Customer Reviews

Six-Hundred Hours Of A Life: Or: They Say You Get 630,270, But I Don'T Like To Assume

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In the interest of full disclosure, I've known Craig Lancaster since high school and I bought this book to support him in his journey as an author. I also had little interest in actually reading the book, as it just didn't seem to be a story that would keep my attention. I don't care about character development in most of the books I read, so the "what" and "how" are more important to me than the "who" of any story.

Having said all of that, I did read the book. Honestly, the story draws you in fairly quickly. I was fully prepared to be bored with this story, but from the writing style to the story to the way you find little pieces of yourself in Edward, it becomes a wonderful read. I found myself excited to read Edward's note of complaint at the conclusion of each day and enjoyed how his routine was so set in stone. When you read the book, you begin to anticipate what Edward is going to say or do each day, until he begins his transformation. Just don't be surprised when you have a few. "Hey, I do that also!" moments. It's a wonderful story and I'm glad I was fortunate enough to come along for the ride. Actually, I wasn't ready for the story to be over when I read the final page.

I prefaced my review of the book by stating that I know the author and I bought the book for that reason. I'll never buy a book written by Mr. Lancaster because I am a friend ever again. It will always be because I am a fan of the author and truly enjoy his books.

At first, I found the repetitiveness of Edward Stanton's mental illness slightly irritating, but something kept me riveted. ( I love the word "riveted." ) Edward has a mental illness, but it does not take center stage in this transcendent novel, the first of which I hope there are many more. I felt an affinity towards Edward in his struggles of day to day life. He has a dry sense of humor that held me captive. The relationships he has with people and things evolve so much throughout this story you can't help but cheer for Ed. It made me feel buoyant and broke my heart simultaneously. I like that in a book.

At the intersection of Rainman Road and Bartleby Boulevard lives Edward Stanton of Billings, Montana, who is "mentally ill but not stupid," who meticulously records the weather, who makes nightly rituals out of watching "Dragnet" reruns ... and who manages to keep the disorderly world at an orderly distance. But the world has other plans for Edward, and Edward surprises himself -- and us -- by finding that he just might be OK with that.

Craig Lancaster, in a stunning debut novel, shares Edward's long-overdue coming-out party to the world with spare, lean prose that finds his heart in its simplicity -- and its surprises. You may think you know who Edward is and where his journey is taking him -- and my guess is that you'll be wrong, and pleased to find that you're wrong. Because life's beauty is in what you can't predict. Lancaster knows this, and so does Edward Stanton -- or, rather, he comes after finding that his preference for facts isn't always the preferred way to be. That sometimes life's deepest joys are to be found on the other side of our deepest heartbreaks ... because it reminds you, after all, that you've got a heart. And after you arrive at the powerful and yes, unpredictable conclusion of this richly nuanced novel, you'll find it something to celebrate.

This is a poignant (often funny, sometimes sad) coming-of-age story about a man just discovering the outside world as he hits middle age. Think: a kinder, gentler--more redeemable--"About Schmidt."

I loved the characters, particularly main character Edward Stanton, a man who at first seems to have a lot wrong with him, but then proves to also have a lot that is right. I also appreciated the power of this simple but dramatic story that allows its characters to grow and change in ways that are subtle enough to be believable, and large enough to be really *felt*. This may at first seem to be a story about a quirky and unusual main character, but the book goes way beyond disorder-as-entertainment to connect with universal themes: life and death, fathers and sons, growing up.

Edward has a habit of writing letters of complaint. After reading this moving novel, I too was inspired to complain: The book was too engaging--so much so that I couldn't set it down. Not setting it down meant many necessary chores left undone, friends uncalled, bills unpaid -- until I (way too quickly) reached the end. You see the problem...

Clear your schedule -- and enjoy.

Most books are like seashells, lovely to look at but there are so many seashells that they are easily forgotten. Only a few are like gold. Six-Hundred Hours of a Life is one of those few.

Edward Stanton, the main character in this novel, is thirty-nine and a virgin. He lives alone in a small house in Billings, Montana. His life is `very' routine, and he likes it that way.

I regret one thing after reading Six-Hundred Hours of a Life. Why did I give so many other books five stars on Amazon.com when this book was the only one that really deserves them? Maybe it was because I found those other books entertaining. Sad! Now I know that five stars should be reserved for books that go beyond entertaining.

In my defense, I can say that over the decades, I have read thousands of books and less than a handful stick around. Like so many things in this packaged, plastic world, most books are disposable even to our memories.
However, a few novels achieve a depth of intimacy that are priceless. The last time I read a book like that was in the early 1980s. That was This House of Sky by Ivan Doig. That book was nominated for the National Book Award.

Now, I want to digress to make a point. I am going to complain about a book that did not invite me in. This book was from a Nobel Prize winning author. In fact, that book evicted me. While I was working toward an MFA in the 1980s, I `had' to read and do an oral examination on Faulkner's, The Sound and the Fury. That book numbed my mind. I had to struggle to stay awake. I had to read passages repeatedly and still couldn't stay focused. When Faulkner wrote that book, he entered the mind of Benjy, a mentally retarded man with the maturity of a five-year-old. Benjy lived in the past, the present and the future at the same time. His thoughts were an endless run-on sentence.

On the other hand, with Six-Hundred Hours of a Life, I had no problem joining Edward in his disturbed world. In fact, I did not want to leave. I gladly went. At times, I found myself laughing and was occasionally misty eyed. I was captivated.

Edward Stanton is mentally challenged similar to but different from Faulkner's Benjy. Edward has a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder along with Asperger's syndrome. To maintain a semblance of control, Edward takes 80 mg of fluexitine (Prozac) daily. It doesn't help that his father, Ted Stanton, abuses Edward physically and mentally making Edward's slight grasp on sanity that much more difficult to hold onto. To cope, Edward has weekly sessions with Dr. Buckley, who helps him develop skills to stay in control of his well-ordered life. However, Edward is going to be challenged. He is about to meet a troubled neighbor with a young son, who needs a friend.

Edward's world is regulated by repetition where he watches Dragnet daily and loves every episode. `It was one of my favorites' he often says. When he drives to the market, he prefers right turns to left turns because right turns are safer. When he wakes up, the first thing he does is to record the time and temperature and the weather. He loves the Dallas Cowboys. Some of his favorite memories are going to games with his father. He eats the same frozen pizzas and loves spaghetti made a certain way. Edward's life is like a broken record but a fascinating one.

Strange, when I finished reading, I thought Edward was the only sane person on this earth, and I identified with him.

Never before has a protagonist struck me in the way Edward Stanton did in this book. From the safety found in daily routines to the awkwardness of dating (and especially in the desire to voice one's displeasure with a beloved football team), Edward's experiences are something that we can all relate to, even if we don't relate to them in quite the same way. His grappling with these problems, compounded by his personal struggles, present a character whose pain we feel and whose successes we genuinely root for and share in.

This book had me alternately laughing out loud and feeling the onset of tears. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a string of similarly great books from this author.

Edward Stanton is thinking, and we're listening.

We're all a little bit crazy, a little bit unloved (or so we think), a little bit afraid to reach out to those around us. This book will move you and give you new insight into your own life and those around you.

From six-hundred hours of a life we get a view into a lifetime of humanity beautifully illustrated by Lancaster. I cried twice. Or was it three times? Edward would have counted.

As a mom of a young boy with autism, I found that I related so very very well to the main character. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next in his journey. I cared what happened to him, and I cared about the people around him. Well written, Mr. Lancaster! ~ Kim Parker