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Magnified World

3.44 of 5 stars 3.44 · rating details · 127 ratings · 31 reviews

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A beautiful New Face of Fiction debut from a stunningly gifted young novelist about what it means to be a daughter, a patient, a lover and a human being who can carry on after a massive loss.

What's a girl supposed to do after her mother kills herself by walking into the Don River with her pockets full of unpolished zircon stones? Maggie removes the zirco...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published May 29th 2012 by Random House Canada (first published May 1st 2012)

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Dec 06, 2012 AliceinWonderland rated it 3 of 5 stars

- Good writing, O'Connell has a very nice style.
- I very much liked the relationship between Maggie and her father - very poignant. You could feel the layers of love, regret, & misunderstanding all in one.
- Andrew's character was also very well done. Though he is not likeable by any means, he is at least understandable, and we see why Maggie becomes ambivalent towards him - a good man, but rather dull.
- However, the ending was a huge disappointment for me.
- I just felt as if it abruptly stop...more - Good writing, O'Connell has a very nice style.
- I very much liked the relationship between Maggie and her father - very poignant. You could feel the layers of love, regret, & misunderstanding all in one.
- Andrew's character was also very well done. Though he is not likeable by any means, he is at least understandable, and we see why Maggie becomes ambivalent towards him - a good man, but rather dull.
- However, the ending was a huge disappointment for me.
- I just felt as if it abruptly stopped and I became very confused. Now, I understand that good literature does not always need to SPELL everything out for us, but at least certain issues need to be resolved. I just felt like it suddenly ended, and I felt cheated!
- Though the theme of mental illness was quite well done, and O'Connell deftly shows the toll it takes on loved ones, I feel a writer like Findley tackles it with more "UMPTH"...is the best way I can describe it?? Or at least Findley gives you more to think about regarding mental illness; he is more provocative and stirring.
- The character of GIL infuriated me - He was ill-placed, and by the time you've figured out he's probably just imaginary (like Bruce Willis in the 6th Sense movie, no other characters ever see GIL or appear to talk to him...); I'm just getting very annoyed by him. Although his dialogue was written well.
- 2 additional scenes which disappointed me - The scene with the grandparents, where I expected something poignant and earth-shattering to be revealed about her mother - all I felt was deflated. Egh.
- Also, the last scene with Rosenberg where he gets really close to her ear or something...WEIRD. I found his menace a bit ill-placed. I mean, I know he might be getting frustrated, but this sudden weird tantrum from a doctor seems out of character.
- Also, the lack of a discernable climax annoyed me. At first, near the end, you are left wondering, OH, perhaps Maggie will drown herself, but she doesn't...just goes off on a weird swim...and then it ends.
- So I would classify it as not too bad, but not great.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Christine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Maggie’s mother has always been a little “off”, but no one really anticipated that she would wake up one day, fill her pockets with zircons and walk calmly into the Don River. After the funeral Maggie takes the zircons out of the inventory of their New Age store and carries on life as usual, until she begins experiencing blackouts. Coinciding with these blackouts comes the arrival of notes and cards from a stranger named Gil. Gil soon materializes in the store seemingly knowing all about Maggie...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian

I'd read about this book this month in the Toronto Star. It attracted me because it's set in Toronto. It actually takes place just northeast of us ... Maggie's store is across the street from Trinity Bellwoods Park, in the same block as our vet.

I liked the writing style. Written in first person, I was drawn to Maggie's story of how she is coping with the suicide of her mom and discovering who her mom was. I found the secondary characters like her dad, boyfriend and best friend cold and unsympath...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Mary Billinghurst rated it 4 of 5 stars

I met Grace O'Connell at the recent CBC Books Trivia event in Toronto. She was assigned to join our team: the bonus was that we were all given copies of her book, which she signed, of course.

I really liked a lot of things about Magnified World. Grace O'Connell sure can write. Her prose is lovely - I especially enjoyed her use of original metaphors and similes. "All this my mother told me over the years, in her roundabout way, not angry but amused, like someone savouring a punchline." '...you cou...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Scott Callaway rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

This is normally not the kind of book I would pick up and read, but man am I ever glad I did. I won an advanced reading copy of this book as a Goodreads giveaway and so not as a professional reviewer, but as a regular person who enjoys a good story, I am happy to give an honest review of Grace O'Connell's Magnified World.

This story had me from the start. It's the kind of story that is open and honest, and although it never kept me at the edge of my seat in suspense, it always made sure to be the...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Andree rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, book-club

I really don't know how I feel about this one. I really don't. Some of it I knew was going to happen about sixty pages in. A lot of it is just weird, and unanswered. It wasn't one of those books that just ends annoyingly without an actual ending, it's not that. And you do get most of the pieces. I suspect the point is more that mental illness is a bit of a grey area, and there are some unknowns, because you can't see beneath the surface in another person's mind.

