Miriam the Medium

By Rochelle Jewel Shapiro

Book Overview

In the tradition of Susan Isaacs comes a charming debut novel featuring a lovable phone psychic, whose talents will either save her family from financial ruin -- or ruin her family altogether.

What do you do when your husband's business is failing, your daughter is ashamed of you, and your faith in your own talents hits rock bottom? Miriam is a modern-day Long Island housewife, who just happens to be a professional phone psychic. But while she can heal broken hearts, mend relationships, and help others find new careers, her own life is in shambles.

It starts with the family business. Her husband, Rory, is working every spare minute to keep his business, Mirror Pharmacy, afloat, but no matter what cost-saving measures he takes, a profit seems farther and farther away. Using her gift, Miriam tries to channel to the heart of the problem, but Rory's patience with her "readings" has worn as thin as his cash flow. Then there is Miriam's teenage daughter, Cara, who cannot stand to be in the same room with her, much less listen to any psychically generated advice. Now involved with a particularly bad-news boyfriend, she's too in love to take Miriam's warnings seriously. Miriam struggles to maintain a positive outlook -- things are bad, but they can always be worse, goes her mantra. So when a persistent agent proclaims her talents remarkable and marketable, Miriam decides to take action. But will going public ruin her family's already questionable standing in their prim Long Island community? And will her trusted spirits -- her dear departed Dad and Russian grandmother, Bubbie -- remain faithful if she "sells out"? Miriam struggles to sort through her escalating troubles and trust her abilities in times of crisis, even as her visions are becoming too cloudy to interpret.

In a quirky tale full of humor and heartache, Rochelle Shapiro captures the universal desire to find one's true self, no matter the opinions of others. Smart and sassy, Miriam the Medium is the debut of a talented and imaginative author -- one who is able to conjure with words and spirit.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416578293
• ISBN13: 9781416578291
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

I LOVED this book

What a great book! I couldn't put this down no matter how hard I tried. The author has a way with writing, and the story was so original I found myself biting my nails waiting to see what happened next. The concept of a medium living in suburbia, doing phone readings for a living, was unique and intriguing. I loved reading about her encounters with the spirits of the customers she read, and I thought the parallels of her own life and family with her gift was wonderfully done. I loved Miriam from the first page and I was sorry to see her story end. I'll look forward to reading other books by this talented author!

Excellent Summer Reading!

I read this delightful debut novel in two very busy days and I highly recommend it - take it to the beach, read it in your garden, stash it in your bag for work - I guarantee you won't regret making time for Miriam the Medium!

Rochelle the Gift-Giver!

This lighthearted and passionate novel is a sight-for-sore-eyes gift which teaches us that the very real and the very magical can co-exist.

Just what I needed!

Miriam the Medium is one of those books you pick up because of the title and browse through it, intending to set it back down. But chances are, you will stand there reading until the bookstore clerk gives you a dirty look. I got it as a Mother's Day present and stayed on the couch all day reading it.The magic in this book is two-fold. Miriam, certainly, but the story itself is magical, too. It made me believe in myself as a woman even more, and I applaud the author. Great read, great present!

Smart, engaging, and beautifully written

Not only is this a fascinating look in the life of a medium, but it's a series of indelible portraits of Great Neck, New York, home of manicured nails and manicured lawns; of the marriage between shy pharmacist Rory who adores his wife but wants to keep church and state (i.e. her psychic ability and his scientific practice) separate; of the tense relationship between mother and daughter, in this case Miriam grappling with Cara, who falls desperately in love with the wrong boy. At turns heartbreaking and then hilarious, the book soars--especially in the moving passages about Miriam and her psychic Russian grandmother. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Shapiro might do next.