The Magic of Ordinary Days

from Deborah:

I've gotten a bit cynical over "happy ending" stories for a good reason. It's trite and unbelievable to have all emotions abruptly flipped by sudden, blinding epiphanies and to have all losses neatly bundled away to be replaced by gobs of abundance that drop from suddenly clear blue skies. The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel is - spoiler alert - a "happy ending" story, just not that kind.

Livvy's story is told well because of the choices the author made in setting and timing. Ironically, Livvy, is plunked down in a semi-isolated setting during the latter half of World War II, a time when huge events play out on a world stage. There is a very realistic feeling of disorientation and the ache and grating of being show more squeezed into what seems a shrunken life.The war is experienced in flurries and stalls, not only because of the limited connection through newspapers and radio contact, but because of the human quality of screening all happenings through the sieve of your current, very personal dilemma.

Also true to life is the slow - slow - slow unwinding of the story. Events are unspectacular and widely spaced. The feelings experienced are at times intense but are still played out in the day to day normalcy of life.Things proceed no faster than the occasional dusty drives taken in the old truck.

I didn't realize how good this book was until I caught myself trying to cheat by reading a random sentence from a chunk ahead, and yet another chunk ahead to relieve the quietly building tension. It didn't help.There is a magic in ordinary days, closely wrapped and hidden, and it won't be rushed. show less

This lovely little book has been waiting patiently for 12 years (!) on Mount TBR to share its beauty with me. I'm glad I finally read it.

This is a quick read but it contains a lot of detail and emotion. I learned some things about the World War II era - I don't recall previously having read anything set in the American heartland during that time. There is some romance and some drama and some heartache, and we are even left with a few unanswered questions, but the story feels real. Olivia learns that sometimes plan B is acceptable if we can let go of the bitterness of failing at plan A. There is a larger theme in this story of naïveté and its consequences, and Olivia finds that her outcome is not as harsh as the punishment life metes show more out to others.

I love the title of this book, as well. In our quest for adventure and visible success, we sometimes forget that ordinary days, routine tasks, and familiar people have their own magic.

Excellent story! show less

I stumbled upon the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of this book and was smitten with the story. The movie, as it turns out, deviates from the book, most noticeably in the ending. The book's ending is not pretty and happy, as the movie. And, while I enjoyed the happy ending of the movie, the book's ending means more. With depth and complexity, Creel tells a story of loneliness, redemption, betrayal, and what makes a heart and home.
Her prose is surprisingly descriptive, but without being flowery - somewhat like the desolate beauty Olivia finds in the country. With deft language, Creel sets us in rural America during WWII, and shows us what it was like to be behind the scenes, to farm, to live, to work, to exist, when all the world was focus show more so far away.
Watching Olivia change into who she didn’t know she wanted to be, was magnificent. I enjoyed the subtle growth in her character. Told in first person, Creel really lets us see the turmoil inside this girl. As for the secondary characters, each was complex, distinct, and well-written.
There is a bite to this romance that comes from the true-to-life mistakes and frailness of the human condition. I highly recommend this work. It was a fantastic read. show less

This was a very short read for me, I read it in about 2 sittings. Don't let the size of this book fool you, though coming in at 274 pages, this baby packs a punch you would not believe!

This book takes place during the middle of WWII. Olivia Dunne, Livvy, is the daughter of a minister from Denver. She's quite intelligent, dreaming of someday becoming an archeologist in Egypt.
Being the oldest of three sisters and the only one to be unmarried, she is left with the charge of taking care of her mother during her last days. After her mother's death, Livvy in her heartbroken state, finds herself pregnant and abandoned by a man she hardly knew.
Her father, being a minister, is disgraced and arranges for Livvy to marry a man she has never seen show more nor met.
Ray singleton is a lone farmer in rural Colorado. He is simple and plain. He was happy to marry Livvy and give her child a namesake. He believes Livvy coming into his life was Gods plan and wants to show Livvy love and respect.
Livvy's days on the farm are not what she is used to, to pass the time she befriends two Japanese American girls living in a nearby entrapment camp. Unbeknownst to her, she becomes an accomplice in a crime, that leaves her with the same feelings of distrust and betrayal she has worked so hard to overcome. This remarkable story is filled with forgivness, restoration and hope.

