The Little Book has a whole lot of history, a little romance, and some moments of pure beauty. Edwards cleverly weaves real people with hefty significance into Wheeler’s story, and he successfully imagines his characters into the historic events of 1897 Vienna with skill and style. This is a sprawling story that in some ways reminded me of John Irving’s books, but I think it could have been tightened up just a bit. Edwards’s writing is strong and well-paced, and he’s telling a tale that is certainly fun to read if a little slow at times.

Read my full review at The Book Lady's Blog. ( )

I'd call this a must-read, it's so well-done. It's got just a bit of everything -- time travel, romance, history, military strategy, music, sports and, oh yes, Vienna. Not a beach book, unless you're considered an intellectual, but definitely worth the read. ( )

"The Little Book" was a novel I read during my March vacation in Florida. I am only writing a review of it now because I have been turning it over and over in my mind and wasn't quite sure what to say about it. Also, I didn't really like it all that much and I really hate to crap all over someone's hard work.

Mr. Edwards began with a solid story line; infusing time travel with love is something that certainly worked out well for Audrey Niffeneger, but when Edwards throws in literal "curveballs" of college baseball careers and something that seems like incest but turns out not to really be incest because who we thought was his father is not really his father and so falling in love with his own grandmother after going back in time and not recognizing her, the whole story becomes lost within this horrible melding of Heroes meets Days of Our Lives. Another thing that really bothered me about the book was that it seemed like Edwards was crying out, "Look at me! I'm an expert on 19th century Vienna and Sigmund Freud."

There were quite a few wonderful things that could have been done with this piece of work. I had very high hopes for it and kept plugging along, thinking that at any minute it was going to start working and become as fantastical and inspiring as I had wished it would be, but alas... I am sad to say that it is the worst novel I have read so far this year. And it hurts me to say that, it really does. I love novels and words and think of writing as a marvelous craft I can escape into after a long day. Reading is my jailbreak from everything I cannot stand, so when I have to say that I didn't like an author's work it pains me.

Ugliness aside - there was one part of the story that really interested me... the characters in the story, Wheeler and Frank Burden (father and son) find themselves plucked from their regular lives and transported to 1897 Vienna. Hitler is just a child at this time and Frank seeks him out with the intention of killing him, but is talked out of it by Wheeler... altering of history, the butterfly effect, etc. This was the only part of the book that I liked and found interesting. I think the entire book could have been written surrounding this one element and I would have been much more pleased.

If you had the chance to go back in time and kill Hitler, would you do it? What would change? It opens a door to an entire fictional retelling of world history, which I find exciting. If anyone knows of a book out there that is like this, please let me know! ( )

Despite the slightly-too-tidy ending, The Little Book rocked. While normally not a fan of historical fiction, the genre-bending, time-traveling storyline kept me intrigued to the finish. ( )

The Little Book is not really little, but it’s about the making of a “little book” about Vienna and the focal point of this circuitous tale about family, psychology and history. Edwards upends our notions about all three. He creates and recreates a cast of interesting characters - the domineering father, the heroic son and the rebellious grandson. Cameos by historical figures like Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler and a young Adolf Hitler provide interesting but neccessary diversions. Time itself is almost a character in the novel and Edwards moves back and forth between time periods with ease. This is a fascinating story not to be raced through, but contemplated. It’s not your average time-travel book and that’s part of the joy of this novel. Edwards like his character, Wheeler Burden, never does what you might expect him to do. ( )