LoveReading Says
May 2013 Debut of the Month.
This stunning debut has a fascinating premise that 'the earth is slowing down' and it provides a unique framework for this memorable, haunting and bittersweet coming of age novel. It is seen through the eyes and experiences of Julia, an 11 year old girl whose turbulent life, seems to mirror the changes in the world outside. Reminiscent in part to The Time Traveller’s Wife this science fiction-like idea doesn't get in the way, and shouldn't put you off for reading this book is a pretty special experience.
Sarah Broadhurst
Find This Book In
The Age of Miracles Synopsis
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 · Booklist
With a voice as distinctive and original as that of The Lovely Bones, and for the fans of the speculative fiction of Margaret Atwood, Karen Thompson Walker's The Age of Miracles is a luminous, haunting, and unforgettable debut novel about coming of age set against the backdrop of an utterly altered world.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It's possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much."
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.
Praise for The Age of Miracles
"A stunner."-Justin Cronin
"A genuinely moving tale that mixes the real and surreal, the ordinary and the extraordinary, with impressive fluency and flair."-Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan's Emerald City."-The Denver Post
"If you begin this book, you'll be loath to set it down until you've reached its end."-San Francisco Chronicle
"Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance."-Curtis Sittenfeld
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780812984750 |
| Publication date: |
3rd January 2013 |
| Author: |
Karen Thompson Walker |
| Publisher: |
Random House an imprint of Random House Publishing Group |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
304 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Karen Thompson Walker Press Reviews
"'Miracles' indeed. Karen Thompson Walker's debut novel is a stunner from the first
page—an end-of-the-world, coming-of-age tale of quiet majesty. I loved this novel
and can't wait to see what this remarkable writer will do next."
Justin Cronin, author of The Passage
“A luminous, magical coming-of-age novel, set in a world where time becomes meaningless and the ordinary extraordinary.” Eithne Farry, Marie Claire
“Stunning in its originality, devastating in execution. The Age of Miracles is one of the most exciting debuts I've read” Jo Ellison, Vogue
“A curious tale that‟s gripping from the word go.” Beatrice Hodgkin, Easy Living
“Blending global catastrophe with a touching coming of age story, Karen Thompson Walker has created a truly remarkable novel you won‟t be able to stop thinking about.”
Joanne Finney, Good Housekeeping
“A powerful, unsettling but mesmerising read.” Fanny Blake, Woman & Home
"I asked my editor if I could give this books 6 stars out of 5. My favourite book of the year so far." Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express
"Vividly captures the changing world of a 10 year old girl, which is brilliantly mirrored by the apocalyptic changes in our world. An imaginative, haunting and gripping book by a very exciting debut author." Shahesta Shaitly, The Observer
About Karen Thompson Walker
Karen Thompson Walker is a graduate of UCLA and the Columbia MFA program. A former book editor, she wrote The Age of Miracles in the mornings before work. Born and raised in San Diego, California, she now lives in Brooklyn with her husband.
More About Karen Thompson Walker
