The Edge of Nowhere

By: Elizabeth George

Narrated by: Erin Hunter

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Becca King and her mother are on the run from her stepfather who has used Becca's talent for hearing 'whispers' to make a large and illegal sum of money. Now their options for safety are running out.

In the town of Langley on Whidbey Island, Becca finds refuge in the home of her mother's childhood friend while her mother continues on to Canada in search of safety. But on her first day in town Becca meets 16-year-old Derric Mathieson, a Ugandan orphan who was adopted as a 10-year-old by the town's Deputy Sheriff. Derric has a secret that no one on Whidbey Island knows.

Derric and Becca form an unseverable bond. Becca is convinced that she's the only person who can truly help him, and just maybe Derric can convince Becca that life is too short to live on the run.

©2012 Elizabeth George (P)2013 Hodder & Stoughton

Critic Reviews

"Action-packed, mysterious, and somewhat creepy... A combination of great characters and relationships have this novel raising the bar when it comes to today's YA fiction" ( Suspense Magazine)

Surely not the writer of the Lynley stories

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

14 year old girls.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story wasn't that bad although the author could have made more of the whispers.

How could the performance have been better?

The voices were truly awful. Is this how young people in America talk?

What character would you cut from The Edge of Nowhere?

I would just change the narration.

Any additional comments?

I'm 42 years too old for this story.

Great young teens book

If you could sum up The Edge of Nowhere in three words, what would they be?

Young, insightful, sequeal required!

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Whispers tell more than behaviours

Any additional comments?

Even though I think this book was written for a youth market, I really enjoyed listening to it. I hope it developes into a series and we can see how the characters develope.

Disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No - it isn't up to Elizabeth George's usual high standard.

If you’ve listened to books by Elizabeth George before, how does this one compare?

Falls short of expectations but that could be because of the reader.

How could the performance have been better?

That's an understatement. The narrator should not try to do voices - they all sounded quite sick and rather unintelligent. Suggest a better narrator, or better still a male and a female narrator.

Could you see The Edge of Nowhere being made into a movie or a TV series? Who would the stars be?

Yes - but you'd need a better ending. There was no resolution and the book went nowhere.

Hailee Steinfeld and Dominic Scott Kay

not her usual good story

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I found it very boring and quite hard to follow, not her usual gripping mystery.

Would you ever listen to anything by Elizabeth George again?

yes if it's like her previous stories I have heard

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

the narrator was not bad

What character would you cut from The Edge of Nowhere?

all of them

Great Story lousy narrator!

This was a fairly intriguing story, fine for the way I listen to them, doing a bit of work. However this was a story of a few teenagers one a fourteen year old girl and some 16 year old boys and the voices that the narrators put on where truly dreadful. All the teenage boys sounded really low and like the were a bit dim and the girl sounded about five! Would have stopped listening but these audio books aren't cheap! And the story is fairly good.

Children's fiction

Awful book and dreadful narrator. It wasn't obvious that this is children's fiction - I got that by looking up a review elsewhere. Gave up on it as so dull

Disappointing conclusion

I chose this book because I have a friend called Becca who was raised on Whidby Island. The start of the book was a little confusing, but the explanation for the quick move north came very early in the book. There were lots of mix ups and misadventure along the way, but, of course, many could have been prevented by better communication. The story goes along towards a happy ending, but a twist at the end of the epilogue stops the story with lots left unexplained, and I find that to be very dissatisfying. The voices of some of the characters were pretty goofy, too.

The Edge of Nowhere

Suitable for young adults. Wish I'd know that before I bought it, made a costly mistake.

Fantastic

Absolutely marvellous story. Wanted it still go on. Narrator was good with all the characters.

Didn't realise I was buying a teen book

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I wouldn't have bought it if I had realised that American teenage girls speak in squeaky voices!

Would you be willing to try another book from Elizabeth George? Why or why not?

Probably not - would not want to risk squeaky voice again

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

yes

Was The Edge of Nowhere worth the listening time?

Hope so - not finished yet

Any additional comments?

Could you mention "teen" if appropriate, please?