A Time of Miracles

by Anne-Laure Bondoux, Y. Maudet (Translator)

Winner of the Batchelder Award--this tale of of exile, sacrifice, hope, and survival is a story of ultimate love.

Blaise Fortune, also known as Koumaïl, loves hearing the story of how he came to live with Gloria in the Republic of Gloria was picking peaches in her father’s orchard when she heard a train derail. After running to the site of the accident, she found an injured woman who asked Gloria to take her baby. The woman, Gloria claims, was French, and the baby was Blaise.
 
When Blaise turns seven years old, the Soviet Union collapses and Gloria decides that she and Blaise must flee the political troubles and civil unrest in Georgia. The two make their way westward on foot, heading toward France, where Gloria says they will find safe haven. But what exactly is the truth about Blaise’s past?
Bits and pieces are revealed as he and Gloria endure a five-year journey across the Caucasus and Europe, weathering hardships and welcoming unforgettable encounters with other refugees searching for a better life. During this time Blaise grows from a boy into an adolescent; but only later, as a young man, can he finally attempt to untangle his identity.
 
Bondoux’s heartbreaking tale of exile, sacrifice, hope, and survival is a story of ultimate love.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, School, War, Historical

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Anne-Laure Bondoux has received numerous literary prizes in her native France. Among her previous books published by Delacorte Press is The Killer’s Tears, which received the prestigious Prix Sorcières in France and was a Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book in the United States.

Reviews

[Mariah Roze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally didn't realize that I never wrote a review for this book.... oops!

I read this book for the Diversity in All book club. If you would like to participate in the group discussion here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

This is a young adult novel that deals with multiple different issues that immigrants face. The main character grows up loving to hear stories of how he came to live with Gloria in the Republic of Georgia: Gloria was picking peaches in her father’s orchard when she heard a train derail. After running to the site of the accident, she found an injured woman who asked Gloria to take her baby.

"When Blaise turns seven years old, the Soviet Union collapses and Gloria decides that she and Blaise must flee the political troubles and civil unrest in Georgia. The two make their way westward on foot, heading toward France, where Gloria says they will find safe haven. But what exactly is the truth about Blaise’s past?
Bits and pieces are revealed as he and Gloria endure a five-year journey across the Caucasus and Europe, weathering hardships and welcoming unforgettable encounters with other refugees searching for a better life. During this time Blaise grows from a boy into an adolescent; but only later, as a young man, can he finally attempt to untangle his identity."

[aPriL does feral sometimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A Time of Miracles’ by Anne-Laure Bondoux is a heartrending novel about a woman and a child who attempt to travel across dozens of borders from the Caucasus Mountains to France without much resources. The trip is an illegal immigration undertaken by the child Blaise Fortune when he is a ten-year-old child.

Blaise Fortune was informally adopted and named when he was a baby by the then single twenty-year-old Gloria Vassilievna Dabaieva, just a few years before the 1992 Abkhazian war began against the Russians and Georgians and a myriad of other little Slavic, Russian and Turkish tribes that had been crushed together by the former Soviet Union (the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991). Gloria told him she had found him as a baby in his dead mother’s arms inside a passenger car of a derailed train.

This war really happened: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhumi#

Blaise is a little boy throughout most of his story; he explains what happens from his viewpoint. To him, the wrecked abandoned places he and his displaced caretaker live in are the way things have always been - the lack of food, the freezing cold of winters, the ragged clothes, the lack of consistent electrical power or clean water. However, Gloria has kept hidden all of these years his passport, taken from the woman on the train, and she speaks constantly of returning Blaise to his home country. Blaise’s fondest memory is the hearing of the story of how Gloria found him. He begs her to tell the story again and again. She also encourages him to learn French.

Finally, when Blaise is ten years old, after the militia chases them out of yet another abandoned building and Gloria must leave behind another horrible job, Gloria decides it is time to go to France. It will be a difficult journey without much money, papers or food, and in winter, too. Gloria never allows Blaise to lose heart - she insists they will make it! Blaise is a little scared. Gloria coughs and coughs like a bear is living in her chest.

Will they make it?

This book reminded me very much of a movie, ‘Life is Beautiful’.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_...

