Audiobook: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

 

Read by Judith Ivey

Synopsis: Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . .

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

My Thoughts: I absolutely loved The Tale of Despereaux and wanted to read another Kate DiCamillo book right away. With little time, I didn't think that I would be able to fit another book anytime soon. Then I stumbled upon the audiobook for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane over at the my library. I didn't even bother to read the synopsis to see if I would be interested. After popping the CD into my car, I realized that this book was a bit different. The story of Edward Tulane was one that ended up growing on me.

Edward Tulane was a china doll that was self-centered. I was not too fond of his character at first. He thought too highly of himself and his life appeared too boring. I felt a little saddened how he didn't appreciate the love and care that his first owner had for him. Edward begun to change as he went from owner to owner. Some of the experiences were a little dark for children to read, but were impactful. Once you think that Edward would not grow to love, you become surprised. The ending had me tearing up.

This story was beautifully written in DiCamillo's style. She had wonderful vocabulary, as I've encountered in my previous read, and her messages at the end were heart-warming. I loved how all of the words came together to form a beautiful picture of a cold-hearted rabbit who learned to hope and love. Yes, I did find myself rooting for the people who Edward encountered more than Edward himself, but the message was still there. I have become more enamored with DiCamillo's writing.

Edward's story of growth was read by Judith Ivey.  She was a decent reader for she knew how to emphasize her voice. I was not too keen to have her as a children's book narrator though. There a few times that I felt bored with her voice. She would have been better with an adult book. But like Edward, Judith Ivey grew on me.

To sum up, this book was not an immediate success but had to grow on me. I ended up liking it very much when I came to the last minutes of the book. What I loved best about it was DiCamillo's writing style and the message that it had. I rate it: