Dear Edward
Ratings48
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings48
Average rating4.1
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • “Make sure you have tissues handy when you read [this] sure-footed tearjerker” (NPR) about a young boy who must learn to go on after surviving tragedy, from the author of the Oprah’s Book Club pick Hello Beautiful. Now streaming as an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton, written and executive produced by Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights and Parenthood) ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Parade, LibraryReads What does it mean not just to survive, but to truly live? One summer morning, twelve-year-old Edward Adler, his beloved older brother, his parents, and 183 other passengers board a flight in Newark headed for Los Angeles. Among them are a Wall Street wunderkind, a young woman coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy, an injured veteran returning from Afghanistan, a business tycoon, and a free-spirited woman running away from her controlling husband. Halfway across the country, the plane crashes. Edward is the sole survivor. Edward’s story captures the attention of the nation, but he struggles to find a place in a world without his family. He continues to feel that a part of himself has been left in the sky, forever tied to the plane and all of his fellow passengers. But then he makes an unexpected discovery—one that will lead him to the answers of some of life’s most profound questions: When you’ve lost everything, how do you find the strength to put one foot in front of the other? How do you learn to feel safe again? How do you find meaning in your life? Dear Edward is at once a transcendent coming-of-age story, a multidimensional portrait of an unforgettable cast of characters, and a breathtaking illustration of all the ways a broken heart learns to love again. Praise for Dear Edward “Dear Edward is that rare book that breaks your heart and stitches it back together during a reading experience that leaves you profoundly altered for the better.”—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Mad Honey “Will lead you toward something wonderous, something profound.”—Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Now Is Not the Time to Panic
Reviews with the most likes.
Récit de lecture, comme une valse à quatre temps :
1) Le résumé m'a tout de suite donné envie de lire ce roman : Edward, un garçon de douze ans, est le seul survivant du crash d'un avion qui a fait 191 victimes, dont ses parents et son frère aîné.
2) Le début m'a bien plu : pas de mélo, mais une délicatesse dans l'expression des émotions, avec une pudeur bienvenue
3) La suite m'a parfois semblé un peu longue, avec des passages un peu convenus et peut-être un peu moins de finesse dans le récit
4) La fin m'a captivé et ému. J'avais même la chair de poule en lisant certains passages.
Je ne dirais pas que c'est un livre parfait, je pourrais lui reprocher une écriture parfois formatée comme on le voit souvent dans les romans américains, mais c'est très efficace. Le résultat est redoutable : un récit prenant, puissant, que l'on referme à regret.
I've just finished this book that I started reading, really reading—lost in the story, lost in the wondering about what was going to happen next, lost in what this story makes me want to do now that I'm finished—this morning, and I'd like to start taking those actions provoked by reading this story—hugging everyone I know and love and telling them all that I love them and don't squander it all and then hugging them again...
I didn't think I was going to like this book; I was afraid it was going to leave me feeling depressed. Instead, I feel completed elated, in love with the world and all that's in it.
I knew the story was about a boy, the sole survivor of a plane crash, a crash that took the lives of his brother and his parents. We readers get to know the boy, of course, but we also are let into the eyes of the boy's parents and his brother and many of the people on the plane. They are a mix of people—some happy, some sad; some rich, some poor; some about to move forward, others retreating; some delighted with the way their lives have gone, others with regrets.
The book alternates beautifully between the story of the boy, who was Eddie and is now Edward, and the ways he deals with life after the crash, and the stories of the people on the plane before the crash.
It's not a perfect story; it's heavily weighted with optimism. I rounded up when I rated this book, maybe to encourage more people to read it so that it can spark more hugging and life-reflection.
Side note: Coincidentally, I finished this book exactly one year after it was published!
It's interesting how so many books that seem to be about death end up actually being about life. Dear Edward is both a tragic story about 191 plane crash casualties and the story of how the sole survivor of this crash, a twelve year boy, navigates life during the six years following.
Chapters go back and forth between the Flight and Edward's life. While I enjoyed reading the parts about Edward's
12-year old Edward is the sole survivor of a plane crash that kills his parents and his brother.
The book starts off in the hours before the plane takes off, as we are introduced to Edward and his family, as well as other people who boarded the same plane. At first it feels a little bit pointless, getting to know all these people who are going to die. It gets more interesting once the book starts switching back and forth between Edward's life in the years after the crash, and the moments leading up to the crash itself.
Ultimately it's a book about survivor's guilt and surviving the loss of your entire family. I felt it reached a quite satisfying conclusion, as well.
Originally posted at www.emgoto.com.