I cried and cried for days after seeing ‘Life is Beautiful’. ‘A Time of Miracles’ left me a little teary as well.

The reasons behind why we tell stories, especially to children, has never been so powerfully demonstrated as in the movie ‘Life is Beautiful’. ‘A Time of Miracles’ also explores the power of storytelling to shape reality, to inspire listeners and to calm and focus emotions, but with a softer impact. It is more gentle. Younger teens who are wondering what the illegal immigrants’ brouhaha is about will find the answers, and maybe a little compassion, from this book.



What does compel illegal immigrants to endure horrors in traveling to a safer, better-fed country? If one lives in a politically-blighted and tribal society, where there are also threats every day to one’s family of violence, death, corruption and starvation, and there is an ongoing war on top of everything else, do we Westerners really need to wonder? The journey often is no more terrible than the home community they are running from.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would've loved this book when I was in middle school. Back then, I sought out stories of heartbreak and disaster---most of them set in wartime and most of them offering a glimpse of the beauty still possible in the middle of human waves of conflict. Most of those stories would've been set during the Holocaust, but this one isn't. It begins in a makeshift camp called the Complex, in 1992, a time so recent that I was bewildered not to know of it, scrambling to figure out what was going on and why bad things were happening around me. Everything seemed as achingly real and as slightly off-kilter as a vivid dream.

The precise language here is clear and stunning, retaining a cadence that makes you believe the translator didn't stray far from the original French. Most of all, the novel never wavers from the viewpoint of the child narrator, a boy named Koumail, who as a baby was rescued from a train wreck with only a French passport. As he journeys with his rescuer, the saintly Gloria, he slowly grows more aware of both his past and his dangerous present until at last, he (and we) can see the whole of the story which has engulfed him.

If I'd have studied the map at the front of the book, I might have realized sooner that this was a story of refugees fleeing the armed conflict that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, but I was afraid of learning too much too soon. And to me, this is the magic of A Time of Miracles. We witness only as much as we are able to bear, but grow capable by the end of the story of knowing the full truth.

Highly recommended.

[Gio-Karmaversum · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sie weiß, dass sie meine Träume nicht zerstören darf, denn sonst geht mir noch ein Stück meines Herzens verloren und irgendwann bleiben nur noch Scherben übrig."
Einfühlsam, berührend, emotional wird hier aus Sicht eines Kindes, Kaumaïl, die Flucht aus dem vom Krieg geschüttelten Kaukasus nach Frankreich beschrieben. Dadurch erhalten wir als LeserIn einen kleinen Einblick, wie anders die Wahrnehmung von Kindern in Kriegsgebieten sein kann, wobei ich persönlich denke, dass das tatsächlich eher die Ausnahme ist und Kinder, die eine traumatische Flucht hinter sich haben, bei weitem schneller "erwachsen" werden. Diese Geschichte schenkt trotzdem Hoffnung, an Wunder zu glauben und die Welt ein Stück weit positiver und optimistischer zu sehen. Das liegt am wunderbaren Schreibstil der Autorin, die es schafft, bei deprimierenden Szenen mit Einfühlungsvermögen ermutigende, warme & hoffnungsvolle Bilder zu zeichnen.
"Ich mag das Wort 》Flüchtlinge《. Bestimmt bedeutet es, dass wir an einem sicheren Zufluchtsort sind, und das beruhigt mich." Hach Koumaïl, wie gerne würde ich die Welt aus deinen Augen sehen. Und eine klare Leseempfehlung, nicht nur für Jugendliche.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blaise/Koumail and his protector/guardian Gloria have fled their home in the Caucasus because of the ravages of war. As they pass through many places in their pursuit of a peaceful life in France, Gloria does her best to protect Blaise/Koumail from the dangers that threaten them. Along the way, they meet many people who threaten them and also many people who help them and befriend them.

This YA novel is told to the reader through Blaise/Koumail. As the book opens, he is six years old and by the end he is twenty. This book is written for teens and preteens and gives them a full picture of what it means to be a refuge, to be stateless, to not have a home and as a result, to even be unsure of one's identity. It is very sensitively written by Anne-Laure Bondoux. She won the Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book in the United States and the Prix Sorcieres in France for "A Time of Miracles." These awards were well deserved. I hope this book becomes a required or at least recommended book at middle schools and high schools throughout the United States. Besides learning about literature from reading it, they can learn compassion.

[Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

2011 Batchelder Award winner

I have a European heart, and this story told by 18YO Koumaïl looking back on his life is a beauty. Part mystery, part history, part coming of age story, his tale begins at the fall of Soviet Georgia where 7YO K manages to have a childhood while dodging revolutionaries, starvation, and other disasters alongside his adored and adoring Gloria, a woman who claims to have adopted him after his mother was badly injured in a train wreck."A Time of Miracles" tells of K's search across six countries for “the plain and simple truth” and his real mother. His voice is both delightful and haunting, and Anne-Laure Bondoux has worked great depth and complexity into 180 simply written pages. Highly recommended.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an unusual book in two ways. First, it started out reading like a juvenile novel, and then, in the last quarter, felt more like a YA novel. This is because the main character grew up very fast and was in his upper teens toward the end, whereas he was nine when the story first began. Second, it was set in the Caucasus (the Georgia region), during a war I had never heard of. When I read it, it felt like I was reading a novel set in World War II, but it really began in 1992 to 1993, when the Russian republics were all fighting and vying for independence from Russia.

Koumail and his guardian, Gloria, are trying to make it to France, where Gloria had told Koumail he had been born. They walked most of the time, helped sometimes along the way by kind people, but sharing many hardships--hunger, cold, wet, pain, and, at times, despair. It was hard for me to believe that this could happen in modern eastern Europe. However, it's not just a story of survival, but a story of a boy's longing for an identity, a family, and a place to belong. I like how France is depicted here, as a country that respects human rights and takes in refugee children. The ending was unexpected and I was left wishing that this grim story had been a bit longer. I must recommend this book, especially for its unusual setting.

[Rebecca Plaza · Rating 3 out of 5]

A refugee tale written in a youthful voice brings the trials of their lives to young readers. It is a European story but can be related to the trials currently faced by the ones coming to US borders.

[Zaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si Koumaïl/Blaise est le petit miracle de sa chère Gloria, alors ce roman d'Anne-Laure Bondoux est mon propre petit miracle. Ce livre est purement et simplement l'un des meilleurs livres, sinon le meilleur livre que j'ai pu lire depuis un sacré paquet d'années !

'Le temps des miracles', c'est une histoire d'exode et d'exil à travers l'Europe pendant les années 90, c'est l'histoire de Koumaïl et Gloria bien sûr, mais aussi celle de Fatima, de Stambek et ses soeurs, de Nouka, Babik et Boucle-d'Oreille, d'un samovar, d'un barda, et d'un atlas aux pages cornées. Pour Koumaïl et Gloria, un seul objectif : atteindre la France pour que le jeune garçon retrouve sa mère, Jeanne Fortune, gravement blessée lorsque le héros n'était encore qu'un bébé.

Ce roman empreint d'une humanité bouleversante est conté par Koumaïl, et s'ouvre alors qu'il est devenu un jeune homme et attend un vol qui lui permettra peut-être de retrouver Gloria. Koumaïl va reprendre pour nous les choses depuis le début et remonter le fil de son histoire. Ce garçon nous dépeint son quotidien dans le Caucase, la vie dans l'Immeuble, sorte de squat façon auberge espagnole, puis les kalachnikovs résonnent, et il faut partir. Commence alors un voyage rocambolesque à travers l'Europe, au gré des rencontres, au son des bombes, au son d'un vieux violon désaccordé, mais surtout à l'écoute des histoires de Gloria, reine des conteuses. L'univers dépeint par Anne-Laure Bondoux s'inscrit dans celui des films de Kusturica ; on retrouver cette poésie et ce sens de la fantaisie, cette douce folie et cette mélancolie qui n'est jamais loin.

Chaque étape de ce voyage fou est un vrai morceau de bravoure, comme les deux héros, on s'attache aux nouvelles personnes qu'ils rencontrent, et comme eux, on est tristes lorsque vient le temps de la séparation. Cet exode à travers l'Europe est également pour nous un compte à rebours, car nous savons depuis le début l'issue du voyage, du moins une partie des circonstances, et c'est le ventre noué qu'on attend le moment fatidique ... Impossible de ne pas penser à tous ces hommes, femmes et enfants qui mettent leur vie en danger pour fuir leur pays, tel qu'on le voit régulièrement dans les médias, ce qui la lecture d'autant plus émouvante.


