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    The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
    The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
    The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
    Audiobook5 hours

    The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World

    Written by E. L. Konigsburg

    Narrated by Edward Herrmann

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    "ninety percent of who you are is invisible."

    Amedeo Kaplan seems just like any other new kid who has moved into the town of St. Malo, Florida, a navy town where new faces are the norm. But Amedeo has a secret, a dream: More than anything in the world, he wants to discover something -- a place, a process, even a fossil -- some treasure that no one realizes is there until he finds it. And he would also like to discover a true friend to share these things with.

    William Wilcox seems like an unlikely candidate for friendship: an aloof boy who is all edges and who owns silence the way other people own words. When Amedeo and William find themselves working together on a house sale for Amedeo's eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Zender, Amedeo has an inkling that both his wishes may come true. For Mrs. Zender's mansion is crammed with memorabilia of her long life, and there is a story to go with every piece. Soon the boys find themselves caught up in one particular story -- a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to the outrages of Nazi Germany. It's a story that will take them to the edge of what they know about heroism and the mystery of the human heart.

    Two-time Newbery winner E. L. Konigsburg spins a magnificent tale of art, discovery, friendship, history, and truth.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateSep 25, 2007
    ISBN9780743569293
    Author

    E. L. Konigsburg

    E.L. Konigsburg is the only author to have won the Newbery Medal and a Newbery Honor in the same year. In 1968, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler won the Newbery Medal and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth was named a Newbery Honor Book. Almost thirty years later she won the Newbery Medal once again for The View from Saturday. Among her other acclaimed books are Silent to the Bone, The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place, and The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World.

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    Reviews for The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World

