The Miracle of Small Things - Book Review

Way back during the A to Z Challenge in April last year, I was one of the lucky winners of a competition organised by Guilie Castillo Oriard to receive a copy of her new book The Miracle of Small Things when it was published later that year.  

Due to publishing difficulties the date was delayed and I finally received my signed copy at the end of October.  I blasted through the book and found it an interesting and unusual read but knew it really needed a second reading at a much slower pace to enjoy it properly.  I was also very busy during this time and not contributing to my blog so now after giving it a second and much slower reading I wanted to share my review of it and recommend it to others as a possible read for 2016.

(If you want to buy a copy, I have posted a link you can follow by clicking on the book cover below)

This book is like no other I have read. Its short chapters chart a day in the life moving through a year long story one month at a time interspersed with snippets of information about the island Curacao. It's rather like reading a set of detailed postcards and journal entries from which you build the story. Its fiduciary background makes for an interesting read - a book accountants and tax specialists may want to recommend to show others their lives are not as boring as one might suspect? 

It is a book to be savoured and reading it slowly just two short chapters at a time meant that I enjoyed it a lot more as I allowed myself to become immersed in the island. 

I am now looking forward to Guilie's next book and how it will be written and I feel very honoured to have been amongst one of the first readers of this great and different little book.  

Writing a book to me must be such a labour of love and so very difficult to do.  First coming up with an original idea and then  actually getting down to the business of writing your first draft followed by various edits and revisions before sending it off to hopefully find someone willing to publish it must be an awfully big leap of faith.  I know from various other authors that many times writers have to go through long periods of  knock backs and rejections before they may eventually find someone to take their book on board and even then there can be problems.  So until your book finally ends up in your hands as a bound copy, I am sure many writers have to wait with their hearts in their mouths.  Which is why holding a copy of Guilie's book I feel I am indeed holding something very precious indeed,

Guilie is actually holding a book launch in her native Curacao in February so I am sure she would be delighted if she gains a few more followers to spread the word about her and her work so click on the poster below to get taken to her site :)

I'd love to know your thoughts on writing a book or have you a first edition or a signed copy of a special book and the story behind it?  Just drop a comment below!