Miracle Number Four

Miracle Number 4

Genre: Upmarket Fiction Family

Publisher: Bluescale Publishing

Date Published: 2022

Format: Paperback supplied by Love Books Tours in return for an honest review

Book Length: 455

Star Rating: 5***** I loved it and highly recommend

About Book: 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?

My Thoughts: Miracle Number Four by Paul Marriner is set in the 70’s and music plays a large part in the story. This book brought back a lot of memories from the very beginning as I was the same age during the time period, I even had a friend called May who had a sister called April, There was a playlist that came with the book and I loved listening to the songs as I read each chapter, it evoked nostalgia and was a great touch.

The characters seemed real, and I felt that I knew them. I loved the main protagonist Mike (JB) his honest persona, his relationship with his family and Petra was heart warming. Mariner’s writing showed his flaws and internal conflicts as well as his failings and achievements especially in someone so young which added authenticity to the story.

The book is about family, heartache, young love, hope and growing up and is reminiscent of my favourite era, and it was so true to the period, especially grappling with questions of identity and societal norms. The book just transported me back in time. Mariner’s prose is perfect as each chapter tells a story in itself.

In conclusion, Mariner’s prose is eloquent, painting a vivid image and evoking some great memories of the 1970’s, it kept me enthralled and will leave a lasting impression on me and is a must read that will linger long after you have finished the last page.