C'est un livre poignant, qui m'a bouleversée, qui m'a fait complètement voyager, une magnifique histoire d'amour et d'humanité, porté par une plume dont je suis tombée amoureuse. Pour moi, ce Temps des miracles est tout simplement un must-read !

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm struggling with how to review and rate this novel for several reasons, mainly because I feel that I should never have read it. Don't get me wrong, it was a good read, it was just very hard to get through. I'm going to give it 3 stars as a middle-grade read for it's simplicity, age-appropriate language, and good plot description/execution, but as a young adult read it wouldn't have passed at all.

First off, this is definitely a middle-grade/young-YA novel which is a genre I don't particularily enjoy reading. If I had known this in the first place I probably wouldn't have read it. I found it to be very childish and juvenile at first, though in the end it made a lot of sense for Blaise to be so young a narrator in such terrifying conditions.I also felt unequipped to read this because I struggled with the history and non-fiction aspects of the novel. I know absolutely nothing about Georgia or the collapse of the Soviet Union. A lot of the politics and cultural norms were lost on me (and probably many other YA readers). I wish Anne-Laure Bondoux had given a brief history at the start, though the maps definitely helped me keep track of where they were going.

As a novel, A Time of Miracles was structured well. Very few details were given at the start when Blaise's memories would have been blurry and grew into larger chapters as he aged. I liked how realistic his recollections were: some chapters were just for one day, while others covered several years as time slipped by. Since I had no idea that this was supposed to be about Blaise's childhood rather than adolescence I spent the first half of the story frustrated with the pace, wishing it would speed up to present. In the end everything made sense and I was appreciative of how many details were given about each stage in Blaise's life.

[Erin Reilly-Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was pretty good. I did have some difficulty keeping the roughly contemporary time in mind, but that's not the fault of the book but rather our own little self-centered culture that makes it difficult to see that it can be different and difficult in order places in today's world. It does open up a fascinating world view, although one that is blurred by the confusion of childhood and memory. Gloria's character seems a bit strange at first but later here is explanation for this, although not typically what I'd expect in a children's book, not that I think there is anything wrong with including Gloria's way of enabling things for Koumail. It is a rather poetic piece, but doesn't go so far as to annoy me with blatant literariness. Instead, the sense of confusion and displacement works rather well for the topic at hand and produces a rather good read.

[Miamona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, heart touching and painful story.

_________________________

Anne-Laure Bondoux neve ezennel felkerült a listámra, azok közé a szerzők közé, akiktől biztos, hogy szeretnék még olvasni. Mi kell egy igazán szívettépő, és egyszerre szívet melengető történethez? Két dolog: egy naiv, gyermeki narrátor, és a csupasz, rideg valóság. Pottyants egy gyermeket, ennek a rút valóságnak a közepébe, és nem győzöd majd aggodalommal, könnyel és időnként, ha szerencséd van, mosollyal…
Az írónő stílusa szép, ringató, történetvezetése letisztult. Nincs túlírva, nincsenek felesleges lapok, fejezetek. Éppen ezért jól esett belemerülni, és az átlagosnál lassabban rágni és emészteni a szavakat…

Egy szamovárnyit és szakadt húrú hegedűnyit bővebben: http://miamonakonyveldeje.blogspot.hu...

[Agnė · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Time of Miracles is a beautifully written, lyrical, and touching middle grade novel from a child's perspective about a journey across Europe in an attempt to escape the Post-Soviet conflicts in the Caucasus region in the 1990s.

However, despite its very satisfying ending, it is a rather slow read and I had a hard time getting through it. But to be fair, I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, especially war stories, so it might be just me.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful and haunting YA story of a young refugee boy (Blaise, aka Koumail) from the Caucasus'. He is trying to get to France with Gloria, a lady who has adopted him. This story covers the time period of when Blaise is about 7 years old and ends when he is 20. The writing is easy to read but what this child is going through is incredible heart wrenching. This is a great book to use if the studying refugee's (emphasizing despair and hope) in a class room setting - MS and HS.

