The Journey of Love and Redemption in "The Magic of Ordinary Days

"The Magic of Ordinary Days" is a captivating novel written by Ann Howard Creel, which tells the poignant story of Livy Dunne, a young woman who finds herself in an arranged marriage during World War II. The core storyline revolves around Livy's journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance. Livy, a bright and educated woman, is forced to abandon her dreams of pursuing her education and career when her unplanned pregnancy leads to a hasty marriage with a stranger named Ray Singleton. Living in a small rural town in Colorado, Livy feels isolated and lonely, yearning for a connection that seems impossible to find. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when Ray enlists in the military, leaving Livy alone and pregnant. With Ray absent, Livy finds companionship and support in two Japanese-American sisters, Rose and Martha.

tl;dr: The writing is average for RoyalRoad, the characterization is lack luster, and the plot is tittering on the brink of breaking the world's verisimilitude. The crux of my issue with this story is the fact that it's mixing several conceptual levels of computer science into a generic "programming" catch-all.

While I would love to just claim that artistic license is sufficient to hand wave away the discrepencies, it s too jarring seeing computer science and software development jargon being mangaled. Having a protagonist that understands the mapping of the arbitrary magical words to the concepts used in a programming language would be interesting enough.

With Ray absent, Livy finds companionship and support in two Japanese-American sisters, Rose and Martha. They have been assigned to work on her family farm as part of a government program during the war. These sisters bring a sense of warmth and understanding into Livy's life, allowing her to open her heart to new experiences and possibilities.

Magic is Programming

Carlos was an ordinary software engineer on Earth, up until he died and found himself in a fantasy world of dungeons, magic, and adventure. This new world offers many fascinating possibilities, but it's unfortunate that the skills he spent much of his life developing will be useless because they don't have computers.

Wait, why does this spell incantation read like a computer program's source code? Magic is programming?

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Not for Computer Scientists

Reviewed at: Chapter 17: Dispute

tl;dr: The writing is average for RoyalRoad, the characterization is lack luster, and the plot is tittering on the brink of breaking the world's verisimilitude. The crux of my issue with this story is the fact that it's mixing several conceptual levels of computer science into a generic "programming" catch-all.

The initial magic system we are introduced to is that magic is able to be expressed as symbolic language akin to a programming language. That is fine and would have been perfectly serviceable analog for the magic system. Having a protagonist that understands the mapping of the arbitrary magical words to the concepts used in a programming language would be interesting enough. Except it goes a step further and breaks my suspension of disbelief.

While I would love to just claim that artistic license is sufficient to hand wave away the discrepencies, it's too jarring seeing computer science and software development jargon being mangaled.

This is especially true later when other concepts are introduced which further conflate and mangle different conceptual levels of computation, software design, and operating systems into an bastardized amalgum. My largest issue is that it's so easy to map these actual concepts into magic neatly that it's actually low hanging fruit in my opinion. This is even without touching things like algorithms or data structures! It's really easy, doesn't require a bachelor's in computer science, and it seems that the author didn't even research more beyond superficial jargon and tooling around programming.

Style:
It's fine. Word choice and the author's voice is good enough for an average RR novel.

Grammar:
No glaring errors that would impede someone from reading this. More passes through editing would be better, but not necessary.

Character:
None of the characters speak to me nor do I care for any of thier continued existances. Some of their choices are suspect and reek of the story requiring them to say something to initiate a scene a certain way.

Story:
It's painful. The power level of the world is all over the place and some of the decisions made by characters seem arbitrary and to solely advance the plot. This does risk breaking the suspension of disbelief as there isn't much to this work (at this point in time) beyond the magic system, the fairly short plot, and a handful of flat characters.

As Livy spends more time with Rose and Martha, she begins to see the beauty in the ordinary days she once took for granted. Through their daily routines, Livy discovers the joy in simple acts like gardening, cooking, and tending to the farm. These ordinary moments become a form of therapy for Livy, allowing her to heal from her past disappointments and embrace the happiness that can be found in the present. Furthermore, Livy finds herself falling in love with a gentle and kind-hearted man named Ray Singleton, her husband. Despite their unconventional beginning, their relationship slowly transforms from a marriage of convenience to one built on trust, respect, and genuine affection. Through their shared experiences and growing love, Livy comes to appreciate the magic that can be found in the ordinary days they spend together. "The Magic of Ordinary Days" beautifully captures the transformative power of love, friendship, and the ability to find joy in the simple pleasures of life. It reminds us that even in the most challenging circumstances, there is beauty and magic to be found in the ordinary moments we often overlook. Livy's journey of self-discovery serves as a powerful reminder to embrace the present and find happiness in the everyday..

Reviews for "Finding Love in Unexpected Places in "The Magic of Ordinary Days"

1. John - 2/5 stars

I found the core storyline of "The Magic of Ordinary Days" to be quite lackluster. The plot is predictable and cliché, and I couldn't connect with the characters or their motivations. The pacing was also off, with certain events feeling rushed while others dragged on unnecessarily. Overall, I was disappointed with the development of the story and wished for more depth and originality.

2. Sarah - 3/5 stars

While "The Magic of Ordinary Days" had its moments, I ultimately felt let down by the core storyline. The plot seemed promising at first, but as the movie progressed, it became clear that the narrative lacked depth and complexity. The conflicts and resolutions were too conveniently and neatly tied up, making the overall experience feel contrived and superficial. I was hoping for a more thought-provoking and emotionally engaging story, but unfortunately, that just wasn't the case.

3. Emily - 2.5/5 stars

The core storyline of "The Magic of Ordinary Days" fell flat for me. It started off with an intriguing premise, but it quickly descended into a formulaic romance with little substance. The characters lacked depth and remained one-dimensional throughout the film. The pacing felt slow, and the plot points were predictable, leaving me wanting for more surprises or unexpected twists. Overall, I found the core storyline to be unremarkable and forgettable.

The Importance of Choices in "The Magic of Ordinary Days