"Ray, I don't know what this is.
I could hear him say, "it's a beginning."

When first reading the blurb for this book I immediately thought it would be a romance. And while there is some romance. It's so much more than that.

This book had a lot and I mean a lot of history in it. If you don't know much about WWII, I garuntee you will by the time you finish. I really enjoyed being taken back in time. I found this book to be an fairly easy read, everything played out like a movie in my head!

The love story was lite and refreshing. Ther love, while fragile, grew into something stronger and loyal over time. This book reminded me that sometimes in love its not all butterflies and fireworks. That somethings grow from a connection or friendship.

"I wanted to understand his love, to see it clearly before me, to put it into a form I could roll around in my palm and examine it like molding clay. Or I wanted to write it with words of reason and illustrate it with romance. I wanted study it as once I'd studied my books."

Livvy is strong character, at times she doesn't realize her own strength and capability. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow and heal. It seems at every turn she being abandoned and taken advantage of. First by the death of her mother, the betrayal of her lover, the renouncment of her father and later the hurt inflicted on her by two friends she thought she could trust. Watching her struggle and rebuild structure in her life is what this book is about. It's about learning ones self worth, seeing yourself through someone else's eyes and overcoming obstacles and learning to let go and trust.

"Mother first told us the Greek myth about the origin of the sunflowers in the midst of a midwinter night, spellbound by her every word and dreaming of summer to come.
The sunflower is the Visage of Clytie, a water nymph who died of a broken heart when her love for the sun god Helius was not returnes. Clytie pined away for Helius until she died. Then her legs and arms dissolved and took root in the earth, her body metamorphosed into a stalk and her face into a sunflower that followed the path of the sun, day after day."

Honestly I have no complaints about this book. The writing style is phenomenal, the author made sure to go into detail just enough to paint a clear picture, but not so much as to get the reader lost. I loved the flow and pacing. And I loved the way everything was tied together at the end. All in all I would give this book 4 stars. It's definitely worth the read :)

"As a child, when I first heard the story of creation, I'd closed my eyes and pictured the earth as a ball rolling off the palm of God and into a dark space, then drifting around until it found its home in sunny orbit. Never perfect, but ever spinning, and holding on to her course, despite it all." show less

Quiet but engaging. Interesting look at what things were like in CO out on the plains, particularly the Japanese internment camps. Didn't know they were out here in CO. Interesting exploration of love. Olivia seemed a little too modern, although it did work in terms of Olivia wanting to see things as she wanted them to be, not as they really were.

“Sometimes you do find what you're looking for closer than you think”
― Ann Howard Creel, The Magic of Ordinary Days

This was a beautiful exploration of love and self. I read this because I had previously seen the movie which was outstanding. It's rare when a movie does a book justice but this one did. And I read the book AFTER seeing the Hallmark film.

I liked the character of Olivia. It was wonderful to watch her emotional growth throughout the book. The relationship between the two main characters felt so real and the book does not take any shortcuts. It's a poignant read filled with lush descriptive writing of the characters and their surroundings in a sleepy Colorado town.

The friendships depicted here are realistic and there is show more just nothing here that I did not love. I kind of wish I'd read the book BEFORE seeing the movie but it was still a wonderful and stirring read anyway and I highly recommend it to all Historical Romance fans. show less

I was browsing for new books to read or listen to when I saw this book, The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel. I've loved the Hallmark movie for years and really wanted to read the book behind the movie. Thankfully, I was able to find the audio-book version on Audible.

As usual, I can honestly say the book is so much better than the movie (and that is saying a lot as I still love that movie). The narrator for this audio book was excellent and I was riveted by this beautifully crafted story.

The Magic of Ordinary Days is one that I will read/listen to again and again throughout my lifetime. I highly recommend it!