Love Is A Gift
Miracle On 5th Avenue by Sarah Morgan is a delightful contemporary romantic novel. It would be a perfect read for any time of year but with its snow and December setting, it is just right for warming the reader on a dark, damp autumnal day.
The book was definitely a feel-good read with the elements of a fairytale as it spoke to my heart. The main characters Eva and Lucas were wonderfully drawn. The dialogue bounced between them and was highly amusing at times. Eva’s sunny outlook on life certainly brightened up this reader’s day. Though it was a novel, I really felt I ‘knew’ Eva and that was down to the skill of Sarah Morgan’s writing.
The novel is both a study in love and grief. Both main characters have known love. Love is not just romantic love. Here, there is the great love of a grandmother for her grandchild as both Eva and Lucas has Grandmothers who love them unconditionally. Love is a gift. Love makes memories to treasure when the bond is severed.
Grief is the opposite side of the coin to love. The reader can ‘feel’ the raw pain that loss causes. A pain that will not end and has to be dealt with in whatever way one can. “All you can do is keep going, day after day and hope it gets better.” People deal with loss in different ways. “Locking yourself away isn’t carrying on, it’s hiding.” Sometimes withdrawal from the world is all one can do.
Sarah Morgan shows the real legacy that people leave behind. “She discovered a legacy wasn’t money, it was memories.” Money will not keep us warm emotionally, memories may be bittersweet but one can cling on to them.
The theme of guilt is also presented and linked to love and loss. “No-one could heal the wound that festered inside of him.” The past cannot be changed but needs to be faced and dealt with or it has the power to rob us of the future.
Friendships are important. Friendship bonds can be formed that bridge the generations and social divide. Good friendships will stick by you and always want the best for you. There are some beautiful and unique friendships portrayed that just ooze warmth and love.
I thought Miracle On 5th Avenue was a delicious novel. I wallowed in its warmth as I would a warm bath, feeling cocooned within its pages. I loved the characters. I loved the storyline. It had a magical, fairytale feel to it. Sarah Morgan is a wonderful author who had me hooked from the start. This was my first novel by her and certainly there will be many more.
A wonderful feel-good read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON