kiiitasticbooks 's review for:

The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher by E.M. Anderson

4.0

adventurous emotional funny sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

---

 You simply can’t pass up a book proclaiming it’s main character is an 83-year-old woman about to go on an adventure, fighting dragons and taking down a sorcerer!

Immediately upon starting The Remarkable Retirement of Edna Fisher, I was amazed by how much I cared for the characters in this book. Originally, I was surprised by my love for Benjamin, one of the employees who works at the nursing home Edna lives in, and how obvious it was that he and Edna really cared for each other. But the further I got into the story, the more characters I met and fell in love with. From the young and hot-headed Clem to the mysterious Kiernan, every character introduced in this book was someone I very quickly found myself caring for, to the point where I finished the book and couldn’t believe these characters weren’t in Edna’s life from the very beginning.

I also really enjoyed how formulaic this book was, as I think it truly showed this author’s mastery of the chosen one story. It was very comforting to see this book hit all the key details I have come to expect from other chosen one plots, such as a main character who comes from nothing, the companion who joins the quest and reminds our chosen one of where they came from, the foil who shows how the perfect match for this plot may not be the answer to the conflict, and how the conflict itself isn’t solved by any specific talent Edna has, but rather her empathetic nature and ability to care for what is happening throughout the book. It was easy to tell as I read this that the author truly knows the basics of a chosen one story and could deliver a version that truly fit the genre while bringing such interesting new things to the table.

I was also a big fan of how casual the diversity in this book was. Each character was presented as just who they were, without a big deal made about representation and identity, and we had a wide range of characters I think a lot of characters will really enjoy. I can imagine a lot of readers having a lot of different favorite characters from this book!

However, one aspect of this book I wasn’t a fan of is actually the description! Part of the marketing to hook readers into reading this story points out that everything may not be what it originally seems and how Edna will have to question whether she needs to stop the sorcerer or the knights, but this aspect of the book doesn’t really come up until the latter half of the plot. Making readers aware of this issue so early on makes the story drag, perpetually leaving readers feeling like they haven’t “truly gotten to the main part of the story” even as they get further and further into the book. I think this story could still be interesting and something readers will want to pick up even if this detail is omitted from the description, but as it is now, readers will struggle with the middle of the story until they get to the talks about abuse in the knights’ ranks.

Speaking of, I really appreciated how this book opened up with a note from the author detailing some of the content in the book. The inclusion of the line “If you need to set the book aside, read it later, or not read it at all, please do so: Edna would want you to take care of yourself, and I want that, too” was very wholesome, and I love when authors normalize content warnings and possible triggers for their readers!

The ending of this book was very surprising, with a twist I don’t think many readers are going to expect. I cried during the last few pages from how bittersweet it was (maybe mostly sweet, but a little sad), and I think a lot of readers are really going to enjoy this story!

I definitely highly recommend picking this book up and reading the story of Edna Fisher!