Maddy Lederman's Blog - Posts Tagged "book-blog"

Lovely reviews of EDNA IN THE DESERT. So grateful for this thoughtful feedback. Thanks to book bloggers and readers!


From Book Wonderland: 5 Stars!

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My Rating: ★★★★★

Disclaimer- this book was sent to me in exchange for my honest review.

Edna is a 13 year old Beverly Hills teen. Her snide comments and disrespect towards her parents leads them to abandon her in the desert with her grandparents. Edna is in complete shock by this and now must do chores everyday and be respectful to her grandparents who live in the middle of nowhere. She has no idea how she will survive with no contact to the outside world. She tries everything she can in order to get out of this situation. But when Johnny, a handsome 17 year old that lives in town, appears she realizes that this summer might not be so bad after all.

I truly adored this book and everything about it. Edna is such a funny character which keeps the novel enjoyable and upbeat. No doubt she can be a real witch at times but that makes her even more entertaining. Throughout the book we see her develop from her old, self-centered self into someone who learns to appreciate everything around her and her condition in life. Johnny is another character that sparks lots of interest. It is evident that he is much more mature than Edna but there connection is so amazing.

Besides Edna and Johnny’s relationship, Edna’s relationship with her grandparents is beautiful as well. In the beginning she wants nothing to do with them but once she begins to understand both of them and what they have been through she finds herself looking up to each of them as well as the love they share.

Overall this was such an entertaining, quick read that has much more depth to it than I expected. A big thank you to Maddy for sending me this because it is such a beautiful story with incredible life lessons and morals weaved within. I recommend this book to anyone that is on the lookout for an entertaining and gorgeous read.

Thanks for reading! -Catherine : )


NEXT BLOG:

Nayu's Reading Corner, 9/10E!

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Book summary:
Edna is a precocious trouble-maker wreaking havoc at her Beverly Hills school. Her therapist advocates medication, but her parents come up with an alternative cure: Edna will spend the summer in the desert with her grandparents. Their remote cabin is cut off from cell phone service, Internet and television. Edna’s determined to rebel until she meets an older local boy and falls in love for the first time. How can she get to know him from the edge of nowhere?

Nay's thoughts:
Edna is an ungrateful brat, a drama queen who has no idea how priviliged she is. Her self-centred attitude undergoes a mild reform during her exile, not a radical one, but enough that she starts thinking of others. I smiled when she ends up organising a party which while not having the result she longed for, did help someone else in the long term.

There were several moments when I got teary eyed because of the emotion of the writing. It was fun watching how fed up Edna was without technology as a constant companion, something so many teens are used to. I thought the outcome of her love interest was a positive one, as he was a decent guy and clearly wanted someone who understood the desert way of life. However, this is also the part I wasn't keen on in the book, not because I have little interest in romance but there's one point where the strength of the romance felt too strong for the characters involved, it felt unreal and awkward.

Aside from that I loved unravelling the reasons behind Edna's grandparents living where and how they did. I had no idea that PTSD could be that severe, and in that unusual a form of symptoms. I felt so sorry for her grandfather, and for her grandmother who remains faithful and cares for him even though she gets no love back. I sincerely hope that Edna doesn't go back to her old ways on returning to civilisation.

Find out more on Maddy's website: http://www.maddylederman.com