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.

A nice read

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

I liked it. I liked it so much, I'm going to read it again.

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

Edward's letter from his father, and how he reacted and processed the information.

Which scene was your favorite?

Edward's date with Joy

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Edward has a very logical story....

A day in a life with Asperger's

Occasionally I will listen to a book like this (and sometimes I will even enjoy it); A book told in first-person narrative about someone struggling through ordinary daily problems, while struggling with extraordinary personal handicaps.

The main character, Edward, is struggling to navigate a world that he doesn't fully relate. His perspective doesn't line up with how other people see the world. From the outside Edward looks like everybody else, except that he does not have a filter for his thoughts, and his logical brain cannot process irrational or disorganized ideas other's may have. He has little patience for other's thoughts if they run contrary to his own. This gets Edward into trouble ("the Garth Brooks incident", for example).

"600 Hours of Edward" is told from the perspective of someone struggling with OCD and Asperger's, but has learned with counselling to be higher-functioning. He displays stereotypical "idiot savant" reactions to the daily perplexities of life, and can sometimes come of simultaneously as absurd, mentally retarded, brilliant, and extremely rude.

There is a misunderstanding in our culture about Asperger's and Autism in general. Most people have some idea what it is, but may not fully understand it. This book does a good job of humanizing the struggle of people who can sometimes come off as insensitive, robotic, or anti-social. In the end, the reader feels strongly for the characters, even though they may not yet understand what makes him tick, because let's face it, they think differently than most people.

The plot has enough continuous forward momentum as to keep the story interesting. It starts during a very tumultuous time in the character's life, so we learn how he responds to change (a very difficult thing for Edward to do), and are not certain what effect this shakeup will ultimately have on Edward's life and emotional stability.

Third Favorite

This is my third favorite of the "difficult narrator" books that I've listened to this year. Number one is A Man Called Ove; Two is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night and this is a distant third. The editing isn't quite as tight which matters when I'm listening and can't skim like I can while reading. Edward's quirks are midwestern (Dallas football, old TV shows, Banquet frozen dinners) which is a bit prosaic, but the reason I'm putting it in my top three is this book has a lot of HEART. And that's what gets me every time.

Recommend.

If you liked "Silver Linings Playbook..."

Any additional comments?

This book had mixed reviews, so I was slow to pull the trigger. When I started, I found the repetition of "I like facts" to be somewhat annoying - but I powered through and it ended up fading to the background. I'm glad I ignored that minor blip, because the overall story was compelling, well constructed, and well told. The performer did a great job reading it too - I think it probably was more effective as an audiobook than a printed book. I'd definitely recommend it - especially to anyone who enjoyed "Silver Linings Playbook." It's not the same story, but it has enough of the same vibe for that to be a good indicator.

A Pearl of a book!

How can you not live Edward! A total kind and gentle enjoyment . Narrator was great and I recommend this book highly

Story with depth

I found the trick of constantly repeating certain phrases very successful because it offered insight into the life and hell of the main character. It's hard to believe that there is actually very little action in this book, and yet every chapter was exciting. The ending was a bit too "happy end" for my taste, but still, Edward deserves it!
Impeccable narration.

Excellent

eye opening and enjoyable, upbeat and funny. dragnet fans will laugh. heartwarming and unique. yes

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!!

Any additional comments?

This is not my typical book type, but it was a daily deal and peaked my interest. It had the underdog feel. It took a chapter or two to get around Edward's data (its a little overwhelming at first)... but all of a sudden I was hooked and wanting more. I laughed & snickered, (Edward really is quite funny) I cried and even got mad. At the end the story felt kinda cut off, it just ended & I wasn't ready... but to my surprise there is a book 2 that I am currently hooked on! (course it didn't start how I had hoped but Edward doesn't disappoint!!) The narrator Luke Daniels, did a wonderful job on both books!!

Edward is Endearing

Excellent narration in this story of young love. Interesting characters (of all sorts!), good character development and well written.

For those of you who love a romance you will love this one all the way through. Lots of emotionally based decisions in this one!!!!

For those of you who check the emotions and make decisions based on facts and not emotion........ you will enjoy this about three quarters of the way through. Then, you will be going, "There is no way that would happen......."

The story grabs your attention and makes you want to keep reading. But for me, the story becomes unbelievable before it ends. Self-conscious boy changes miraculously because he finds himself after spoiled never-think-before-you-act girl removes his make-up and reveals his scar which he leaves uncovered for everyone to see. After huge misunderstanding and the passage of a year, he discovers her pregnant and he is not mad at her but at the boy who took her virginity; he wants the child for his own because adoption is not an option he can endure. (This is the one point I can understand based on his experience.) As usual stupid girl does not pay any consequences for her actions. She cries and someone else picks up the pieces and fixes things. This will be happily ever after as long as self conscious boy can keep being a cheerleader of stupid girl no matter how self-centered and unaware of others feelings she continues to be. All will be well, if he can forgive all wrongs (because she is so stunning and beautiful) so she can swiftly advance to her next disaster.

Again, excellent narration. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by David Dietz! Pleasing to your ears whether it be male or female character. Nice pace to the reading and great annunciation.

Giving this one 4 stars in spite of the ending as it was well-written, the characters were interesting and the narration was excellent.

Awesome

I really enjoyed this book! I teach children on the spectrum and I thought Edward was a fascinating character!