Rating: 
Summary: A very desrcriptive, enthralling read
Review: Edgar mint is just a solitary little boy, with an alcoholic mother, a semi-crazy grandmother who is devoutly religous, and a genetic makeup of half "anglo" and half "indi'n", making him an outcast from a racial stance. One day though, for some unknown reason, he decides to put his head in front of the back tire of a mail jeep, where it gets crushed when the owner of the jeep tries to drive away. After dying, a doctor by the name of Barry Pinkley, who is later fired for "not following procedures" resuscitates him in a medically unorthodox way. He is sent to a hospital of sorts, St. Divine's, in Globe, Arizona, were he rooms with a quadriplegic, a man who might possibly be schizophrenic, and a middle-aged man named Art, who is like his father at the place. While he's there, he's given a typewriter, which he records everything and anything in. After a while though, he is sent to a Native American boarding school, where he is constantly bullied, often perilously so, and he meets his friend Cecil. His next home is found by "the Elders", a group of Mormon brothers who are somewhat akin to missionaries. They put Edgar in a dysfunctional Mormon home, where he rooms with "Brain" Brayton who dislikes him immediately. The situation escalates when ex-doctor Barry Pinkley starts an affair with Edgars foster mother so he can monitor Edgar, the only success in his life. Edgar leaves after a while, fleeing back to Art, the only person he feels still loves him. Their relationsip is mutual, Art, who lost his family in an accident, gets a son of sorts, and Edgar gets a father. In the end, though, he finds his family in the most unlikely place, and the truth of the accident which started all this comes out.
Rating:
Summary: What a pleasant surprise!
Review: The Sunday Chicago Tribune Book Section contains a segment titled "Opening Lines". Readers are encouraged to submit first lines of novels that have provoked, inspired, or moved them. I read the opening lines of "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint" and couldn't get Edgar off my mind for weeks. I eventually purchased the novel and settled in for a tremendous journey through Edgar's childhood and adolescence. The novel opens with beautifully crafted sentences that reveal a horrific accident. This incident changes the course of Edgar's life. Pronounced dead by paramedics, Edgar is taken to the local hospital where he is revived by a doctor who, henceforth, assumes a rather unusual custody of Edgar's life. Throughout the course of the novel, Edgar meets a host of characters who have the best and sometimes worst intentions for his well being. Through rehabilitation, torture and attempted suicide Edgar, through the grace of God (though he doesn't know it), perseveres. Udall has created a cast of characters that are quirky, flawed, and brilliantly imagined. The story is engaging and triumphant. The writing is superb. An excellent read that delights and inspires. Highly Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite book in years!!
Review: Wow, this book is truly incredible! My favorite book in years! I really can't imagine who wouldn't love this book because it has everything--laugh til you drop, shock, sorrow, and a truly fantastic lovable (and truly messed up) main character. It even made me cry. Apparently, Micheal Stipe's (from REM) production company is making this book into a movie--don't wait for the movie!! Enjoy it, and tell your friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Read
Review: Brady Udall crafted a poignant, funny, horrifying, uplifting, and extremely engaging story with THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT. The book tells the almost epic quest of Edgar Mint who, as the title spells out, lives a miracle about every fifty pages. While this isn't the greatest book of the year - as some have suggested - it is written uncommonly well and it is obvious Udall knows what he is doing. At times, when the reader thinks he/she will be buried in the pain and brutality of little Edgar's life, Udall manages to magically lighten the prose with an expression of humor or hope. Likewise, when the author flirts with the precipice of cliche or downright unbelievability, he pulls us back at the last minute with his sharp wit and realism. If you're looking for a book to enjoy and have a large block of free time - you won't wanna put this book down - then THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT is definitely a good choice for your next novel.
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Summary: Unforgettable tale...
Review: The Miracle of Edgar Mint grabbed my attention just by the quirky name of the boy on the cover. The fact that his life is a "miracle" had me interested to look past the cover and see why. I was not disappointed. The opening paragraph had me hooked. I can't imagine anyone reading about Edgar Mint and finishing his story through to the last page, going away feeling slighted in the least. The ending gave me chills. I will recommend this book to everyone, because it should not be missed. I plan to read it again and again.
