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17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
 Second half is riveting, after a slow and weird start...Mar 26, 2005
By William E. Adams
I am a 60-year old man with a 13-year-old daughter. She recommended this "young adult" novel to me. I just finished it, and I agree with the prior reviewer who said it is best for older teens and adults. The heroine, Miracle McCloy, tells us about her life, mostly from age ten to 14. Her mother is dead, her father is a burned-out literary prodigy, her grandma is a lying, fake psychic who is totally around the bend with her arrogant occult snobbery. Miracle is a lonely misfit who sees herself as a total loser. In her misery, she suffers accidental (?) burns and ends up in an adolescent treatment center for psychological problems. With the help of a caring psychiatrist, Miracle faces the unpleasant truths about her history and her relatives, and also manages to bring out the best in her disorganized Aunt. The psychic stuff is really heavy in the first half of the book, but as a former medium and spiritualist myself (briefly and many years ago) I can testify that I met a few people who were as nuts as Miracle's grandma Gigi. It may be unpleasant for many readers who are more traditional in their approach to religious questions, but it is not presented unrealistically. In the second half, when Miracle is "saved" it is not by a return to mainstream churches, but rather by the techniques of psychiatry and therapy. That in itself may also displease some readers, but again, it is presented realistically (I've been a domestic violence social worker for 20 years, so I have a bit of knowledge of that side of life as well.) I hope my daughter learned from reading this novel, which she liked, that her own family is not so terrible after all. The main character, poor Miracle, like many troubled kids, blames herself for all the bad in her life. That idea encompasses two errors which often have tragic results: on the one hand, it falsely attributes way too much power to children, and on the other, because everything is her fault, it leaves Miracle feeling "power-less, rather than power-ful." She becomes afraid to try to change things, because all the changes so far in her life were bad. I recommend it for kids 13 and older, especially those who feel like isolated outcasts with few talents, but the teen should also have a trusted adult read the book so they can discuss it later. My daughter closed the covers with a strong wish that the author would write a sequel, demonstrating how Miracle fares through her high school years. I had the same wish by the time I finished it.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
 Brilliant and movingFeb 06, 2000
My grandparents gave me this book as an "unbirthday gift." I read it that night, staying up until 2 a.m. to finish. This book moved me to tears, with its tragic story of a teenage girl who has lost the identity that she feels she never had. Pulled living from the body of her dead mother, Miracle relies heavily on love from her grandmother, aunt, uncle, and most importantly, her father. After he disappears, her life is chewed up and spit back out at her feet. She is told, "If your mama was dead when you was born, then you was never born." She strongly questions her own existence. Miracle's grandfather signs her up for dance lessons, which she's always dreamed of. She throws herself so violently into her dancing that she ends up covered with bruises. For Miracle, a bruise is evidence that she exists. Later, she attempts to melt herself and seriously burns her legs. Peeling skin and pain are proof to her that she is real, that she was born. A struggle to cope with her history and her family force Miracle to grow up a lot in a very short period of time. Every teenager has to define her identity for herself. Miracle manages to do this, but her way is more violent and trying than most.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Excellent, and thrilling book!Mar 14, 2000
This was an excellent book! I have now titled it my favorite, it's so good. I rented it from my school library, and finished it in a couple of weeks. I'm 14 years old, and this book is really good for those young adults. The characters are so real life, and so are the situations. It's about a young girl named Miracle who is confused and torn apart by her beliefs she was raised on, but has gut feelings that something is wrong, and must learn to find the truth to her past concerning her birth, and her mothers death. The character's reactions and feelings are so real with the actual thing, and the author brings you into the character's feelings. It has a lot to do with finding out who you are, which can get pretty tough in your adolescent years. I won't tell anything to ruin it for those who haven't read it. All I have to say is read it! Give it a try! What harm could it do? I guarantee you'll like it!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
MiracleFeb 17, 2004
By Regina
In the land of reason, there is no superstition, but in the world of magic, there is no need for logic. Miracle, the main character, lives with her grandmother, Gigi, a seer and psychic, in a place where everything is ruled by auras, Ouja boards, and spectral figures. Born and pried from her dead mother, she is a miracle, the origin of her name. While Gigi loves to tell the miraculous story of her birth, Miracle despises hearing how extraordinary it was to be born from a dead person. After telling the story, Gigi contacts Miracle's mother, Sissy, using the Ouja board, where they are told that her father, Dane, is gone. Rushing into his study room, they see the room ablaze with Dane's clothes strewn on the floor. He melted. Miracle, orphaned, is forced to move to her grandpa's house. She tries to bind herself physically and mentally to her father by donning his burnt clothes. Miracle, considered a mockery to society, receives emotional abuse from her classmates, Aunt Casey, and grandmother. Her only release from the pain of the world is through dancing. Han Nolan begins the story by introducing it with Miracle's unlikely birth and reveals little more. However, little by little, tidbits are divulged as the real story begins to unravel. The truth behind Miracle's strange beliefs, the feud between Gigi and Granddaddy Opal, the truth about Aunt Casey, Sissy, and Gigi are gradually revealed. Although Miracle seems strange, you do not really question her mental capability. However, as she is taken away from Granddaddy Opal, the only person who accepted her as she was, and forced to live with Aunt Casey, you see her slowly fall apart to the point where she physically hurts herself. Her mental difficulties all links back to Gigi and her dad's supposed melting. The false world that Gigi built to protect herself from the truth about Dane entangles Miracle in its lies. As she seeks help with her aunt, Miracle begins to realize her true self and the truth about the world. Dancing on the Edge enraptures you with the story spoken from young Miracle's insecure, childish language. As you walk with her down the path of her troublesome life, feelings of sympathy, worry, and concern for Miracle rise. The beautiful story of a girl's struggles through life ends with her ability to break away from her grandmother's web of lies and to face the world with a new perspective.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Wonderful!!!!Jun 23, 1999
This book is so wonderful!!! I feel like it was written just for me- you will probley feel that way too, once you read it. It's all about feelings, and about fantasys vs the truth. Miricle lives in a fantasy spirtal world, full of seances and superstitions. This is exspecially the book for you if someone in your life has left you, or if you've ever felt like you could tumble off the edge of life. After you read this book you will look at everything in a whole new way. Those in despair- it will help you reach the light!
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