I wanted to like this book. I tried but its just not for me. I'm sure fans of the author would still enjoy it, though.

I had tried multiple times to read this. Unfortunately, it never grabbed my interest. I appreciate the opportunity to have had the chance to read it though.

Excellent whimsical novel by Wallace. Well written, insightful and moving. First book of his I’ve read. Won’t be last.

While Wallace has created a fabulous group of characters, I had extremely high hopes for this tale, especially since it was compared to The Rosie Project, but it did not work well for me. I found the story to be a little slow and I was too distracted to enjoy it fully.

Promising story that lagged in the middle, with underdeveloped characters.

I had trouble with buying into this one from the get-go. A few cute points but nothing to make it a stand out.

Published by St. Martin's Press on May 30, 2017

Extraordinary Adventures is a romantic comedy that focuses on a social misfit. In that sense, it channels The Rosie Project, although the plot and characters are quite different. The novel is a light, pleasant beach read. It isn’t belly-laugh funny but it made me smile often enough to earn an easy recommendation.

Edsel Bronfman, at 34, has never had a social life. He isn’t sure whether he’s a virgin. Bronfman “wins” a weekend at a Florida condo, which he will be pressured to purchase if he says yes. The catch is that he must bring a companion, because couples are more likely to buy than singles. Unfortunately for Bronfman, he has no companion and not much hope of finding one before the offer expires. His best bet as a travel buddy might be the receptionist in the office building where Bronfman works — she actually had a brief conversation with him one day — but she’s a temp and has disappeared before he works up the courage to ask her on a date.

Bronfman believes he suffers from a condition that prevents him from doing anything to improve his position in the world. He is, in his mother’s words, “a second guesser of second-guesses.” But Bronfman’s mother also told him, during his childhood, that his future was “a disappointment waiting to happen,” so it is easy to understand why Bronfman turned out the way he did.

Bronfman nevertheless sees the weekend in Florida as a motivation to change his life. Bit by bit, Bronfman tries to become a part of world. He discovers that when you become part of the world, the world gives you things to do, which can be kind of a pain, but he takes it as a learning experience. His encounters leave him on the periphery while giving him the illusion of being on the inside and of bonding with the insiders who, in truth, barely notice him. But they also, bit by bit, allow Bronfman to let go of the past and to define himself in the present. As the novel nears its end, someone asks Bronfman “What do you want?” and Bronfman realizes it is a question he has never asked himself. His answer is encouraging.

The characters in Extraordinary Adventures are amusing and quirky. His co-workers are typical of cube-dwellers who are diligent in their efforts to pursue interests at work that do not include work. His neighbor is a drug dealer who probably stole all of Bronfman’s possessions (except for his promotional pen collection). Bronfman’s mother is now old and a bit addled, unless she’s just seeing the world in a different way. She’s convinced her caretaker is stealing from her and breaking things. Her kindly caretaker is justifiably convinced that Bronfman’s mother is off her rocker.

Sheila, the receptionist, is a bit of an enigma whose stories about her past and present might not be entirely reliable. A police woman named Serena might be a dating prospect, but Bronfman isn’t sure about dating a woman who carries a gun. The drug dealer’s female friend is also on Bronfman’s short list of travel companions. In their own ways, all three women appeal to Bronfman, simply because they have noticed his existence.

The ending is predictable but satisfying. In fact, a romantic comedy would probably be unsatisfying if it did not end in a predictable way. The choice Bronfman makes might not be entirely unexpected, but I suspect that most readers will simply want him to make a choice, to move his life forward. Extraordinary Adventures succeeds because Bronfman succeeds in opening himself to the world of possibility, even if his success is exactly what the reader anticipates.

