The Little Book

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An irresistible triumph of the imagination more than 30 years in the making, "The Little Book" is a breathtaking love story that spans generations, ranging from fin de siecle Vienna through the pivotal moments of the 20th century.

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Publisher’s Weekly (04/28/2008)
The subtitle of Edwards's Twain-indebted debut, written over the course of 30 years, might be "A California Yankee in Doctor Freud's Court." Following a physical assault, Stan "Wheeler" Burden is precipitated into the past-1897 Vienna, to be exact-from 1988 San Francisco. Wheeler has been a teenage baseball star and famed rock 'n' roller, but he's dreamed of Vienna since his prep school days, where his teacher, Arnauld Esterhazy, instilled a love of the city's gilded paradoxes. Vienna of 1897 is indeed hopping: Freud is discovering the Oedipus complex, Mahler is conducting his symphonies, and the mayor, Karl Lueger, is inventing modern, populist anti-Semitism-which the young Hitler will soon internalize. Making this a true oedipal drama, Wheeler's father and grandparents come to town, too, all at different ages, and with very different agendas. Edwards has great fun with time travel paradoxes and anachronisms, but the real romance in this book is with the period, topped by nostalgia for the old-school American elite, as represented by the we-all-went-to-the-same-prep-school Burdens. This novel ends up a sweet, wistful elegy to the fantastic promise and failed hopes of the 20th century. (Aug.)

Library Journal (08/15/2008)
Thirty years in the making, this debut novel is a tale of time travel in which main character "Wheeler" Burden, a 1970s rock star, baseball prodigy, and philosophical thinker, finds himself whisked from 1988 San Francisco to 1897 Vienna. At that time, Vienna was at is cultural apex, and as the beloved home of Wheeler's favorite prep school history teacher, it had been described to Wheeler in much detail. While there, Wheeler meets up with an assortment of people, some personal to him (his father, Dilly Burden, for example) and some of future international acclaim (e.g., Sigmund Freud). As Wheeler grapples with revelations concerning his own heritage, he also is confronted with the pressing political/social realities then emerging in Central Europe. In particular, he witnesses the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism, and, though he knows he must not tamper with destiny, both he and his father struggle with the desire to confront an Austrian boy who will grow up to kill millions of Jews and tyrannize the entire world. Again and again, Wheeler faces the conundrum of knowing a future he doesn't dare disturb, and he reacts with both frustration and compassion. These dilemmas make for a good and compelling read. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/08.]-M. Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ

ISBN: 0525950613 | EAN: 9780525950615
Publisher: Dutton Books  | Publication Date: August, 2008

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