It's well written. I'm not sure I'...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Gayle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Thank you Goodreads Giveaways and Random House Publishing for the gift of Grace O'Connell's 'Magnified World.' I look forward to receiving, reading and reviewing.

I enjoyed Grace O'Connell's interesting view of psychological illness. The novel started off strongly and I was immediately drawn into Maggie's torment between her tenacious grip on reality and her slipping off a cliff towards insanity.

The second half of the journey had me 'flying over the cuckoo's nest,' myself. I felt disoriented and...more

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May 04, 2012 Lana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Thank you goodreads, Random House, and Grace O' Connell for providing this book for a giveaway. I had a difficult time putting it down.

O Connell draws us immediately into Maggie's grief, solitude, and confusion. What a sad, tragic young woman she is. As she experiences blackouts following her mother's suicide, Maggie struggles to maintain her sanity in a world populated by a distant boyfriend, a deceitful friend, a grieving father, and the non-existent author, Gil. Is he a delusion, a halucinati...more Thank you goodreads, Random House, and Grace O' Connell for providing this book for a giveaway. I had a difficult time putting it down.

O Connell draws us immediately into Maggie's grief, solitude, and confusion. What a sad, tragic young woman she is. As she experiences blackouts following her mother's suicide, Maggie struggles to maintain her sanity in a world populated by a distant boyfriend, a deceitful friend, a grieving father, and the non-existent author, Gil. Is he a delusion, a halucination, or some other-worldly manifestation? We never really find out for sure, but I choose to believe he is simply a personification of her grief. As Gil leads her further and further into peril and apparent insanity, Maggie's ambivalence toward him builds. In a moment of inner strength, she pushes him off the Royal York's roof. Later, she draws strength from his closeness.

Throughout the book, Maggie searches to understand her mother's life. By so doing, she hopes to end her blackouts. At least, that is Gil's promise. And in the end, as expected, Maggie discovers that she has the strength to save herself and go on in life.

Maggie's character is wonderfully developed by O'Connell. Secondary characters are revealed as needed to continue the plot. And some characters are perplexing. What was Dr. Rosenberg's role? Why was he so unprofessional, what did he want from Maggie? What had his relationship been with Maggie's mother? In the end, Maggie, who had seemed the most fragile, turned out to be the strongest of them all. As Maggie lets go of her unhealthy relationships, we become more confident of her eventual release from torment.

And in the end, Maggie's will to live overcomes Gil's machinations. As Maggie grows stronger, Gil weakens until he tries one last desperate measure to keep Maggie with him. But by now, she is strong enough to survive him and to survive without him. We are left hopeful that Maggie will persevere.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I think O'Connell is a talented writer with a deep understanding of the human psyche. Thank you again, goodreads, for the opportunity tp read this book.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Graeme Lottering rated it 5 of 5 stars

O'Connell sets an intriguing story in the fantastic environment of a New Age oddities store. The novel is urban and modern in the truest sense. The gracefully written prose dives into the psychology of a girl coming to terms with the loss of her mother, but never veers into darkness. The book is a journey in many ways and captures the randomness of life, and the beliefs we sell to other and ourselves.

I highly recommend this book. O'Connell and talented young writers like her are reclaiming Cana...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Vikki VanSickle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: canadian, adult-fiction

Reading this book was like stepping into summer; a dreamy, slightly surreal summer of a young woman who is losing her grip on reality. O'Connell's style is smooth and easy to read and very evocative. The book feels minimalist but also sensual, similar to Lisa Moore's style. The details are exquisite and Torontonians will appreciate the sights and smells of Queen Street West, which are vividly captured. Magnified World walks the fine line between literary and commercial fiction. Below the accessi...more

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May 31, 2012 Andrea (Cozy Up With A Good Read) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Originally posted on Cozy Up With A Good Read

This book caught my attention right away with the synopsis, and being a Canadian book (I can't get enough of them!). I will admit it took me some time to get into the book, I was confused with the pacing of the writing, but as I kept going, I'm glad I did, I fell in love with this book! The one thing that I found hilarious was everyone Maggie encounters seems to be writing a book about something. I also really enjoyed that this book was set in Toronto...more Originally posted on Cozy Up With A Good Read

This book caught my attention right away with the synopsis, and being a Canadian book (I can't get enough of them!). I will admit it took me some time to get into the book, I was confused with the pacing of the writing, but as I kept going, I'm glad I did, I fell in love with this book! The one thing that I found hilarious was everyone Maggie encounters seems to be writing a book about something. I also really enjoyed that this book was set in Toronto, I loved following Maggie around on her adventures and knowing where she was.

