The Magic of Ordinary Days Book Review

I was first introduced to this story when my family watched the Hallmark adaptation movie. I must confess that I do think the movie is slightly better than the book but overall it's a nice story.
So here I am rounding up all my thoughts in this book review!

Back Cover Synopsis(from the book)

"Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of becoming an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of  World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life and she finds herself in a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp.

When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime, she finally confronts her own yearnings and comes to understand what she truly believes about the nature of trust and love."

(The synopsis doesn't do the book justice.)

The writing was very light and easy to read. With a few nice descriptions here and there. It's a nice read for a warm Spring day! Here is one of my favourite quotes:

Ray Singleton is such a kind and gentle man. Him and Olivia(Livvy) don't exchange as much conversation in the book as they do in the movie. Ray does sweet things for Livvy and tries to make her at home even when she gets restless in the wild, quiet farmland surrounding them.

The size of the book is very satisfactory. Page lengthwise and general size wise. It sits comfortably in your hands and is a relatively quick read. 

The moment when Livvy accepts Ray for who he is. I will say no more...:)

The overall storyline is really nice. Livvy makes a mistake, which leaves her pregnant, and her father arranges her marriage to a farmer far out on the farmland in Colorado. She has to deal with the consequences which include her having to give up her dreams of traveling to far of lands to be an archaeologist. She has to learn to make the most of the life she has and I think that really, it's quite a good life!

The lightly detailed bed-scene that happens when Livvy is having a flashback to her flirtation with a soldier, in Chapter 25. To be frank, the whole chapter is unnecessary because you know that somehow she ended up pregnant. You don't need any details. Pages 198-199 explain their night together in light detail. The rest of this chapter is fine, they go to a bar and chat.

So basically what I am saying is this. While the rest of the book is clean, these two pages are useless and if you purchase a copy go straight to those pages and carefully tape them together using double-sided tape. Now also, I did not read this section, I saw the leading up to and then quickly skimmed over and continued reading at the end of the chapter.

I personally enjoyed this book and if you decide to pick it up, I hope you enjoy it too! If you don't want to read the book, the movie is really lovely and you could say better than the book.

xoxo

Hannah