Book Review | Small Miracles by Anne Booth

Small Miracles caught my eye when it came through on the Netgalley email update. I generally avoid anything with a hint of religion in it, but this sounded great fun. And so it is! It’s out this week – go and get it!

Small Miracles

by Anne Booth

The 1990s are proving tough for the convent. The order of the Sisters of Saint Philomena is down to its three last nuns. The place that Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia call home is in dire need of repairs and, with no savings and no new recruits, they are facing the prospect of having to sell up and leave behind the friends and neighbours in the parish community that they love.

That is, until ninety-year-old Cecilia decides to play the newly launched National Lottery and a series of small miracles begins to unfold.

Small Miracles takes the reader on a joyful and uplifting journey as these three unforgettable nuns learn more about life, love and friendship than they could ever have imagined. (goodreads)

My Review

Three nuns in a convent, rubbing each other up the wrong way, while still trying to do meaningful work in their parish. In many ways the lottery win is the least exciting part of this story–but it does kick off a series of events which seem unrelated.

In a good book, events that seem unrelated never are. That’s why I eventually added ‘suspense’ to my list of shelves for Small Miracles. There are secrets, and they need to come out. There are people who hide their hurts, and those need to come out to heal. And there are lots of people trying very hard to be nice, and forgetting to be nice to themselves. If that doesn’t sound like something you’d like to read, then I’m sorry, because it led to a splendidly warm and humorous book where you become friends with nearly everybody.

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.

I found Anne Booth’s handling of the characters and their development impeccable. Nobody changes overnight, but plenty gather food for thought that you know will make a difference. In some ways the writing is simple, but that simplicity creates terrific scenery and atmosphere. Especially the simple sentences that conjure up the sights and smells of small Italian towns.

I really enjoyed this book. I think you will too.

Book Review: Small Miracles by Anne Booth 'I really enjoyed this book. I think you will too.' #beachreads #mystery #nuns #funny #netgalley #SmallMiracles Click To Tweet