RECOMMENDED

Books about quirky but endearing characters are a common story line, particularly since the success of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Extraordinary Adventures by Daniel Wallace is another in the same genre with a story about socially inept thirty four year old Edsel Bronfman. I find myself completely uninvolved in his story with, sadly, not much to say other than that this was not the extraordinary adventure for me.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2017/07/extraordinary-adventures.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

Funny, entertaining, surreal, dreaming, philosophic, exactly like any other books by Daniel Wallace his latest work: Extraordinary Adventures.
I won't never get bored by Wallace. The creator of Big Fish is back with a tender, fantastic (in both senses) novel.
I also love a lot the words he uses, and the mental situations in which sometimes his characters live in, with considerations about life, and death wonderfully well-structured.

The story is the one of Edsel Bronfman 34 years, still women inexperienced, without too much luck in his life.
The author will write somewhere that the failure of many is the success of someone else. If not, why should "someone else" be successful?

His mom suffers of dementia, she lives all alone in her little house talking with the ghost of Edsel's dad, never known by him. Edsel visits her mom discovering in an afternoon much more about his dad, a complete stranger to him since at that moment than in the rest of his life.

The book starts with a call from a certain Carla D'Angelo at Edsel.

He has won a vacation from Extraordinary Adventures.
He won a weekend in Destin, Florida, the name is all a promise, but the woman adds, he should bring with him a girl. He has 79 days of time to find the proper person before this expiration date, this deadline.

And now what to do?

There is still a lot of time: 79 days a long time for picking up the best choice, although the man is single.
This situation is paradoxically lived by Bronfman like a sort of count down.

He wants to find someone, he wants to go somewhere with someone, although he doesn't know what to do. He tried sex once when he was in the teenage age but it was devastatingly embarrassing.
Then time passed by and here he is.

His mom thinks he has never learned to live.

He doesn't want to invite the first girl he finds but what to do?

He has a friend, he suspects he stole his house's things, discovering he isn't surrounded at all by gentle people.
There are his memories about his past girls, because after all, bloody hell he had had someone during his teenage age and so all his mistakes and the reasons why it didn't work out return in his mind.

In the book many other surprises! A corpse as well and an investigation.

At the end Bronfman will pick up the perfect woman for him? Well you know the location is Destin, so maybe the end positive. Who knows?

;-)

What I found hilarious were these escalation of events, started thanks to the call of Sant' Angelo.

There is always in our life an episode in grade to generate a reaction in our life and that will keep us more alive.
De fact, Bronfman is more alive, where possible, he is a calm boy, determined to spend some days relaxed, considering that he hasn't never won anything in his life.

As I told before, I fall in love for the writing-style of Wallace.
Poetic, surreal, suspended all the time between reality and dream, between irrational and rational.
His characters are immersed all the time in peculiar, wonderful, tender and absorbing dialogues with themselves and the other ones without any simplistic approach but going directly into that weird, sweet, hidden chords of our life that not all the time we explore.


Highly recommended for sure!


I thank NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for this ebook!

What a wonderful and quirky character. Loved the whole build up throughout it. Why exist when you can live. What would it take to get you to shake up your life and seek challenges or of your comfort zones. One man's journey about life, love and taking a chance, but it's also about being brave and being yourself.

“She sat as if alone in the darkness of a movie theater, watching a movie of her own life…If you could remember every moment of your life, every person you ever met, every tear you ever shed, every time you made somebody laugh, or cry, would the end of your life be more meaningful?”

Edsel Bronfman is a 34-year old man living in Birmingham, Alabama. He is awkward, shy, an over-apologizer, and never fails to stick to his routine of going to work, often visiting his dementia-ridden mother, and otherwise staying hidden inside his bleak apartment. Have you ever apologized for bumping into an inanimate object? If so, you’re probably a lot like Mr. B and I. Ultimately, like myself, he is a dreamer; though, unlike myself, he seems pretty satisfied with his uncommonly mundane existence.

Slowly, though, throughout Extraordinary Adventures, our beloved Edsel begins to change. He blossoms. His unfolding is graceless, and to the reader, far from extraordinary.

