600 Hours of Edward

By: Craig Lancaster

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

A 39-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Edward Stanton lives alone on a rigid schedule in the Montana town where he grew up. His carefully constructed routine includes tracking his most common waking time (7:38 a.m.), refusing to start his therapy sessions even a minute before the appointed hour (10:00 a.m.), and watching one episode of the 1960s cop show Dragnet each night (10:00 p.m.).

But when a single mother and her nine-year-old son move in across the street, Edward’s timetable comes undone. Over the course of a momentous 600 hours, he opens up to his new neighbors and confronts old grievances with his estranged parents. Exposed to both the joys and heartaches of friendship, Edward must ultimately decide whether to embrace the world outside his door or retreat to his solitary ways.

Heartfelt and hilarious, this moving novel will appeal to fans of Daniel Keyes’ classic Flowers for Algernon and to any reader who loves an underdog.

©2012 Craig Lancaster (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Wow!! Great Book

I went out on a limb to read this book, because I almost always stick with other genres. But I found this very refreshing, thought-provoking, and as others have noted, heart-warming. This is aptly titled, for this is all about Edward, and the other characters, while fleshed out, are really just counterpoints to Edward's growth and introspection. The book really made me want to know what inspired Craig Lancaster to write this - or was this really just pure creation. Some reviewers don't like the repetitive elements, but I think it helped me identify with Edward and really drove home how differently he, and others with his affliction, might perceive their world, and I found it fascinating. Despite this drastically alternative world view, the writing style is clean and easy to read. The humor is touching, almost achingly so. This book is a treasure, one which I will long remember. I have already downloaded the next book in the series

Luke Daniels was fantastic with the narration of the story

An exquisite, truly exceptional writer. Bravo!

"600 Hours of Edward" is the story of an Aspie who is almost 40 and supported by an overbearing, successful, explosive father, with whom he can only bond over their love of the Dallas Cowboys. Despite his shortcomings, Edward's father loves him deeply. Edward is self-isolated because relationships are too complicated, emotionally charged, disruptive, and involve too many confusing points of decision for him. He is a brave and sensitive soul. Any author who can write a book which narrates the inner life of a character and contains so little action, but nonetheless remains fascinating, is thoroughly brilliant. The narration is also pitch perfect. Bravo!

Luke Daniels IS Edward

Im in awe of both the authors work and the narrating by Luke Daniels in this unique story of Edward, a middle aged man with Aspergers/OCD who is reliant on his authoritan father for support, being unable to work in a typical office environment.

Edward and his fathers interaction forms a great deal of the conflict in this story..as Edward tries to grow his father pushes him down. A very sad reflection on many parent/adult child relationships.

The novel shows a side of OCD that has become well know these days. Lancaster writes with a gentle knowledge of the situation and developes his characters beautifully. This is a sort of quiet novel, with achingly complex interpersonal relationships...unless the reader knows an OCD patient, Edward may seem awkwardly backwards, yet Lancaster draws him out with sympathy. I was especially touched at the "Dragnet" scenes, where Edward has substituted Jack Webb and the Dragnet characters for a father and family.

Once again, Luke Daniels shows his talent as one of the best of the modern audio book narrators. Kudos, Mr Daniels, for another wonderful narration.

The very sad ending pulls the entire story together but left me feeling equally sad for the characters.

Highly recommended.

"The Rosie Project" was much more fun.

This book is written in the same vein as the newer, more popular novel, “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion. The main character, Edward Stanton, is 39 with OCD and Asperger’s syndrome. Edward’s personality comes through by way of his routines and the facts that matter to him, like recording the weather, watching re-runs of Dragnet everyday, painting his garage and being a Dallas Cowboy fan. After about 4 hours of this, I have to admit I was kind of bored. Things happen to Edward in this 600 hours that are out of the norm for him. For instance, he tries online dating which was amusing and tries to make friends with his neighbors which is good for him, but also incurs lots of drama that Edward isn’t mentally prepared for. Edward also has to deal with his father, who is less than sensitive to Edward’s plight. These situations added depth to the book, but didn’t save the story for me. The narrator was very robotic sounding which was probably a correct choice for the role, but was tiring to listen to by the end of 7+ hours. If you want to read a funny novel about a 39 year old man with Asperger’s syndrome, I would opt instead for “The Rosie Project” which was much more charming and heartfelt in my opinion.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

This felt realistic in the POV of Edward. The characters were relatable and of course, Luke Daniels gave an excellent performance!

Informative

This isn't a story so much as a "day in the life of" reading. It follows Edward and his interactions with the world.

Leaves you wishing it was a longer book

The repetition early in the book was tedious, and I almost stopped listening. As I got to know the main character, however, it became amusing and kind of charming. By the end of the book I'd grown oddly attached, and was a little sad the book ended. Great read (listen)!

loved this book

Where does 600 Hours of Edward rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 100

What was one of the most memorable moments of 600 Hours of Edward?

The ending which was so beautiful and heart warming

What about Luke Daniels’s performance did you like?

very clear and articulate reader

Any additional comments?

Just a very good read, steady moving with a beautiful ending

Enjoyable Listen

Any additional comments?

I wasn't sure I was going to really like this book but I kept reading/listening - now 'it is one of my favorites' and that's a fact.

Not an easy read, but worth the time

Any additional comments?

I have no love for these leading question reviews, so I'm ignoring them. This book can sometimes make the reader uncomfortable and sometimes frustrated by Edward's OCD. However, I find the book very true to life and laugh out loud funny.

Edward is living a independent from his family and he's quite proud of his accomplishment. The problem is, he's stuck in a rut that helps him cope but also stops him from growing and reaching out to others. He records the weather conditions daily, shops weekly, visits his doctor, writes unsent letters of complaint to those who offend him, and watches one episode of Dragnet per night.

Into this routine bursts a new neighbor and her son. They reach out to Edward and oddly he finds himself responding. The nine year old son badly wants a friend and Edward struggles to connect and to confront problems in his own family that have left him feeling less than a son.

I loved this book and I felt for all the characters.