Being named after a failed investment Ford Motors made in the late 50's, isn't the best way to begin life. Such was the case for Edsel Bronfman, boy wonder, now 34. Fatherless, his aging sarcastic mother Muriel isn't much help though she does love him, odd that it seems. The closest analogy to other stories might be "The 40 Year Old Virgin", though Edsel is different. Friendless, clueless yet smart, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Wallace has a way creating quirky characters and there's several in this story. It's not a top ten nor I imagine it sold millions, but its fun just the same. ( )

A really fun book to read! Edsel and his mom are quite a pair, One of the funniest parts to me was all the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.. That's all I'll say, you have to read the book! ( )

Edsel Bronfman receives an unexpected phone call, advising him that he's won a free weekend for two at a timeshare in Florida. He isn't dating anyone, he doesn't have any female friends, and he certainly doesn't want to invite his mother, so Bronfman launches his mission to find a willing travel companion in just 79 days.

Wallace's sardonic tone and humor made this story quite enjoyable. It would have been easy (and to be honest I half expected) for Bronfman to become a caricature of the single guy in his thirties living alone, so I really appreciated that the author resisted the temptation and gave the character moderate depth. This would make a fun vacation read. ( )

This novel is a sweet story of an innocent man "coming of age" after winning a free beach vacation that required a companion. Edsel worked at his budding relationship and eventually grew by leaps and bounds. This book was slow at the beginning as Edsel's quest for a companion seemed hopeless. However, it gained speed as it went on, leaving the reader anxious to discover the ending. The characters were well-developed and there are some terrific themes for book clubs to discuss. Nicely done! ( )

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 ( )

EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES by Daniel Wallace is a strange, funny, weird and surprisingly likable book by the author of BIG FISH. I have not read anything else by Mr. Wallace, but I did see the movie based on his story, and so I found myself wondering what this tale might provide. It gave me a strange but likable main character in Edsel Bronfman, an odd situation (he has "won" a vacation to a condo time-share resort, all he has to do is listen to a sales talk for an hour while there) and a complication to his story (he must bring a female companion with him to the resort).
But the biggest complication is, although he is 34, Edsel has never had a female companion, yet alone one he could ask along on this trip.
This is Edsel's life in search of a new way of living. He has a computer entry job that would seem to be totally anonymous, boring, even soul-suckingly drab, and no friends beside Thomas Edison, his next door neighbor in the terrible apartment block where they both live. His only female companion is his increasingly whacked out mother who is rapidly sliding into dementia. His father was a one night stand that now appears to be, literally, haunting his mother.
Edsel determines to use this vacation and so sets out to somehow alter his life and get involved with a woman, any woman, but someone he could see himself actually liking and who would like him in return.
If BIG FISH was a search for the reality of a father, this is a search for self. Edsel must look into himself, his reasons for being and decide how to change. This is a journey fraught with dangers, either from snobby artists or drug dealers, thieves and cops, or a mother increasingly lost to herself and him and taking her own semi-private journey.
Somehow Mr. Wallace manages to make sure this tale is never glum, that there is a promise of a brighter tomorrow throughout, and that the hero of the piece is someone that, while we might actually want to be friends with, we might approve of their trek.
This is a surprisingly thoughtful and delicate story. ( )

Thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I don't read that many books by male authors and about men, but this one was good. Bronfman was sort of a nerdy character, sort of socially awkward, with a routine life. It starts out where he wins a free weekend trip to Destin, FL and the rules say he has 79 days to do so and he has to have a companion. He meets Sheila at his building where he works as a receptionist but then she disappears but eventually he meets her later and finally comes out of his shell and asks her out and tries to change his life around by not being so different in life with her and in other ways.

It ends up in the long run after calling "Exciting Adventures" that he didn't need a companion and there was no 79 day deadline and the operator he spoke to originally didn't even exist. He ends up going with Sheila after almost breaking up with her.

