Thursday, October 29, 2020

5 Star Review: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Happy to announce that I just read my third 5 star book of the year - Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.  Wow, what a book!

This novel is about 12 year old Edward, the only survivor of a plane crash that kills his mother, father, brother, and almost 200 other people.  The book alternates between progressing scenes on the plane from the point of view of various of the passengers, and of Edward after the crash.  So warning, this is not a happy go lucky book if you're looking for light reading only right now, but it is a very moving and engaging story.

At first, I wondered why we were reading so much about the other people on the plane - not just Edward’s family but a whole host of random characters - but it ended up being an absolutely wonderful set of character sketches that really added extra depth to the book. Not to mention leaving a bit of mystery until near the end of what actually caused the plane crash.

And the parts of the book about Edward after the crash were also great. He is taken in by his aunt and uncle, and though he struggles to go on with his life, forms a friendship with the quirky girl next door. Though these parts of the book are all told from Edward’s point of view, you really get a feel for the other characters as well. 

Definitely not a book you want to read while on a plane, or even if you are going on a plane in the near future.  But with Covid, I figured I’m not getting on a plane any time soon so it would be safe to read now! 

Just an absolute beautiful book with such humanity, I finished the book in a puddle of tears. No joke, I cried so much that my sweatshirt looked like I had been caught in the rain because it had so many wet spots on it!  

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