Maggie was a very interesting character, and I really enjoyed seeing everything from her point of view. Dealing with the loss of a family member is definitely heart breaking, and slowly we see how Maggie felt about her mother and how close her connection really was. You really get to see the family dynamic through Maggie's eyes, by going back through her journal entries. I really enjoyed that the journal was such an integral part of the book.

I really enjoyed that this had an interesting aspect of mystery to it. You follow the book trying to find out about Maggie's mother and what her life was like. I was completely surprised when I found out some things near the end of the book. I wanted to know more about Maggie's life and I was enthralled by all the characters that she runs into throughout the book. Gil being the most interesting character for me.

There was something about Gil that kept me wondering, and kept me going to find out more about him. Who was this character that showed up at the most interesting times of the book. Trust me when I say, when you find out who this character is, it definitely throws you! I was shocked and yet at the same time I saw something like this coming.

This book is funny at times and yet definitely still heartwrenching with everything Maggie goes through. This is a book about her journey through loss and her grief and how she comes out in the end. I could relate to a lot of what Maggie went through wondering what would cause someone to kill themselves like that. Maggie's story is an interesting one. This is definitely a new author that should be watched in the future because I believe she will come out with more stories that will keep you glued to the pages!(less)

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Dec 17, 2012 Chantale rated it 2 of 5 stars

A young woman grapples with her mother's suicide and starts having 'black outs' and hallucinations which can't be directly linked to her grief. The family owns a 'new age' shop and some of these mystical elements find their way into her therapy with her counselor. Gil a mysterious man who is or is not a figment of her imagination or psychoses seems a dark presence set to derail her with promises of helping her learn more about her mother and ending her blackouts. He at some point becomes her lov...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Ruth Seeley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Everything about this novel was vivid for me - the loving descriptions of Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto and of Kensington Market - highly evocative. Maggie, Gil, Andrew, Wendy, and Maggie's parents were all fully realized characters, so easy to imagine knowing.

To say that this is a novel about grief, or about mental illness, or about relationships is to box it in. It's about life, and trying to live it, and the obstacles we encounter on our way to satisfaction, if contentment and happiness a...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Claire LaPlante rated it 5 of 5 stars

Magnified World welcomes the reader into Toronto, and more specifically into the life of Maggie, and her family's new-age shop. The book is full of references to the healing power of crystals, the mystical predictions that tumble out of a pack of tarot cards, and the connection that we still have with our loved ones after they have moved on.

Despite all this, the magic of this book doesn't come from this world of new-age belief, but rather from the way that O'Connell describes the more commonplac...more Magnified World welcomes the reader into Toronto, and more specifically into the life of Maggie, and her family's new-age shop. The book is full of references to the healing power of crystals, the mystical predictions that tumble out of a pack of tarot cards, and the connection that we still have with our loved ones after they have moved on.

Despite all this, the magic of this book doesn't come from this world of new-age belief, but rather from the way that O'Connell describes the more commonplace, real pieces of life. She has a way of exactly pinning down the essence of something as normal as a bike ride, a pair of shoes or falling asleep in the middle of the afternoon. She lets the reader see things in a new (magnified?) way, but also exactly as they are.

This is the writing-style that seems to come to O'Connell without trying, but the real show begins when she touches on the experience of human loss and grief, at one point likening carrying fresh grief around like a pane of glass inside one's chest. I mean, come on, that is good. It's almost vulgar how talented Grace O'Connell is.

As we follow Maggie through the sudden loss of her mother, and a series of troubling blackouts, we find ourselves taken through history as well. Maggie explores memories of her mother with a new-found ferocity that wasn't there while her mother was still alive.

The book constantly reminds us that we take for granted the chance to know people while they are still with us, and suggests that ultimately it's better to know people, their motivation, pain and darkness included, than to gloss over the bad stuff and live with gaps.

The story also deals with the scale of mental wellness and the choice to exist and participate in the world, rather than bowing out. Maggie doesn't choose her blackouts consciously, but on some level they allow her to have a break from what's going on around her. They echo the choice her mother made when she walked into the Don River, choosing not to continue her troubled life.

As Maggie takes the journey through healing, doctors, a retreat/home for people who are grieving, and ultimately a visit to the American South to learn more about her mother's past, we see her not so much developing, but drawing on reserves of resilience and coping ability that she perhaps just never tapped into before.