It all starts with a phone call from a timeshare company, who joylessly announce that Bronfman is the “lucky” winner of a short stay in one of their new condominiums in Florida. The catch – because there always is one – is that Bronfman, eternally single and incapable of even communicating with the female sex, must bring a companion to the required presentation. He has two and a half months to find someone willing (and worthy) to accompany him on his once-in-a-lifetime beach vacation. With encouragement from his eccentric mother and some Took-ish blood inside him, so begins our character’s transformation.

Do not let the title deceive you – this is not a plot-driven thriller. “Extraordinary Adventures” as a title is more of an overdramatic wink than an accurate description of the book. In his mind, Edsel might as well be an infamous pirate captain exploring new shoals or even the first man on the moon. To us, he is simply a man coming out of his shell. But that’s part of what makes this story unique: it is told in such a way that every small event is indeed an adventure to our MC.

Once I grasped the concept, reading each chapter (told in days, counting down to when the beach trip expires) became a treasure hunt. Edsel sees the most ordinary things in relation to a science fiction novel (“’Maybe we are [robots] and we just don’t know it.’ ‘I don’t think so,’ Bronfman said – which was exactly, he realized, what a robot that’s unaware of being a robot would say,”) or even a scene from a horror film (“Her lipstick was so red against her fair white skin that she looked like a lady vampire who’d just finished her dinner.”) Once you recognize these patterns, the novel becomes a delightful Easter egg hunt.

The action that does happen within the book is not so glamorous. Bronfman discovers his next door neighbors are a crystal meth-cooking group of scoundrels, befriends a police officer he is hopeless attracted to, and continuously has to deal with his aging mother, who is rapidly losing her mind. Near the end of the novel, things start to spin out of control for Edsel, and eventually he is forced to choose between several different women – a grappling choice that is something we would have never expected from our cripplingly shy anti-hero. It is not a romance novel per se, but I found myself cheering for “the right girl”.

What makes Extraordinary Adventures such a charming read is the attention to detail in which Wallace arms our main character with. Through his eyes, we see the tiniest things in new ways. From eyelashes ("Her lips were pink and wet; her cheeks were freckle-scattered. Her eyelashes were long and thick enough to catch raindrops -- eye awnings,”) to the feeling of your heart beating just before a first kiss ("He felt his heart evolving into that thing that was more than a heart, that was just an idea of the heart, different but performing the same basic function: keeping him alive."), the author does a spectacular job of making us care about the fragile and extremely good-hearted Edsel Bronfman.

While not the most exciting novel, nor the most romantic, it made me chuckle more than a few times. Edsel Bronfman makes a great addition to the trend of awkward, loveable main characters, and I would love to read more of his future misadventures.

((3.5 stars, rounded up to 4))

Many thanks for the e-ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley, which I have received in exchange for an honest review.

Such a lovely and sweet story. I really enjoy it, relationships sometimes are just like this.

This was a good book. I felt as if I knew Bronfman, maybe I related to him at times. He was quirky, but not annoying, smart, but not a show off. It was amazing he turned out so well considering his eccentric upbringing. There was an ease to this book that I found refreshing, particularly compared to my usual selections. However, It seemed as if there was a chapter missing in which all of the questions were answered. I felt there were enough clues that I knew exactly what those answers were, so I was very surprised when it ended. Shakespeare, no, but a fun read.

Such a fun and endearing novel! I really enjoyed the main character and the fun twists and turns!

What happens when a man who has never once rocked the boat all of a sudden finds himself with a reason to make a few waves?

That’s the central question in Daniel Wallace’s “Extraordinary Adventures.” the funny and heartfelt story of one man who is pushed outside of the comfort zone of his humdrum life, yanked from the decades-long rut he has worn into the floor of his existence by little more than the vague promises of a single phone call.

Edsel Bronfman – those who know him simply call him Bronfman – is going through the motions. He’s 34 and lives in Birmingham. He works pushing papers as a junior executive at a flatware company. He lives in a seedy neighborhood and his closest acquaintances (aside from his mother, of course) are his sketchball of a neighbor and the guy he kind of dislikes from the next cubicle at the office.

