The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel

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, Creel’s novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love. (goodreads.com)

First, this is not the same story told in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Well, not exactly.

This is still a sweet story, and the romance is slow developing and has some important things to tell us about love and marriage. One of the things that it reminds us about is that life doesn’t always turn out as planned, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good life.

Livy is not Keri Russell. She is darker and more focused on her past than on her present. She seems uninterested in the realities of the world around her and in some ways quite unkind to Ray. He, on the other hand, is true and selfless in this marriage.

The plot moves fairly slowly, which some have criticized, but in some ways I thought of this as realism and didn’t expect plot twists or intrigue. It was what I thought it was. A story about two people brought together by circumstances that countered the norms of the day. They began as strangers and along the way found out what true love and marriage can be. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Livy doesn’t have her “AHA” moment until near the end, and this is true in the book, too.

This is one of those situations where I liked the book, and I liked the movie. BUT not for the same reasons. Still, I am glad I read it.