    4/5

    15 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really loved the first 3/4 of this book, and then the pacing changed and I felt a little flung toward the end. It also had a very similar feel to "From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" once I got through it, and that was a bit disappointing; I understand authors who intentionally theme their work, but I didn't believe that to be what ELK was doing here, so it made it fall a bit flat. Still worth having read, just not as unique as I'd anticipated.
    • 5/5
      Amedeo is new to the florida town of St. Malo. He finds himself living next door to an eccentric ex-opera singer. When he meets a boy from school who is working with his mom to prepare an estate sale for Mrs. Zender mansion, Amedeo is sure that he achieve his goal of finding something important that noone knew was lost. With a story intertwined from Nazi Germany, this is an excellent book that illustrates the evil that exists in the world.
    • 4/5
      Another great Konigsburg book weaving together a story of unlikely friends with the serious theme of holocaust art and mystery. Amadeo Kaplan wants to discover something unique. It doesn't matter what. Becareful what you wish for...you just might find it and then have to deal with it.
    • 4/5
      e.l. Konigsburg has been a favorite author of mine ever since I stumbled upon "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler," so it was natural that I pick up her newest, especially since it has such a cool title. Sorry to say, though, that I was a tad disappointed. Good story, but a little off.Amadeo finds an unlikely friend in William, a mysterious boy with a purposeful past who is helping his mother catalog the contents of a neighbor's house in preparation for her move to a retirement community. Mrs. Zender's home is a dream come true for Amadeo, as he sees the potential for his dream of discovering something that has been lost becoming possible. As Amadeo and William delve deeper into the jam-packed closets and cupboards of Mrs. Zender's house, the home-owner herself, the former Lily Aida Tull, plays into their dreams and manipulates the boys into finding a long-lost piece of art given to her by her late husband, Mr. Zender.The story is exciting and interesting, with Konigsburg's signature quirky characters and off-beat dialog, but this time it's just a little too off-beat for me. The dialog between William and Amadeo is just too quirky to be believed -- I really could not imagine a pair of 5th grade boys talking to each other the way they do. But, it's a small quibble. I was reminded a bit of Carl Hiassen's "Hoot," which can only be a good thing. Over all, a quick and enjoyable read for 4th grade and up.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book very much. It is a sequel (sort of) to the Outcasts of 19 Schulyer Place. The characters are quirky and interesting. The story line meanders but that is part of its charm.
    • 3/5
      What a strange book. Incomprehensible moments, long scenes that make you wonder "what does this have to do with anything?", and descriptions that are so detailed that time crawls by. I asked myself, "WHAT?!" many times. The ending did NOT tie things together satisfactorily, either. Not Konigsburg's best work!
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the connection between the art world and the search for something important. Reminiscent of the Mixed up Files for me, but enjoyable.
    • 5/5
      This is another beautifully written book by Konigsburg. Everything from the grand scheme of the story to the placement of words to punctuation is expertly crafted. Konigsburg is a true wordsmith.
    • 3/5
      Like E.L. Konigsberg's classic From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, there's an art mystery at the heart of this story of two pre-teen boys and their growing friendship with a wealthy and eccentric old lady. However, with Mixed-Up Files, I was enchanted and drawn in by the very opening words. Mysterious Edge takes some faith and some reading to get into the plot. Once in, though, it's a satisfying story, though not nearly as light-hearted as Mixed-up Files was. There's a heart-breaking and sinister Holocaust connection. Also some great verses from one of my favourite poets, Phyllis McGinley.I had an interesting context for this book. I was reading this, the latest of E.L. Konigsberg's novels, at the same time that I was reading the earliest of Madeleine L'Engle's books The Joys of Love. Both L'engle and Konigsberg were among my very favourite authors when growing up; I have read pretty well everything they have written, and own most of their works. The L'engle book was an example of a young author not quite hitting her stride; The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World is something like Konigberg's twenty-first published work. It's one of her better ones.
    • 4/5
      Amedeo has just moved to a new town with his mother. When he runs to their next door neighbour to borrow her phone, he meets Mrs. Zender, an eccentric, flamboyant former opera singer who is selling her estate to move into a retirement home. Amedeo also meets William, a slightly aloof classmate whose mother is in charge of selling off Mrs. Zender’s antiques. But when Amedeo and William find a strange painting in Mrs. Zender’s home, it opens the doors to questions about Mrs. Zender’s history and also the history of forbidden art in World War II.E.L Konigsburg is a fantastic writer. I’ve read her stuff a long time ago when I was young, but I’d forgotten what to expect when I picked up this book. Luckily I was not disappointed. Konigsburg writes with a maturity that makes her books worthwhile for adult readers as well. I’ve read some reviews that complain about this very quality, that say Mysterious Edge is not really a children’s book because it uses profanity or that it focuses too much on Peter, who is an adult. I’m not sure I agree with that, but I do think it’s a book for older children, or children who want to be shown a glimpse of a messy adult world (especially with the talk of the Holocaust and degenerate art).Amedeo and William are both highly intelligent, unusual children, and Mrs. Zender was a study in a complicated, sometimes frustrating, personality. I liked how Konigsburg connected the painting with its history. However, I do wish the book had been meatier. It felt short, able to be read in one sitting, more like a tasty appetizer than a full meal. It was, like its title suggests, mysterious, and I want more.
    • 4/5
      Amedeo Kaplan, a new boy in town, is our main character and he has always wanted to discover something that was lost but that nobody knew was lost, such as a dinosaur or the Lascaux caves. Next door to him is an elderly lady preparing to move into a retirement settlement and she is packing up and sorting through her worldly goods looking for keepers and estate sale fodder. Aida Lily Tull Zender is a flamboyant, self-serving, outspoken, crotchety, former operatic (though second-tier) star. Helping her is the estate agent and her son William, whom Amedeo befriends. When Amedeo finds a sketch behind some books in the library then goes to an Art Show in the city with his Godfather a painful secret is discovered. A mystery from the past of World War II involving the Nazis and a Jewish family close to Amedeo is discovered and solved.This is a slow paced story with a lot of wonderful ambiance and feeling to it. The plot is slow and unwinds very slowly until the last third where is quickly reveals itself. While the plot is, of course, important, the characters themselves are more important. Getting to know the background of Mrs. Zender and what drives her as a person along with that of the Jewish family members is so important to the theme of the story which explores the thin line between what makes an act heroic and who decides if it is heroic or not. A very compelling read with an atmosphere that is almost visible hanging over the pages of the book as you read. Being a character driven story, I'd recommend the book to older children, perhaps 12+. e.l. konigsburg is one of my favourite authors since childhood whom I always go back to and catch up with every now and then and it is always a delight. I have yet to meet a book of hers I haven't liked.