And this is a life. Of sorts.

But when Bronfman receives a phone call, it all changes. He’s told that he has won a free weekend in Florida if he agrees to watch a timeshare presentation. However, the one caveat is that he needs a companion to come with him. Basically, he has 79 days to get close enough romantically to someone that they might agree to join him for a weekend at the beach.

This proves daunting for someone like Bronfman, who has never really dated, well … anyone. But an encounter with the bubbly oddball receptionist at his office building sets into motion a chain of events where things start happening TO Bronfman, rather than AROUND him; after an adulthood marked by a constant beige status quo, the world quickly takes on brand new hues.

There’s the meet-cute with the receptionist that turns into an odd series of air-quote dates. Bronfman’s apartment is robbed; during the investigation, a policewoman attracts his eye – and he hers. There’s a lot of weird stuff going on next door – stuff that Bronfman knows very little about – but there’s a young lady named Coco who finds him intriguing. And none of that even takes into account his work life or the complexities of his relationship with his mother.

But at the center of it all, that goal – to find someone. But the clock is ticking.

“Extraordinary Adventures” is about a man who is about as ordinary as they come. But from that very ordinariness springs an engaging character. It’s rare to find a hero this mundane, but Wallace has elevated Bronfman into a sort of ur-chump, a guy who has never once strayed from his lane and – until now – has never even really considered it.

There’s a sweet awkwardness that permeates the character’s every interaction. Despite his social failings, Bronfman is perfectly likable; his sincerity and naivete largely supersede his flaws. He is, to be frank, weird, though rarely off-puttingly so.

One could argue that in “Extraordinary Adventures,” Wallace has created a kind of coming-of-age story. While Bronfman is an adult in chronological terms, this narrative is when he truly blooms emotionally. In many respects, this is the story of Edsel Bronfman becoming a man.

Among Wallace’s many writerly strengths – and one of his greatest – is his gift for inviting the reader into a character’s interior. Inner lives are rendered with such richness; a seemingly simple fellow like Bronfman is made fascinating even when he is at his deliberate dullest. That kind of vivid representation is relatively rare in the literary wild, yet common in Wallace’s pages. Yet despite the introspective nature of the depiction, the narrative pace is crisp and contagious.

“Extraordinary Adventures” is a thoughtful, poignant story of love and life, a deft bildungsroman depicting one man’s detour from the humdrum in order to embrace the possibilities that he never suspected he might want. A strong (as usual) offering from Daniel Wallace.

I'm sorry, I tried but I just could not engage with Edsel and that made it difficult to enjoy this. I had high hopes that this would be something along the lines of the Rosie Project but it didn't have the same charm. Edsel is quirky but, to Wallace's credit, he's never twee. I liked the play on words with the names of the characters. I found it dragged and finally gave up about halfway through. I'm sure others will enjoy this more than I did, as the writing is fine.

This was a nice departure from my usual books. It made me laugh about as much as it made me shake my head in confusion. It's awkward, but funny and honest. Sometimes cringe-worthy, but sweet too.

Edsel Bronfman leads a triangle kind of life. Work, home, Mom's house. That's his life. He isn't social, he doesn't have any real friends, and he certainly doesn't have a girlfriend. He's socially awkward and naive but has a genuine sweetness to him. His experience with the ladies is basically nonexistent... and he's 34 years old. I was a late bloomer myself, but geez! One day, an opportunity presents itself. He receives a phone call informing him he's won a trip. At that point I would have hung up, thinking it was a scam, but I'm not Edsel Bronfman. He listens very closely, and learns the only catch is he must attend a presentation about a timeshare. Oh, and the offer must be accepted within 79 days. Also... he needs a companion. The trip is for two, and he has to find a willing woman to accompany him that he'll enjoy being around. For many people, that's nothing, but for Edsel it seems like an insurmountable obstacle. Nevertheless, he's determined to find that woman. The rest of the story involves him meeting women, learning to become more social and accept himself, and dealing with his mother who has recently been diagnosed with dementia. She's been the sole woman in his life for years, and she seems to be slipping slowly away. There's a lot of lighthearted moments, but some heavy stuff in here too.

