-par writing and annoying narrator and I'm wishing I would have put this one down without finishing."
G N
Gretchen Nord
"This book was really good. I like a book that makes me think about "what would happen if". It is about our world and how everything works together. What would happen if one of those cogs in the wheel stopped working correctly? This is a story about the slowing of the Earth's rotation and the effects this has on the environment, how the days and nights grow longer and longer, and the effect it has on every form of life. Very interesting and thought provoking read."
Rusty K