What I liked about this book is that he finally becomes not so awkward. ( )

This is the quirky story of a 30-something loser, Edsel Bronfman, who is given a chance at breaking out of his shell and learning to love.

He receives a phone call informing him he "won" a "giveaway" of 2 nights at a resort but the catch is he has to bring a "companion" along. This forces Edsel to step out of his comfort zone and boring routine -- work, home, mother, home work, mother -- to take steps to try to act on his own behalf.

Edsel is an interesting, if slightly unrealistic, character. He is a loser, for sure, but his internal monologue gives us a picture of a guy who knows he's a loser, but doesn't seem to know any other way of being. He's a self-aware Everyman who is stuck in a rut and doesn't really want to break out of it. He's unsure whether or not he's still a virgin, but doesn't quite know if he cares. He has vague hopes and dreams, but the lethargy of his routine keeps him going about his business, until this "Extraordinary Adventures" offer wakes him up a bit to what he's been missing. Suddenly he realizes that a beach getaway could be the thing that changes his life. To that end, he embarks on a journey to find a companion.

I found Edsel to be a bit unrealistic, if amusing. I feel the author's intention was to create an archetypal shlub, a symbol of modern isolation and the attempt to overcome it. He's an Everyman of the 21st century: lonely, separated from his fellow human, slightly curious about them but clueless as to how to interact. Perhaps it is an allegory of how modern technology is separating rather than uniting us (although Edsel is very technologically unsavvy). In so doing, some realism is lacking.

The story of his relationship to this mother, however, I found moving and realistically complex. Edsel is the result of a one-night-stand with one of the many "uncles" that paraded through Edsel's young life on the arm of his mother, who is quirky and self-aware enough to know Edsel is no winner, and loving enough to care deeply about him despite his loser status. She is also slowly losing her mind from dementia. The ensuing twists and turns of their relationship -- at once loving and exasperated, on both sides -- makes for a very touching story.

Overall I found it enjoyable. Edsel's yearning, his quirks, his idiosyncrasies, and his desire to be like the rest of us while simultaneously stuck in who he is was touching.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy. ( )

Extraordinary Adventures was a wonderful book! The story focuses on Edsel Bronfman and his 'quest' to find a companion for the trip to Destin that he won. The author's vivid and detailed writing painted an excellent picture in my mind of Edsels predictability and 'boring' life. The book really draws you in and I could not put the book down until I knew which one of the three he finally ended up with. I thought it was a wonderful story with an excellent plot and the authors excellent skill in writing made the story come alive in my mind. Excellent read and I highly recommend this book. One of the best that I've read in a while. ( )

“Extraordinary Adventures” by Daniel Wallace

I would like to thank BookBrowse and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Reading Edition of “Extraordinary Adventures” by Daniel Wallace. The genres of this book are fiction, humor and satire.
I find that the author introduces us to some intriguing, quirky, and complicated characters.
The main character, Edsel Bronfman can be described as a predictable, boring, unimaginative and appears to have an uneventful life. Edsel’s job and his mother seem to be the constant factor in his life.
One day, Edsel gets a call from a company called “Extraordinary Adventures”, and the operator tells him he has won a weekend by the beach in Florida. The only strings attached is he has to sit for a speech on condo opportunities and he must bring a companion. Now Edsel is in a pickle. He really has no friends, or girlfriends.
Edsel’s mother is quite a “firecracker”, and highly spirited.
Some complications appear in Edsel’s life. His mother seems to be getting dementia, making her unpredictable.
Edsel hires help for his mother and is determined that somehow, someway he will find a companion to take on his free vacation.
Edsel is having some interesting adventures.
At times I found myself feeling sorry for Edsel, or frustrated that he seemed like an “afterthought”. As Edsel gets more confidence, he has more hope and is optimistic. He feels anything can happen. There are positive and negative things that occur.
Daniel Wallace uses subtle satire and humor through his descriptions, and I find that I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it. Does Edsel get to Florida? You will have to read this to find out!! ( )