Miracle Number Four by Paul Marriner - #BookReview #BlogTour

 

In the autumn of 1974 my mother stopped going to work at the bakery. I passed there often, and the ladies in their blue tabards still smiled but stopped speaking. It didn't bother me. It wasn't until the following spring, when out with my sister, that I realised they were offering sympathy. Susan knew. We had been walking to the chemist to collect Mum's prescription - Susan on half-day from the salon and me just home from school - when the smiles and silence at the bakery's open doors stopped her. More accurately, it was the whispering when we'd passed that she noticed. Turning sharply, she spoke slowly and clearly.

'April will bloom again.'

***

A song of the suburbs: a story of family, friends, first love, tragedy, hope and rock and roll

It's 1976 and with dreams of a career in rock, a crush on the prettiest girl in town, and a mother in remission from cancer, Mike’s future looks bright.

Music brings excitement and a chance to shine, but life off-stage is complicated.

Together with family, friends and band-mates, Mike finds joy, sadness and loss. Troubling secrets surface while a new friend brings both fresh perspectives and a cruel reality. The radios and pubs blast rock into the suburban nights and the band prepare for their big break. Is Mike ready?

A warm, thoughtful, questioning novel; a reminder of simpler days, complex emotions and music of a generation.

***

Publishing in paperback today, this is a lovely coming of age story set in 1970's London suburbia.

Having grown up in London during the 1970's I was instantly attracted to this book and it's period and setting provided me with a wonderful trip down memory lane.  Music is a big feature of this book and plays as important a role as any of the characters.

This is a dialogue led book and propels this story along very nicely. The narrative is well written, but it is largely the conversations between the characters which make for an easy read and which makes the characters so easy to engage with.

The main character, Mike, aka JB, is delightful. The author presents him as a fully formed adolescent, and we observe him as he learns about love, life and music. He is a multi-layered character, and I enjoyed watching him make sense of the world.

There is also a wonderful cast of secondary characters, and I enjoyed reading about each of them. Mike's family and friends interacted perfectly and were all very believable.

There are many themes running throughout the book; love, loss, friendship and growing up, all written with both humour and poignancy. I enjoyed this book very much and can forsee it being one I pop back to read now and then.

I was thrilled to realise in the end pages of the book that the author has previously written a book about one of the characters, Richard. Just as I was sorry to be leaving Mike and the other characters I now realise I do not have to and can read more about Richard in the book, Three Weeks in Summer.

I loved Miracle Number Four, and I highly recommend it.

ISBN:  978 1999620066

Publisher:  Bluescale Publishing

Formats:  e-book, hardback and paperback - available on Kindle Unlimited

About the Author:

Paul grew up in a west London suburb (not unlike the suburbs in which his latest book – Miracle Number Four – is based) and now lives in Berkshire with his wife and two children. He is passionate about music, sport and, most of all,  writing, on which he now concentrates full-time. Paul has written five novels and his primary literary ambition is that you enjoy reading them while he is hard at work on the next one (but still finding time to play drums).

(book and author photo courtesy of Love Book Tours)

(author bio courtesy of the publisher)

(all opinions are my own)