I admit, Small Miracles was one of the books in our batch that instantly caught my attention. When I reached the “fallen angel” part in the blurb, I was sold. Mentioning angels is a sure way to perk up my attention. I’ve never read Olivia Atwater‘s books before, although I’ve heard a lot about Half a Soul and intended to read it at some point. My first observation is that we shouldn’t think of the Bible times, either Old or New Testament, as times in which saints of God consistently did miracles. That would be a distortion of the biblical record. They were few and far between in the Old Testament. They were uniquely concentrated in Jesus and his apostles in a very special, Christ-exalting way. They are shared in part through spiritual gifts with all the saints. Countless Miracles The story is full of small miracles that leads to joy, happiness, understanding of not just the sisters but those around them who lives all intertwine and need a miracle of their own.

But fortune and miracles are not just for the religious but for everyone in Fairbridge. The priest Farther Hugh needs a new curate to share the workload and the church needs a new roof. Gadriel is our main character. A fallen angel of petty temptations, they really mean no one any harm despite their job.. satisfied instead with nudging mortals here and there into tiny transgressions that tend to lead to happier lives than futures of damnation. Honestly, they're absolutely charming and they break my heart a little in this book. A delightful story with some beautifully drawn relationships and interesting revelations. Charming, amusing, with a soupçon of scandal and very worthwhile.In the summer of 1995, three nuns play the lottery to save their failing convent and set off on an adventure to Italy in search of a miracle. A joyful, heart-warming story of friendship, community, faith and love.

And, I absolutely adore the theme of gods or demi-gods or beings such as angels, interfering with the lives of mortals, and producing unplanned-for results. The overriding sense here is one of hope and optimism, and despite Gadriel meddling to try and tempt Holly to sin, you know everything is going to work out for the best, in the end. You really don't need to be religious to appreciate the Sisters of Saint Philomena especially their prayers which sound like one ended telephone calls. If Good Omens was a rom-com and put less emphasis on David Tennant and… I mean Aziraphale and Crowley, it would be close to Small Miracles. Or the other way round. I guess one is better than the other? Perhaps? Gaiman and Pratchett vs Olivia Atwater? This was not supposed to be a difficult choice. There are many favourite parts of the book I could list, but one of them is the casual treatment of gender fluidity and queerness. As Steve Jobs would have said, It Just Works; effortless, unforced, and wonderful. Small Miracles belongs in that category of books alongside What You Can See from Here, which are easy to read, but difficult to escape. Thoughts of the people and their situations, how they handle them, stay with you. You might love to live in this community, but you'd be afraid to be stifled by it. Yet there is room for everyone.Yitta Halberstam did my baby boomer generation a Big Favour when she compiled this phenomenally best-selling assortment of real-life experiences. I knew I was going to like this, but even I hadn’t anticipated how much. I’ve liked all of Olivia’s books in the past and so I just opened this one up without knowing what the inspiration for the book was. Nuns are usually viewed as otherworldly, set apart, and in many ways they are. A covert, cloistered life lends an air of shrouded mystery to its inhabitants. But when we hone in on their holiness and saintliness, we’re apt to forget the humanity that exists. His/Her purview is minor transgressions. He’s/she’s not really evil despite the fallen angel status, but rather mischievous, and his/her agenda is not really sinister. What Gadriel does is prod humans to succumb to minor temptations, and thus achieve overall increased happiness and satisfaction with their lot in life. For example, he said in John 10:37, “If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me.” In other words, “These works are good evidence that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. I’m unique. I am the Son of God. This is true.”

I fell head over heels for Gadriel, Holly, and the characters in this book. Since for me, every great book begins with great characters and great characterization by the author, I was, pardon the shameless pun, in Heaven here. The writing is completely not my style, but there's nothing inherently wrong with it, it's just a conflict of tastes. I didn't like a lot of the humour in it, and particularly in the footnotes, which were annoying enough for me to listen to, without additional ones being added for unnecessary jokes. The change of tone to a snooty upper-class narration for the footnotes also did not work for me at all.

Books & Arts

I fell head over heels for Gadriel, Holly, and the characters in this book. Since for me, every great book begins with great characters and great characterization by the author, I was, pardon the shameless pun, in Heaven here. But Call the Midwife with its earthiness this is not. It is an undemanding read, light and fluffy as cappuccino. All a bit too cosy for this reviewer.