Rating: 
Summary: a native american Owen Meany
Review: Let's see.
A story about a boy from a dysfunctional family, who is somehow physically different than the rest of the kids; he is a great believer in God and has a very strong belief in his vocation and the reason for his being alive.
Haven't we read this book? Yes! It's the Native American version of Owen Meany!! Very smoothly told, don't get me wrong. But, why settle for less than the original.
If you've read John Irving's "A prayer for Owen Meany",you might want to give this book a miss.
Mr. Udall can certainly tell a tale. Too bad, this one has already been told.
Rating:
Summary: Great read!
Review: I'm an Arizona native that grew up in the heart of the setting of this story. I've been to the school that Edgar attended (long closed, now a museum). I know the real Art Crozier, he was a neighbor (nothing like the character). I decided to read Barry Udall's novel because my brother and mom recommended it. I couldn't put it down because he created a cast of characters, especially Edgar (named after one of the people that provided the author help on the Apache culture and the school - Edgar Perry - he is the curator of the aforementioned museum) that spoke to me and stole my heart. Seeing real life places and people that I'm so familiar with fictionalized was also completely fun! Then the ending! WOW. I totally didn't see that coming and what a gift!!! My only disppointment was that it ended too soon! A sequel please!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A tale worthy of Twain
Review: There is little I can say that has not already been said by other reviewers, but since this novel seems to be much praised and little noticed I felt I should join the chorus of readers urging the undecided among you to purchase this gem immediately. Brady Udall manages some amazing tricks here: He writes a novel that is a searing examination of human failures and cruelty, but invests it with both wit and compassion; he spins a tale of triumph over adversity without drenching it in syrup-sweet sentimentality; and, like one of his idols Mark Twain, he makes us laugh out loud even in the face of tragedy and ugliness. Edgar Mint is truly a hero for our time, a character who sees the very worst of what modern life has to offer but ends up comfortable in his own skin and satisfied with his own hard-won bit of happiness. Let's just hope Hollywood doesn't dumb this story down, or more likely, Gump it up.
Rating:
Summary: No Forrest Gump
Review: Readers with a saccharin sentimentality for childhood may find this book depressing, if not downright disturbing. But I suspect many of those who do will have failed to come to grips with the disappointments in their own life. Edgar Mint is no Forrest Gump, but the remarkable life story of Brady Udall's all but abandoned half-breed Apache should renew your faith in the resiliency of the human spirit. Udall's quirky characters live on the dark side, but this only accentuates the faint but persistent light that glows within the unlikely but lovable main character Edgar Presley Mint. Like a fragile desert flower, Edgar musters the strength to survive the spartan and often hostile conditions of his childhood by taking nourishment from friendships. Guarded but gifted, Edgar gives more love than he gets. By bending not breaking, Edgar displays a resiliency rewarded by an unyielding belief that all will end well. When it does, the surprise ending comes as little surprise (and with little fanfare) but as a well-earned reward. Udall's fine first novel shows the deft hand and gifted craftsmanship of a writer who honed his skills on the short story. Each poignant vignette reveals an attention to detail that rewards the reader with insights not only into the characters but the human condition itself. Frequent comparisons to Dickens and Irving suggest most readers see something more akin to literature in Udall's work than what's evident in most contemporary fiction. Udall's gifted first novel compares favourably with Pulitzer Prize-winning work like John Kennedy O'Toole's masterpiece A Confederacy of Dunces. Let's hope the success of his first novel makes it possible for him to give us more.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing "Mint"
Review: Kooky as a John Irving novel, but more unassuming, "Edgar Mint" is a story you won't want to put down. Horrible things keep happening to this poor kid, but Udall writes his tale in a way that still manages to elicit laughter. You'll find yourself rooting for Edgar throughout every step of his incredible journey, and you won't be disappointed by the ending. Despite all the awful ordeals Edgar suffers through, this book is by no means a downer. It's a real triumph of the human spirit kind of novel that will leave you shaking you head wondering, "Where did Udall come up with stuff?" It all seems too wierd not to be true.
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