Reviews

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

searcysledge's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

dusktildawn's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 What happened is baked into your bones, Edward. It lives under your skin. It’s not going away. It’s part of you and will be part of you every moment until you die. What you’ve been working on, since the first time I met you, is learning to live with that.

I expected a tearjerker but all I got were a handful of tears. This is a well-written, poignant novel that certainly makes you feel but most of what I felt was surface-level at best. I struggled to find something to discuss in this review because nothing stood out to me. It's a well-done study of grief and loss and how tragedy affects not only the victims but the people in their orbit, and the main character Edward is a compelling protagonist, and so too are his aunt and uncle, his friend/neighbor Shay and the people who help him overcome his trauma. 

This book was at its best when we were in Edward's head, reading along as he began his journey of survival. The author does a great job of crafting the realistic perspective of a 12-year-old boy, struggling to cope with the enormity of his loss. He never feels older than he is and I truly felt the scope of his pain. There were some genuine moments of beautiful writing as he tried to figure it all out. I liked how complicated his relationships were and how everyone felt like a real person with realistic emotions. His relationship with his brother Jordan especially continued to break my heart.

The letters Edward received were the main source of my handful of tears because something about them just felt so final and bleak. I could imagine someone writing what they did, saying what they said. Just writing to free themselves from the weight of loss upon their chest. So everything with Edward was great, and the story was at its best when it involved him.

The air between us is not empty space. 

But I suppose what lost me a bit were the chapters where we focused on the passengers who died during the crash. I understood their purpose and can respect what the author was going for, but outside of the Adler family, I struggled to connect with any of them and it dragged the story down by pulling it to a halt. They certainly felt like real people, gathered from all walks of life, and now forever unified in their shared deaths. But when I turned the page and those chapters appeared, I felt like I was being forced to read them. They kept me away from the true heart of the novel, Edward. I didn't feel anything for them, I just felt detached. I was there, reading about their past and their future plans and how they had all ended up on the plane but I couldn't quite bring myself to care. I just wanted to see how Edward was doing and I have no clue why that was. 

The only aspect I liked was trying to solve the mystery of how the plane crashed which likely wasn't the intention but I had to hold onto something to get through those chapters which I quickly began to dislike. Only toward the end as their lives approached their end did any of those characters on the plane elicit any emotion from me.  Those final chapters where those chapters get shorter and the pilots lose control were terribly sad and made me think of everyone who has ever died in a crash such as this. Still, I wouldn't have minded a novel focused solely on Edward's survival.

katejacks's review against another edition

5.0

I read this book for book club. I normally would not have picked it up but we wanted a book that would appeal to a diverse set of readers. This was it! I ended up giving it a rare 5 star review. I kept wanting to read and find out what was going to happen to Edward. Definitely recommend.

laura_corsi's review against another edition

3.0

Dear Edward switches back and forth in time. First you’re on the plane headed to LA that is fated to crash in Colorado before reaching its destination. Then, you are in the head of Edward, the young 12 year old boy who was the sole survivor of flight 2977. We get to watch Edward grow to adulthood as the details of that day in the air are slowly revealed.
We learn how each life influences another’s in ways both small and large. How the hand of chance or fate reaches into our lives and leaves us to pick up the pieces. What is our responsibility to another? How much of our life is ours? These are some of the questions this ambitious novel asks. So good.

ezoots's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Oh my gosh. What a fucking bummer. I am glad that Edward or Eddy found happiness but that was the most difficult book to get through. Also I should preface this with I hate flying and I am deeply scared of dying in a plane crash and I think that definitely affected my review of this novel. Also being the sole survivor of anything has to be so difficult. I think the thing I found most interesting was her motivation for writing this book and that little Dutch boy that was the only survivor of his plan crash. It was cool the juxtaposition of eddys survival against the backdrop of the plane people final moments. That gave it an extra star. 

megcheez's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

faithemt's review against another edition

5.0

Amazing. ONE OF THE BEST I've read this year. And I've read a LOT.

My full review is found here:
https://goldintheclouds-faith.blogspot.com/2021/10/2021-book-review-30dear-edward.html

karl22's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

launb's review against another edition

4.0

This was a refreshing read and take on those left behind after a disaster. The characters were not stereotypes or platitudes but well developed and easy to believe in.

reinedumonde's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5