To my absolute (and pleasant) surprise, there are queer characters in the book! The icing on the cake was that the sisters don’t judge them for their homosexuality. How refreshing! (Though I must also admit, it is a bit unrealistic. Most nuns I know won’t be as accepting…Sigh!) The book shares DNA with Good Omens and The Good Place, so it shares the flaws of those works as well. I’m not going to critique the point system and Christian-centric ideology, though I did like Gadriel’s exasperation/cynicism with the system. If you analyze the worldbuilding too much, it’s easy to find cringe aspects but I wasn’t too bothered by the Celestial Bureaucracy structure.

Small Miracles is a delightful short read, perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens. The premise is a small bet between a fallen angel and an angel. Gadriel is the fallen angel of Petty Temptations and she sets out to encourage Holly Harker to enjoy her life a bit more. If this had been the only plot point it would’ve been a cute story but there are other plot points involving Holly’s niece and an evil math teacher at her school. The demand for gentle, empathetic and comforting reads has been noticeable this year. Following two years of pandemic and with global uncertainty still continuing, many are turning from thrillers and murders to something that confirms that there is still good in this world and small miracles can happen when we spread love. In the midst of the American Civil War we are introduced to Captain Robert Ellicombe in his home state of Virginia in 1862. During a terrible battle, Captain Ellicombe finds personal tragedy ….but within that personal tragedy he finds something beautiful, something that has become a symbolic piece of American history.As the children nod, we see the inside of the house. We see Jesus, a man and woman standing, and a paralysed man lying on a mat by Jesus' feet. Anne Booth lifts the veil on this tiny, disparate group from Saint Philomena who find themselves adrift as their convent population drastically diminishes. She reveals the vulnerable people beneath as we gain an insightful glimpse of their all too real challenges, problems, pain, and conflicts.

Small Miracles charmed me with its simple, effortlessly funny story and likable characters. It's whimsical, often amusing, and there is hardly a dull moment. We are currently seeking volunteers to grow our foster home network. Fostering is a rewarding experience where you The story is about how the nuns and the small community of people they know and work alongside in Fairbridge, and how a series of small miracles can change all their fortunes. It is a pleasant read full of hope and faith and features a lot of muttering asides to God, which is how I often imagine someone who is married to the Lord would manage the relationship. There is a strong supporting cast, a surprising Lottery win storyline, a pilgrimage and a love story within, and this all comes together in a way that you could call pre-ordained.Whereas history-gathering Sister Cecilia, the senior in years, feels the most displaced and is anxious about their future existence. All looks bleak on the surface as they grieve the loss of their beloved Superior Sister Helen and seek to keep themselves and the convent afloat. This is an outstanding book for fans of humorous fantasy. Olivia Atwater has a new fan in me and I want more. Disclaimer: I am not friends with the author. I wish I were, though. Small Miracles by Olivia Atwater was touted as “If you like Pratchett, you’ll enjoy Atwater!” As I’ve read exactly one Pratchett book, years ago, I can’t speak to that comparison, although the cover certainly evokes the design of Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman. So, that’s nice. I’m sure other reviewers will speak more eloquently about the similarities and differences between Pratchett and Atwater. I’m not that person.

It seems we see signs, wonders, and miracles all over our Bibles. But for many of us, we see an absence of signs, wonders, and miracles in our lives and in the world around us. So where did the wonders go? It’s a question from a college student who writes in to us.

Amazing things

His/Her purview is minor transgressions. He’s/she’s not really evil despite the fallen angel status, but rather mischievous, and his/her agenda is not really sinister. What Gadriel does is prod humans to succumb to minor temptations, and thus achieve overall increased happiness and satisfaction with their lot in life. My first observation is that we shouldn’t think of the Bible times, either Old or New Testament, as times in which saints of God consistently did miracles. That would be a distortion of the biblical record. They were few and far between in the Old Testament. They were uniquely concentrated in Jesus and his apostles in a very special, Christ-exalting way. They are shared in part through spiritual gifts with all the saints. Countless Miracles I enjoyed the character development. As the reader we are soon able to distinguish between the three nuns. Bridget was just a generally positive, happy person who loved to cook. She especially liked to cook and look after the local priest as well as a friend that attended the gardens and was the widower of Bridget’s friend. Bridget is the most positive out of the three nuns with a sunny disposition. Margaret is the youngest of the three in her late 50’s and seems to be having something of a crisis of faith and feels she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. I did wonder if perhaps it was the Menopause that was causing most of her angst to be honest but it was never mentioned. Then there’s 90 year old Cecilia who would try the patience of a saint. As you might expect at 90, she’s very old school, set in her ways and something of a snob I thought.

I won’t dwell on the story details. It deliberately seeks out the small pleasures of contemporary life that occur everyday and help you wade through the daily grind. Chocolate being one major example. I had already read and very much enjoyed an earlier self published trilogy by the author (E.g. Half a Soul) which gently satirised Jane Austen/Brontë sister storylines by inserting a slightly harder edge to life in those periods, and with more contrarian characters. Maybe that harder undertone to the plot which I’d liked wasn’t quite as clear here as in that previous trilogy. My only other concern was the use of footnotes, which I’m not a fan of, especially when reading in my preferred ebook format. Fortunately their use wasn’t excessive and I saw why they were used in some instances.

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 is exactly what the title suggests: this book is filled with a series of small miracles. Where it seems impossible to find a solution to a problem, something happens, usually in an unexpected way, and the problem is solved. This is a very low stakes, heart warming read. It's at times funny and the characters with their everyday struggles are interesting and likeable. Fairbridge, The Sisters of Saint Philomena are facing hard times. There is only 3 of them left now. Sister Margaret, the youngest of the 3 remaining and struggling in her role as Mother Superior. Sister Bridget, is perpetually happy, sees the wonder if everything and everyone and is the most marvellous cook. The elder of three Sister Cecilia, 90 has spent her life researching the benefactor, Edward Mortimer of the convent and also trying to win the lottery. This is NOT a review of that book. Yet unavoidably, there will be comparisons between “Small Miracles” by Atwater, and that seminal work by Gaiman and Pratchett.