the magic of ordinary days by ann howard creel

Ray is patient and loving, and never judges her about her past. Throughout the book Livvy has a hard time forgiving herself for getting pregnant by some loser she thought she loved. Livvy learns that through her saint of a husband, Ray.Ģ. It's about selflessness, kindness, and commitment. Love between a husband and wife is not just about physical attraction, butterflies in the stomach, etc, that is portrayed in the movies. This book taught a few lessons that I loved:ġ. She marries a shy, simple farmer she's never met before her wedding day. It's even better than the movie! It's set in 1940's Colorado farming country, and Livvy is forced into an arranged marriage by her strict father when she becomes pregnant out of wedlock. I loved this book! I picked it up after watching and loving the Hallmark movie version of the novel. My partner just looked up and saw that Hallmark actually makes movies and this book was adapted into a film. Very glad I read the book but I'm not sure I'll be back to read another of her books !Īddendum: So weird. I find it really difficult to deal with a book that is so moving and important on one page that then leads to a horrible Hallmark greeting card on another page. Saccharine, artificial and contrived were many of these passages. It took me out of the very interesting and beautiful story and made me shudder. It is amateurish, flowery and often does not fit. She also wants to infuse poetry into her prose and this is where she really loses me. as well as the treatment of women who had unplanned pregnancies. She wants to 'tell' rather than 'show' the ethical dilemas about the treatment of the Japanese during World War 2 in the U.S.

If she focused solely on this she would have had a quietly moving masterpiece.

Creel is expert at letting a story unfold slowly, langourously even and is quite adept at describing shifting emotions and internal psychological struggles around love, desire, grief and gender and ethnic dynamics. She befriends two Japanese sisters that work on her husband's farm as they have been sent to a camp for being Japanese during World War 2.

It is about an intelligent young woman who gets herself pregnant and then is sent to marry with a socially awkward but loving farmer who is willing to raise the child as his own. This book takes place in Colorado in the 1940s. Creel had a 5 star book here had she taken more time and care with this gentle historical drama romance. 3 'whimsical, delicate but sometimes (often even) off the mark' stars !!

The magic of ordinary days by ann howard creel