An added treat to this beautifully written and evocative novel: you will feel like you've lived in Toronto for years after reading it. Or, if you know Toronto, it will take you right back. (less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars

'Magnified World' by Canadian author Grace O'Connell is an interesting read. Maggie struggles to come to terms with her Mother's suicide. Following her mother's death Maggie begins to experience blackouts, disagreements with her boyfriend Andrew, and meets Gil, a Southerner whom no one but Maggie sees.
Despite Maggie feeling increasingly out-of-control as the story progresses her character shows great development. She becomes more confident in voicing her opinions and disagreeing or confronting...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Annie Plus rated it 4 of 5 stars

A captivating story of a young woman searching for the meaning of death, love, and loss in the wake of her mother's suicide. O'Connell weaves a lovely, engrossing, and sometimes delicate world, magnified and fully illuminated by the idosyncratic and poetic insight of Maggie. Set in Toronto, the city itself becomes an integral character, a visage of her mother, which Maggie, and the reader, become hopelessly infatuated with. A very good read, indeed.

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Dec 16, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

I must admit I was disappointed by Grace O'Connell's "Magnified World." O'Connell's first novel has been pegged as a breakout book by fellow writers. However, I found it didn't live up to the hype. O'Connell is certainly a gifted writer, capturing the nuisances of everyday life. The plot, however, suffered from too many loose strings left untied at the end. As a reader, I enjoy a few unanswered questions, but I was overwhelmingly puzzled by the ending. Who exactly was Gil, the mysterious man who...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Desi rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this book to be incredibly boring, needlessly random, slow-moving, predictable and dull. It is "Bringing Out the Dead" without Joe Connelly's breathtaking lyricism; "Fall On Your Knees" without Anne-Marie MacDonald's haunting imagery. Despite my vacations with trash fiction, I do love engaging literary works. Magnified World is not one of them.

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Jul 20, 2012 Jennie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story is about Maggie, living in Toronto Canada, and what follows her after her mother's suicide in the Don River. I've never read anything by Grace, but now I'm a fan.

Following some scary blackouts, Maggie begins her decent into madness and you can't help but tag along. I could not put this book down aside from performing the basics of life. I likened it to a song I heard for the first time but know that I would like it for good and learn the lyrics. Her intricate and detailed knowledge of...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Veronica Sanche rated it 1 of 5 stars

I felt the themes of grief and mental illness are important topics to discuss,but the main character of Maggie was not a good choice to deal with and present these issues. The plot was confusing and quite silly and ridiculous in many places.

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Sep 16, 2012 Alexis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. Perhaps it was overhyped for me. I liked the bits about mental illness, but it just felt like something I'd read before.

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Sep 05, 2012 CJC rated it 3 of 5 stars

There were some fantastic parts but then some odd, slow parts too. Overall I am still not sure how I feel about this one.

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Jul 29, 2012 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, canadian

I absolutely loved this stunning debut novel. O'Connell tells the fascinating story of Maggie, a twentysomething coming to terms with her mother's suicide, while also coping with her own potential psychoses. Her writing style is beautifully poetic, and the cherry on top is her fantastic use of Toronto as the book's setting. O'Connell's love for the city was so clearly apparent in her rich descriptions, especially of the Queen West strip where Maggie lives. I have to say, I'm particularly glad th...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Katey Townshend rated it 5 of 5 stars

An amazing book dealing with mental illness, love and loss. The prose is fluid and succinct, eloquent and captivating. Definitely would recommend.

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Aug 01, 2012 LoudVal rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: rhc-book

Left me wanting more. And not in a good way. Couldn't care about these characters, but I am eager to see what Grace produces next!

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Jun 14, 2012 Rick Zwiep rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reading a good novel in a style outside one's usual preferences is always a delight.

Grace has created a wonderful first book-length work. The plot and story line take the reader on an interesting journey as the protagonist unpacks and processes her mother's suicide. I particularly enjoyed the detailed colouring of every day events and observations woven into the writing.

Having the story set in familiar Toronto haunts and written by someone I know personally only rounded out this enjoyable read...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book captured me from the start but then fizzled out a bit. I loved the writing and loved being in the main character's head. It did keep me reading until the end because I could not predict the direction it was taking and I wanted to see how it ended. This is a different kind of story and an interesting inside view into what mental illness feels like. Not a feel good type story but it is a fulfilling one.

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May 25, 2012 Victoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book but I think it could of been a bit more. I felt it had a strong beginning but I felt the second half of the book dragged a bit. I believe it leaves lots to the imagination.

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May 28, 2012 Tan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: interesting-narrators, canlit

Fantastic! For those in Toronto, you will recognize and love the city in this novel.

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Jun 04, 2012 Phil rated it 4 of 5 stars

Great book. Vivid language. Could not put it down.

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About Grace O'Connell

I’m a Toronto-based writer and editor and the author of Magnified World (Random House, 2012). I’m represented by Martha Magor Webb at McDermid & Associates and my publicist is Ruta Liormonas at McClelland & Stewart.

My work has appeared in publications including The Walrus, Taddle Creek, the Globe & Mail, the National Post, Quill & Quire and the Journey Prize Stories. I’ve been nomi...more

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