Customer Reviews

Miracle

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is dramatic and sad most of the time. Actually, it's quite unrealistic because there is always something going wrong. When the main characters get close and things seem to be working out, the author whacks someone and it gets depressing again. But, it can get pretty emotional and sweet. I think it's a good read. A few minor flaws were that: there were an amazing amount of typos in my copy. That doesn't take away from the story, but I would think they could come up with better editing. The sex is not very descriptive, which is a plus to some and a minus to others. I thought if they tried to put it in at all, it should be quality. And the story goes around in circles sometimes, using the same setup or material more than once. I didn't notice while I was actually reading, but I did when I thought about it afterward. This book is worth trying. I got into the book, and got a little teary at times. I recommend borrowing it, not buying it.

I love Deborah Smith's style of writing and have enjoyed many of her books. My favorite, however is this one. No other characters have touched my heart more than Amy and Sebastian. They are unforgettable. In any of her novels, her characters have true depth and her descriptive writing brings you right to the setting where the action is taking place. She writes what she knows, like any great writer. Thank you Deborah Smith for bringing a smile, tears and joy to my life with your talent.

I wish I could give this novel more stars because Ms. Smith is evidently an intelligent and cultured writer whose style is very promising. However, that promise is exactly why I was so dissapointed. This novel is so dark, depressing, and melodramatic that it's a wonder the characters are able to function without medication and therapy. Sebastien loses his mother and two elder siblings in a suicide/car accident. One brother dies as a result of a tragic illness, his father and brother in law as a result of a plane crash (which cripples his only remaining sister) and his wife has countless miscarriages. He falls in love with an 18 year old who has her own issues (her mother died giving birth to her and her alcoholic/drug addict father resents her and abuses her). They spend 10 years and most of the novel apart, during which time she... [got together] with his "friend" and gets involved with a drug addict she tries to save from himself. The love scenes are scarce, non-descriptive, and bland. The ending is as dissapointing as the rest of the novel, the epilogue includes more death and does not give a true sense of a happily ever after. I like deep, dramatic, emotional stories, but this was too much. This was the first novel by Ms. Smith that I read, but I'm not encouraged to try another one, I don't want to end up using Prozac.

There was no real bond between the hero and heroine. She showed no loyalty and slept with his best friend. I think I counted 19 people dying in the story. Everyone dies: her father, his brother, his father, his mother, his child, his patient, his wife's 5 miscarriages. Yikes! Oh and get this: they haven't seen each other in 10 years. When they finally get back together, she gets a stomach virus and gets sick. So much for a moving love story.
The author had no direction and no focus. There was far too much going on with other characters and their previous lives. The ending was as disappointing as the stomach virus. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

Wow, another magnificent story! The prose and characters come alive under Ms Smith's talented direction, and I find myself reading all night and unable to put down her books. Thank you, Ms Smith!

Deborah Smith made her way into my bookshelf with "Alice at Heart." I found it such a delightful read that I searched for more books by this author. Next came "Miracle."

"Miracle" should come with a warning. "Warning: Reading this book will become habit forming."

Don't read this book if you're looking for a simple romantic love story.

Don't read this book if you want a bit of escapism and don't want to get emotionally involved with the characters.

Don't read this book if there is no time in your life to stop what you're doing and do nothing else but read this book!

"Miracle", the ten year saga of a young girl fighting her codependency and desire to be loved and a frenchman embattled with bitterness and nearly incapable of expressing and showing love, will sneak into your life and demand to be read during meals, while sitting at stop lights, or in line at the bank.

I dare you to try to casually read "Miracle."

After reading ON BEAR MOUNTAIN, I decided to read more of Deborah Smith's books. I had no idea when I started MIRACLE that I would be unable to put it down until the following afternoon when I reached the end. It is not filled with sappy weak characters. Instead, the book deals with characters who are dealt strong emotional blows and their struggle to overcome them. Sure, in the end they are stronger and wiser, but, hey, don't we all need a happy ending in this day and time? It is how they get there that makes this book worth reading.

When this story starts, Amy Miracle is a poor 18 yr. old daughter of a former circus clown. Her father is abusive to her and because of this she feels very unlovable..........Sabastien deSavin is a very capable heart surgeon whose father owns a large vineyard in France..........When he was a child his mother and two siblings were killed in an automobile accident, leaving him the only survivor. The bitter memory of this has left him a very angry young man..............When he and Amy's paths cross he is just finishing his stint in an American Hospital and is soon to leave for Africa for two years before returning to France............Amy falls in love within the very short weeks that she spends with Sebastien. Sebastien leaves for Africa as planned and repressed his feeling for Amy.................He continues to live his life in France and experiences more loses and disappointments. He returns to America and buys a vineyard in California..................Unknown to him, Amy has a career as a comedienne and actress after completing college................ In the 10 years they have been apart they each held their love of each other buried deep in their hearts. When their paths again cross they find that their love and desire for each other is as strong as ever................Their lives still have some rocky roads ahead.........This book is sure worth reading.....

Like many other romance readers, I cut my teeth on Danielle Steel and while continually drawn to them, found them emotionally exhausting! I was really delighted in this, my first (but not last) book by Deborah Smith - engaging, well developed characters, good writing, and a nifty story. I think this book was written in a style similar to Danielle's books, but I didn't feel wrung out at the end, thank God. For the past 10 years, I've moved on to other types of fiction, reading few romances, and have developed little patience for under-developed characters and an uninspired plot. I've also come to dread insipid, cutsey conversations between romance characters - but guess what? With the exception of maybe the last few pages, I saw none of this. I will probably hold other romance books up to this standard. Enjoy!

I started reading Deborah Smith's work with BLUE WILLOW, and from there, moved backward in time to her other books. Both MIRACLE and BLUE WILLOW have a permanent place on my bookshelves, and I doubt I'll ever loan them out, either, since I'd be afraid to lose them. Even now, I sometime reread portions just as one would revisit a good friend. This book has been out a while, so at some point it's likely to go out of print, which will be too bad. It's a long and satisfying romantic tale of suffering, renewal, and redemption, with believable characters, deeply rooted passion, and a well-researched plot and setting. It is not the sort of book that one reads in one setting; plan on giving it the time it deserves. If you like a full-bodied romantic novel that leaves you feeling like you've shared a part of the characters' lives and loves, buy this book and keep it.