I found it to be awkwardly charming and I'm very glad I got the opportunity to read it. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for granting my wish to read an advanced review copy! My opinion is honest and unbiased.

I did not finish this book and therefore will not review it in fairness to the author. It might have had a knock out ending. I just found it to silly and the main character annoying. Just not a good fit for me.

Thank you for the opportunity!

You’ve always been exactly who you are. Hesitant. A second-guesser of second guesses.”

This story starts off very slowly, so slowly the reader begins to feel they too are trapped in Edsel Broffman’s colorless life. Nothing happens to or for him, and it seems he lives life in suspended time. He doesn’t make anything happen, as so many others would at least attempt to do in a dull existence. Then, something finally does, he gets a phone call informing him he has won a free week in a beachfront condo in Destin, Fl but the catch? He has to bring a partner as it’s only for couples. This is a kick in the arse that Edsel needed to finally slink out of his loneliness. He has finally won something! Let the adventures begin.

Edsel is awkward and conflicted, and being a second-guesser has kept him from actually doing anything. His mother is slowly losing it, in fact I think she was the most interesting character. Her antics are both funny and achingly sad. Maybe it is true though, a little, that she should have ‘pushed you out of the nest with more vigor.’ Edsel is a kind man, but he is bland. Every other character is full of life, and I understand that is the intention. Edsel needs to find his fire. Fire comes in the form of Shelia, who starts as a friend. But Shelia isn’t everything she seems to be. I know some people are going to hate this about her. I think it was wonderful, someone like Edsel isn’t going to be savvy when it comes to women or men, honestly. He is the sort who can be and gets taken. Not everyone in the world has everyone around them pegged, though we like to think we do. Shelia, with all her issues, isn’t any better or worse than Edsel. What are but a collection of our successes and our failings? Edsel’s biggest demon is his lack of faith in himself.

The first half didn’t engage me as much as the second half. I didn’t love this, but there were things about all the characters that tickled me. I think a younger audience needs far more excitement in a novel that has the title extraordinary in it. What is extraordinary is that this man, so set in his slow life, breaks out and finally sees the light of day. It is extraordinary to change, we are creatures of habit. We come to accept all manner of things we shouldn’t. I took me ages to learn that because we always wonder why people put up with, or stay stuck in so many different situations. It’s because it’s easier to know what to expect, it’s the rotten truth that to change any situation requires responsibility. You are your salvation. So while his adventures are small such as encountering the underbelly of our times in his own slum-like apartment complex, attempting to date, and connect with people, they are still adventures with a capital A to someone as rejected from life as Edsel. If you have read Wallace before, you know strange unlikely things happen. It’s what has made some of his other work so unique. Who knows, life is stranger than fiction, you certainly notice these things as you collect years. Who knows, maybe women helping you have faith in the… errr…size of your manhood isn’t so ridiculous. Good but not my favorite Wallace. Again, I think it is better geared towards an older generation because they know that life knocks you about.



Publication Date: May 30, 2017

St. Martin’s Press

DNF – 25% read. For "extraordinary" read bland and uninteresting, just as instead of 'quirky, winsome characters' I found them to be more 'odd for the sake of it'. I wanted a fine and funny novel about a bloke schlepping around trying to find the love of his life (or at least a weekend of it) against a deadline. What I got was just a senseless list of weird people (his colleagues, his mother, his neighbour, his neighbour's buddy with the gun, et al) and daft events that only seemed to delay the romcom side of things (the dead dog, the break-in, et al). I certainly didn't laugh, either, and when the fine detail about the humdrum life of the first few chapters was lost, I found nothing to keep me entertained.