Book Review of ‘Small Miracles’ by Anne Booth

Book Description

To save their convent, the Sisters of Saint Philomena are praying for small miracles.

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.

This is the perfect feel-good read for fans of AJ Pearce, Rachel Joyce, Katie Fforde and Joanna Cannon, as well as Sister Act, Rev and The Vicar of Dibley. It’s a story about love in its many guises and how it can heal us.

My Review

This really is a lovely warm hug of a novel – a thoroughly enjoyable read that reminds of the good in everyday life.

The three nuns who were at the centre of the novel were painted as more than just their vocation – their characters were clearly defined and each had their merits and failings. It was nice to see their place within a community rather than cloistered away, and this allowed the author to show how they were adapting to the changing circumstances in which they were living. It’s not just about the nuns though, we also meet a newly-married couple, a repressed homosexual and those connected to the parish’s benefactor and his artist brother.

I’d recommend this novel for fans of quaint village romances (because it really is similar in it’s chatty, light-hearted style) who are looking for something a little different. A little warning here would be that this is rather a Catholic novel. Although it’s certainly not preachy in any way, it is about nuns, priests, bishops, the Pope, Rome, miracles etc. If you don’t want to read about a book with a religious theme, then this isn’t the one for you! I think that both the title and the front cover give ample warning of this though, so I don’t think that many will be picking it up assuming it won’t contain religious references.

Although much lighter than the kind of thing that I’d normally be attracted to, but overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anne Booth and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.