Edgar and Lucy

A Novel

By: Victor Lodato

Narrated by: Victor Lodato

"I love this book. Profoundly spiritual and hilariously specific...an unusual and intimate epic that manages to capture the wonder and terror of both child and parenthood with an uncanny clarity." — Lena Dunham, bestselling author of Not That Kind of Girl

Edgar and Lucy is a thrilling literary masterpiece—a stunning examination of family love and betrayal.

Eight-year-old Edgar Fini remembers nothing of the accident people still whisper about. He only knows that his father is gone, his mother has a limp, and his grandmother believes in ghosts. When Edgar meets a man with his own tragic story, the boy begins a journey into a secret wilderness where nothing is clear—not even the line between the living and the dead. In order to save her son, Lucy has no choice but to confront the demons of her past.

Profound, shocking, and beautiful, Edgar and Lucy is a thrilling adventure and the unlikeliest of love stories.

"This tale gradually exerts a fiendish grip on the reader." — Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

"I tore through the luminous pages of Edgar and Lucy as if possessed…What this book has to say about love and truth will stay with me for a very, very long time." — Sophie McManus, author of The Unfortunates

"A quirky coming-of-age novel that deepens into something dark and strange without losing its heart or its sense of wonder." — Tom Perrotta, bestselling author of The Leftovers

"Victor Lodato may be our bard of the sadness, humor, and confusion of loss. He senses the absurdities and elation of mourning and childhood with a capacious precision that brings to mind J.D. Salinger, Lorrie Moore, Karen Russell, even James Joyce. Edgar and Lucy will make you feel things you haven't felt in ages." — Daniel Torday, author of The Last Flight of Poxl West

This program is read by the author.

"As with all my work, Edgar and Lucy started with the character’s voices, and the rhythms of their particular ways of speaking... because I have this very distinct sense of the sound and rhythms of Edgar and Lucy, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to record the audiobook. Also, having grown up in New Jersey, I felt I could do justice to the world of the novel, and to the north Jersey accent." — Author Victor Lodato on why he chose to narrate his own novel

©2017 Victor Lodato (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"It's utterly absorbing, with evocative, lyrical writing that is rendered beautifully in the author's narration of his own work...Lodato's narration evokes sympathy, drawing the listener in while maintaining the suspense that keeps the story moving forward in such an original manner." -AudioFile, Earphones Award

Slow start but well worth a most interesting read.

At first this story was confusing with so many characters who didn't seem to tie together. As the story began to have some cohesion, one third to half the way through, i became much more immersed in the flow. Edgar, the main character, was such an extremely different child than any I've known that this added to the difficulty of making sense of the plot. As the book progresses one begins to understand him, feel his confusions, and empathize with his decisions along with admiring his character qualities and rooting for the best for him. Satisfying ending.

I didn't like it

It was too slow in certain areas and an odd story that felt lacking in its telling.

bleegh

struggled to finish....seemed tedious....disconnected and some details too vague...left me hanging, too many leaps of imagination

Quite an amazing story. Excellent narration.

Any additional comments?

An amazing story.Like a hallucination,wavering between the real and imagined.At first,it seems that the content is just the garbling and musing of a young boy's mind.Then,slowly the plot develops and grips you intensely.I thought ,after merely an hour's listening,to return the book-however,it started to fascinate me with each moment that passed..Perfect narration. That's what you get when the actual author reads his own work.It's a book written in a very unique style,but well-crafted and worth your credit.Definitely a yes.

Heartbreaking & Hilarious....

What made the experience of listening to Edgar and Lucy the most enjoyable?

Dear Victor- many thanks for your masterpiece Edgar and Lucy.I can’t remember when I have enjoyed a book more (on audible.)I generally dislike authors reading their work, but in this case, youbrought Edgar instantly alive for me. Rarely do I purchase a bookAFTER I have listened to it, but I did so with your book yesterday. I need to see and massage your sentences, highlight your words, and figure out how in the hell you can make me laugh and cry in one sentence. You are amazing; keep writingfrom your heart as this book is truly the work of a talented soul. Sincerely, Kim

What did you like best about this story?

The relationship of Edgar and his Grandmother

What about Victor Lodato’s performance did you like?

He IS Edgar ...so vulnerable and wise at the same time

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

...Explore the magical mind of an eight-year-old

Any additional comments?

LOVED this book!!!

Liked this peculiar story - disliked the narration

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I had originally started this book reading it in print - but switched to the audiobook after the book was due back at the library. I would have much rather continued reading the print version than the audiobook.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He had such a wobbly voice - it constantly sounded like every character was choked up or crying THE ENTIRE TIME. It was so annoying and really took away from the storyline which was good.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes why not.

Any additional comments?

GET THIS IN PRINT IF YOU WANT THE FULL EFFECT OF THIS STORY. Seriously!

The Story was Amazing

If you could sum up Edgar and Lucy in three words, what would they be?

Keeps your interest, finish it ! It's a little on the slow side at first, but you will not regret it.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

So, I know many have been saying that the narration is choppy, and I cannot lie, it is, but once you are into the story, that dissolves. You don't even notice it anymore. I had a hard time understanding the narration in Game of Thrones at first, but it's almost like reading subtitles in a movie, once the story gets interesting, as this one totally does, it's a non-issue.

Any additional comments?

Alien

A strange, engaging & seductive story giving entrance into a liminal world of deep imagination which I'll remember for a long time.

So so.

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

No, I wouldn't recommend this book at all. To be fair, there was some entertainment in it, in that I wanted to know how the story ended. That said, the plot is so muddled, there were so many parts I wanted to skip. It didn't help that the language or the writing had no depth. The writer strives to give dimension to his characters but gives them a voice so affected that they become caricatures: curiosities to be held at arm's length instead of characters you feel for.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

With a good director and a better writer, it could be a good movie.

Human drama played out in exquisite detail.

I loved it though sometimes painful to read. A book that evokes that much deep emotion deserves a real tribute.