The Magic of Ordinary Days: A Novel

Written by Ann Howard Creel

Narrated by Justine Eyre

Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively 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 and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Ann Howard Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515977391

Ann Howard Creel

Ann Howard Creel was born in Austin, Texas, and worked as a registered nurse before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of numerous children’s and young adult books as well as fiction for adults. Her children’s books have won several awards, and her novel The Magic of Ordinary Days was made into a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie for CBS. Creel currently lives and writes in Paris, Kentucky.

Reviews for The Magic of Ordinary Days

[freedomofbecs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just finished reading this amazing book, The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel. It is also a Hallmark movie of the same name, but goodness they are both amazing. The book delves into the intricacies of life in the 1940s, specifically nearing the end of WWII.

The protagonist, Livvy, is pregnant put of wedlock and send to marry a farmer to preserve her reputation. She learns about farming, about life in the middle of nowhere, friendship, love, and life.

[glade1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This lovely little book has been waiting patiently for 12 years (!) on Mount TBR to share its beauty with me. I'm glad I finally read it.

This is a quick read but it contains a lot of detail and emotion. I learned some things about the World War II era - I don't recall previously having read anything set in the American heartland during that time. There is some romance and some drama and some heartache, and we are even left with a few unanswered questions, but the story feels real. Olivia learns that sometimes plan B is acceptable if we can let go of the bitterness of failing at plan A. There is a larger theme in this story of naïveté and its consequences, and Olivia finds that her outcome is not as harsh as the punishment life metes out to others.

I love the title of this book, as well. In our quest for adventure and visible success, we sometimes forget that ordinary days, routine tasks, and familiar people have their own magic.

Excellent story!

[bnbookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a short book, but it is filled with so much history of WWII. The author weaves such a great story and her descriptions are wonderful. Olivia's personal story is woven in with the story of her new husband, and with the two girls she meets from the containment camp. Olivia's emotions come through so strongly in this book and it is interesting to watch her relationship with Ray grow and change. Not only for fans of WWII, this is also a great read for those who love good storytelling.

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I stumbled upon the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie of this book and was smitten with the story. The movie, as it turns out, deviates from the book, most noticeably in the ending. The book's ending is not pretty and happy, as the movie. And, while I enjoyed the happy ending of the movie, the book's ending means more. With depth and complexity, Creel tells a story of loneliness, redemption, betrayal, and what makes a heart and home.
Her prose is surprisingly descriptive, but without being flowery - somewhat like the desolate beauty Olivia finds in the country. With deft language, Creel sets us in rural America during WWII, and shows us what it was like to be behind the scenes, to farm, to live, to work, to exist, when all the world was focus so far away.
Watching Olivia change into who she didn’t know she wanted to be, was magnificent. I enjoyed the subtle growth in her character. Told in first person, Creel really lets us see the turmoil inside this girl. As for the secondary characters, each was complex, distinct, and well-written.
There is a bite to this romance that comes from the true-to-life mistakes and frailness of the human condition. I highly recommend this work. It was a fantastic read.

[kathleen586 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I saw the Hallmark movie adaptation first, so I was eager to compare it to the book. I found that several plot twists in the movie aren't in the book. I have to say I loved the book even more than the movie, but that shouldn't be a surprise! I thought the ending/epilogue could have been more detailed (and Ray-centered!), and there is one unnecessarily inappropriate scene. Other than that, The Magic of Ordinary Days is a perfect novel.

[gamecockgirl_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. I was first inspired to read it after I watched the Hallmark Movie, and I was so thrilled to discover that the book is even better! Creel does such a good job at making the characters real and having the reader care about them. I think that the author spent too much time on Livvy's friendship with the sisters. The friendship was important to the story, but there were pages and pages of interactions that could have been left out with no change to the story. However, that is not enough to make me lower my rating. I love this book and have suggested it to most everyone I know.

[pepperpatty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first saw the made for TV movie and fell in love with Ray and Livvy. The book delved deeper into Ray and Livvy's relationship. It was so sweet how Ray opened up his heart and took Livvy in. I will definitely read this book again.

[wktarin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Boring; poor characters.

[shamille_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oooh Shelby has been reading! This book was really good. It was turned into a hallmark movie that they showed on CBS. Since i'm a sucker for contract/arranged marriage stories, i wanted to watch it again. That's when I found out it was a book and got the book from the library.

The story is set during World War II in .. um.. Colorado or somewhere. The protagonist, Olivia, got pregnant and so she won't shame the family, she's put into an arranged marriage with Ray Singleton, a lonely and boring farmer. Olivia is very smart and likes history and so she doesn't like being cooped up in a farm the whole day with some guy who only likes to talk about seeds and crap. She explores the farm's history and makes friends with some Nisei girls who work on the farm and live at a camp (the camp is really lax, they let them go into town and everything).

Although Olivia is very uncomfortable at first she grows used to the farm, and being pregnant, and Ray and everyone. This is a really nice book to read. Olivia is a great protagonist, and the characters are likeable, even the ones who turn out to be assholes in the end. And even though Ray has a bald spot he is a good unlikely heartthrob type character i guess. Yup. It's a good book... read it and watch the movie too! A real nice heart-warmer...er... whatever.