The Magic of Ordinary Days [Hardcover]

Ann Howard Creel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2001

In her beautifully written debut novel, Ann Howard Creel enthralls with a spellbinding story of past regrets and renewed hope. In Colorado during the last year of World War II, the usually sensible Olivia Dunne, an intelligent young woman who dreams of becoming an archeologist, commits a careless act of passion and must redeem herself by agreeing to marry a man she has never met. Her new husband lives on a remote farm and is himself a reserved, though seemingly kind, man. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia finds friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp.

While struggling to shape her new life, Olivia learns how powerful-and how confusing-love, friendship, and family ties can be. With echoes of Snow Falling on Cedars and writing that will engage fans of Jane Hamilton and Alice Hoffman, this magical novel is a gentle story of loss, love, and hope.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is the first adult novel by an author who has written two well-received YA books. Livvy Dunne is a thoughtful 24-year-old with yearnings toward archeology, who in a rash moment in WWII Colorado becomes pregnant by a dashing officer and is forced into a marriage of convenience by her sternly puritanical minister father. She goes off to Ray Singleton's remote farm knowing nothing about him except that he is lonely, utterly inexperienced around women and touchingly devoted to her. The relationship between the two, graced by some delicate, perceptive and fine-boned writing, is at the heart of the book, and Creel gets it all just right. She is also skilled at evoking the peculiar remoteness from the war of the high plains country, where farmers were regarded as an integral part of the war effort and even got enough gas to drive around for pleasure, a rare privilege in 1944. Lonesome Livvy yearns for more communicative companionship, however, and grows close to a pair of charming Nisei sisters at an internment camp and this is where plot devices begin to play an unwarranted role. For Rose and Lorelei, it turns out, will do anything for love and involve Livvy in what develops into a dangerous (and inherently improbable) exercise in deceit and manipulation. The book recovers its stride for a poignant if rather hasty finish, but the calm spell cast by the tale of Livvy and Ray, which would have been perfectly satisfactory to maintain the book, has been broken.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...a gentle but powerful novel, combining a story of bittersweet love with a poignant account of the journey toward self-realization..." -- Book Page, July 2001

"...blends historical richness and a fine sense of place...a satisfying emotional depth...a light, precisely written novel." -- Kirkus May 15, 2001

"The Magic of Ordinary Days" is a simple tale, well-told, featuring some lively and believable characters and gorgeous, stark landscapes. -- Boulder Daily Camera, July 22, 2001

"This is the ideal book to read while sipping lemonade on the porch swing this summer." -- The Gazette, August 5, 2001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 274 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First edition (July 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670910279
• ISBN-13: 978-0670910274
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,671 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ann Howard Creel is the author of eight published novels--four middle grade novels, three young adult, and one adult novel. Her children's books have won numerous awards, and her adult novel, The Magic of Ordinary Days, was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie for CBS.

Her interest in children's literature began as the mother of three, and her interest in ancient America was fueled when she lived and worked for two years on the Navajo Reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Her favorite genre is historical fiction, but she loves to write contemporary stories as well. She lives in Colorado, where she is employed as a school nurse and enjoys the outdoor life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book with many themes, February 9, 2005

By 

Cecelia E Connally (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Magic of Ordinary Days (Paperback)

At first glance THE MAGIC OF ORDINARY DAYS is a love story. Of the surface it relates the story of Livvy, who is pregnant and forced to marry a man that she does not know. The story focuses on the evolution of their relationship and the changes in Livvy's life. Her husband Ray, has the very appropriate last name of Singleton, because he is indeed a single, solitary man.

But on a broader scale, there are a number of underlying themes that the reader should be aware of. The first is the responsibility that people must take for their own acts and how what seem to be casual decisions about relationships can alter a person's life.

Issues of family relationships are also brought out in the book. Most people will identify in some way with the relationships between the siblings. Women will contemplate what they would have done had they been Livvy - pregnant and without a husband in the early 1940's - and how their own father would have reacted. The underlying issues of religion and a small community vs a large city are also present.

Author Ann Howard Creel masterfully deals with a subject that is popular among historians and this is women on the home front during the time of war. She also deals with men, such as Ray who does not go to war but still deals with issues of guilt.

Creel's handling of the issues of Japanese interment is excellent. It is a subject that many readers, espcially young readers will know little about. So her even handed descriptions are informative. In addition, most Americans have little knowledge of the German and Italian POW's that came to America.

The Hallmark Hall of Fame did a wonderful job with this novel, following almost exactly as Creel wrote it, although the did not use the first person. However, their ending was probably more acceptable to a general audience. The Japanese women in the novel to not fare as well as they did on TV. The sad part is that Rose and Lorelie were victimized by being put in the camp and then made bad decisions, just like Livvy, based on their desire to be loved.

Although this book is well suited for young readers, and could be a useful tool in an educational environment, it is also an excellent read for readers of any age. War has many ripple effects on the society and Creel deals with many of them. This book gives much to reflect on. I'm just glad that Hallmark brought it to light for millions of readers.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining blend of plot lines, history and fiction, July 25, 2001

By 

David Wayne (Boulder, Co) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic of Ordinary Days (Hardcover)

I originally purchased this book as a present for my wife; she couldn't stop talking about it so I read it for myself. Set in rural Colorado in 1944, the main story revolves around an educated, progressive woman forced into an arranged marriage to a farmer due to the result of a fling with a soldier leaving for the war in 1944. As the main character, Livvy, tries to cope with the disappointment and loneliness of her situation, a great love story unfolds as she begins to really know the man she married. This was my wife's favorite portion of the book, and I have to admit it was done extremely well. The spice in the story comes in a sub- plot which has Livvy befriend girls in a Japanese- American interment camp who become involved with German POWs assigned to work on the local farms. What I belived to be a great piece of fiction turned out to be based on actual events as recorded in the Denver Post in 1944. Livvy must make some difficult decisions and the result is my favorite part of the book. Well written and paced just right, the novel is balanced, informative and thought provoking. A great read.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautully told story, well- written novel, July 21, 2001

By 

Brenda S. (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magic of Ordinary Days (Hardcover)

The book opens with Olivia Dunne, a twenty- four year old with big dreams, being forced into an arranged marriage after succumbing to the advances of a handsome solder in 1944. It turns out her husband is a good man, but Olivia has nothing in common with the farmers that now surround her, and she befriends two girls, Japanese- Americans who were interned in a camp nearby. Their story culminates in a politically charged incident, based on actual events, involving the girls and German POWs from another camp. Olivia eventually begins to love her new home and even her husband, as she learns to make the best of what life has given her. Through Livvy's eyes, we feel the camp and the isolation of rural life only to discover an unexpected enchantment. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the sweet, often heart- wrenching dialogue between Livvy and Ray, and the vivid description of life on a farm in Colorado in 1944. As I read I felt I was there; the author creates a strong sense of "place." The incident between the Japanese- American girls and the German POW's is a bonus and made me turn the pages even faster. From a historical perspective, I learned of Japanese internment camps and German prisoner of war camps in Colorado and the impact they had on the people there.