[Rosie Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite stories because the ending was great unless I would of likes it to be longer and the second version with Blaise and his wife plus their family. This was a really good book due to it being interesting in many ways plus the emotions it gives you they fill you up and you get caught in this book. I love the way it catches your mind and you just want to read and read till you finish it. This is certainly one of my favorite and I do recommend it to anyone.

[reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

زمانی برای معجزه – نوشته آن لوق بوندو – ترجمه بیتا ابراهیمی – نشر پیدایش
شخصیت ها : کمیل یا موسیو
مکان : یک سفر از تفلیس (گرجستان) تا پاریس (فرانسه)
زمان : 1990 تا 2010 میلادی
داستان سفر -یا به عبارت بهتر فرار- یک پسربچه بنام "کمیل" همراه یک خانم به نام گلوریا است. ظاهرا از جنگ فرار می کنند ولی جنگ تنها دلیل آواره شدن این دو نفر نیست. داستان از زبان کمیل روایت می شود و این یعنی همراه شدن با دنیای یک پسربچه و همه چیزهایی که در نگاه او مهم، خنده دار، غم انگیز، ترسناک و ... است.
کتاب غم انگیز بود؟ تا حدودی ولی غم، نکته اصلی کتاب نبود. با اینکه زندگی خیلی بهشان سخت می گرفت، بیشتر آنچه در فکر کمیل می گذشت -و ما می خوانیم- تلاشش برای زنده ماندن است و پیدا کردن راه حلی برای خلاص شدن از مخمصه های پی در پی؛ و نه گلایه و شکایت. کمیل در جریان جنگ در سن خیل کم مادرش را گم کرده و گلوریا آرام در طول سفرشان، هرجا که دیگر زندگی دارد کمیل را مچاله می کند، نشانه هایی از مادرش به او می دهد تا به امید پیدا کردنش دوام بیاورد.
کتاب هیچ ویژگی اغراق آمیزی برای شخصیت ها القا نمی کند. حتی با همه ماجراهایی که از سر می گذرانند و راز هایی که برملا می شود فکر نکردم چقدر قهرمانند. فقط فهمیدم آدم هایی در دنیا هستند که خیلی امیدوارند، خیلی زیاد. آدم هایی که کوتاه نمی آیند اما کنار می آیند و بی اندازه منعطف ند، در حد یک مارشمالو.
توصیه می کنم؟ البته!

[Byron Stewart E1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One realistic-fiction book that I read recently was *A Time of Miracles*. The book's plot points and events are similar to **ALWtW** in a multitude of ways: a young boy born in a rural land is found traveling to places of refuge after war breaks out. Both books have a theme of loss and recovery.

[Jennifer Swapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this YA novel about Georgia and the history there.

[Kro Lapoucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pfffffiooou lu en une journée... mais tellement beau...

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an emotional, heartbreaking, and hopeful tale of 2 refugees seeking a safe home. It tells the story of young Koumalli and his guardian, Gloria. Gloria tells him that he is a French citizen and his mother was killed in a train wreck. She has protected and cared for him ever since. This story is so sweet, and I was very VERY surprised at the end. Anne-Laure Bondoux did a wonderful job writing this book and you could feel for the characters. It was a great page-turner and I finished it very quickly! My only problem was it was a bit hard to understand where they were always going but other than that it was wonderful! I also enjoyed it because it brought up a lot of very difficult questions. I would definitely recommend this book!!

[Paola]

" 'Bohéme' means that you'll always be free and can cross all borders."
This line really stuck out to me, nothing should stop you when trying to accomplish your dreams and goals. When you really want something you'll do anything for it to become true.

" To be happy is recommended at all time" (pg.54)

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was really good.

Blaise Fortune (AKA Koumail) begins his story, "My name is Blaise Fortune and I am a citizen of the French Republic. It is the pure and simple truth." Koumail describes the journey he and his caregiver, Gloria, embark upon through the Caucacus Mountain region of Georgia in the 1990s. His earliest memories include his head being shaved with a straight razor by an angry drunk in charge of a refugee complex. Gloria has kept Koumail safe from the rebels and effects of war with stories of his mysterious past and inspirational hopes for their future.

The narrative voice of this book ages along with Koumail. As his perception of the world around him matures, the storytelling culminates into a very intriguing and inspiring voyage to return Blaise Fortune to his rightful home in France.

There were many times in this short book that I wanted to highlight or write down some of Gloria's quotes. This was a beautifully written tale that takes place during an ugly time in the Caucacus mountains. I would recommend this to middle school or high school. Though an older teen may better appreciate the complex emotions and characters.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audience: This book would be best for a 6th – 10th grade audience. Some of the more complex ideas may gear this book towards advanced 3rd grade readers.

Appeal: I think this book would be appealing to this age group because of the ideals it insights. For example: love, inspiration, fear and freedom.

Application: Since this book is intended for a young adult audience, it would most likely be read on individual time. For this reason, I would include the book with options for individual reading requiring that one book be chosen at a time and an assignment completed accordingly. For this type of structure, I would use alternatives to book reports. From our “Share a Book!” list given to us in this course, I chose the activity to tell why this book would/wouldn’t make a great movie. I think this would be a good activity to accompany this book because of the complex ideals and depth of the story. Taking part in this assignment would allow the student to really consider those concepts and envision how they would be portrayed in a movie.

Award: 2011 Batchelder Award

Copyright: 2009

[Andrea Mullarkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to read some YA fiction that isn’t dystopian! A Time of Miracles is historical fiction and a lovely coming of age story set in the Caucasus following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Koumaïl and Gloria are traveling west away from the orchard where they lived before a train derailed and the family orchard came under siege by rebels. Gloria is a devoted guardian to Koumaïl and she is determined to make it to France where Koumaïl can find his true mother. The stops on their way are grueling places including a bombed out housing complex, an industrial waste site beside an abandoned light bulb factory, the secret room above a bar and the back of a truck filled with pigs. But despite these terrible conditions and the uncertainty of both their past and future this is essentially a story of persistence and hope. To my mind good historical fiction is based on universal themes and has broad appeal while remaining steeped in a particular place and time. This book had exactly these features and the additional advantage of having a mysterious story to play out for readers.

[Bobby Simic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koumail is a refugee from the Republic of Georgia who moves from troubled area to troubled area in the hopes of reaching the safe haven of France, which he is led to believe, by his caretaker, is his true birthplace.

Not exactly the most ideal read for summer, which is what my main problem was while reading this. During the summer, I crave nearly empty reads full of C-list celebrities, authors with amusing anecdotes about their drinking problem, and other silly, inane topics.

But despite the seasonal mismatch, Bondoux's story still comes off as heartfelt and intriguing, detailing the perseverance and sacrifices of those in these extreme (and too frequent) political situations. And while the subject matter is heavy, the story moves along rather quickly -- the chapters are short and the book's less that 200 pages -- making it easily accessible to doubtful young readers.

I would have liked an author's note to give us more context, but that's just me. Strongly recommended.

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is there a difference between a lie and a made-up story?

This is a sad, hopeful story of a young boy and the woman who saves his life, refugees from the war in the Caucasus as they try to make their way towards safety. There's a helpful map at the front of the book, but don't look too carefully at the details of Koumaïl's journey or it'll spoil the story a bit. Just look at the geography if you don't know it.

Good for young adults and regular adults.

[Franki Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was an okay book. It was kind of hard to keep my interest in it. It was definitely not one of those books that I cant put down because it was so good. I think it would be a good book though to incorporate in the classroom if you are discussing the 1990's or the Soviet Union.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Time of Miracles was a touching, quick read that explores how the ability to form and maintain bonds with others changes as we age. It also explores the question: Is there a difference between a lie and a made-up story? Blaise and Gloria will make an impression on your heart.

[Lea Mintas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story kept me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning. It is truly a masterpiece that shows us how some strong people endure the toughest of times. Koumail's story pulled at my very heartstrings and I even shed a tear. This book is truly wonderful!

[Anaé · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je peux dire merci à ma prof de français j'ai lu se livre grâce à son défi lecture . Je sais que souvent les livres choisis par nos professeurs son pas ceux qui nous préférons mais celui ci je vous le conseille vraiment. Il est très intrigant et la fin inattendue.