The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
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Amazon Best of the Month, June 2008: It's gutsy for a debut novelist to offer a modern take on Hamlet set in rural Wisconsin--particularly one in which the young hero, born mute, communicates with people, dogs, and the occasional ghost through his own mix of sign and body language. But David Wroblewski's extraordinary way with language in The Story of Edgar Sawtelle immerses readers in a living, breathing world that is both fantastic and utterly believable. In selecting for temperament and a special intelligence, Edgar's grandfather started a line of unusual dogs--the Sawtelles--and his sons carried on his work. But among human families, undesirable traits aren't so easily predicted, and clashes can erupt with tragic force. Edgar's tale takes you to the extremes of what humans must endure, and when you're finally released, you will come back to yourself feeling wiser, and flush with gratitude. And you will have remembered what magnificent alchemy a finely wrought novel can work. --Mari Malcolm
Book Description Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm--and into Edgar's mother's affections. Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires--spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward. David Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes--the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain--create a riveting family saga, a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic. Double Life, with Dogs: An Amazon Exclusive Essay by David Wroblewski Continue Reading Double Life, With Dogs Praise from Stephen King "I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, and spent twelve happy evenings immersed in the world David Wroblewski has created. As I neared the end, I kept finding excuses to put the book aside for a little, not because I didn't like it, but because I liked it too much; I didn't want it to end. Dog-lovers in particular will find themselves riveted by this story, because the canine world has never been explored with such imagination and emotional resonance. Yet in the end, this isn't a novel about dogs or heartland America--although it is a deeply American work of literature. It's a novel about the human heart, and the mysteries that live there, understood but impossible to articulate. Yet in the person of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy who takes three of his dogs on a brave and dangerous odyssey, Wroblewski does articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: It's over, you think, and I won't read another one this good for a long, long time. In truth, there's never been a book quite like The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I thought of Hamlet when I was reading it, and Watership Down, and The Night of the Hunter, and The Life of Pi--but halfway through, I put all comparisons aside and let it just be itself. I'm pretty sure this book is going to be a bestseller, but unlike some, it deserves to be. It's also going to be the subject of a great many reading groups, and when the members take up Edgar, I think they will be apt to stick to the book and forget the neighborhood gossip. Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world. I envy them the trip. I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one." |
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| 09-05-08 | 1 | 0\3 |
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The book was written well and kept me reading it, but in the end I was left wanting a different story altogether. Life is to short to read such a depressing book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 3 | 1\1 |
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I am very conflicted about this work. Obviously, he can write beautifully, and evocatively, of the countryside. This book has a very strong sense of place. Also, his description of the relationship of Edgar and the dogs is moving, and really altered the way I relate to my own dog. However, I had many problems with this book, namely:
1. It is way too long, in the wrong ways. The very long section wherein Edgar runs away from home seemed almost totally unnecessary and did not move the story forward 2. Claude is drawn in a unidimensional way, as a nefarious sociopath. That Trudy, who is such a strong, intelligent and insightful woman, could be drawn to him and not see through him just didn't wash for me. 3. Without revealing too much, it was unnecessarily tragic 4. The book did not break any new ground, nor did it seem particularly insightful. In fact, I liked Old Yeller better. I just don't get all the excitement about this book...except that it is about dogs, and everybody loves dogs. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 01:13:10 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 4 | 1\3 |
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Excellent story telling technique makes material that is not at first glance the best for a suspenseful page-turner into just that. Vivid descriptions advance, do not distract from, the story.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 01:13:10 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 1 | 2\3 |
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I think that the author is an outstanding writer however, I also think he is mean spirited. The author has us read and fall in love with the characters in this story and then to change the story from one of heartfelt truth about how families and people think and grieve to one in which he shows his true colors as a mean spirited hateful ending. Just shows that just because a person is talented doesn't mean they are kind.
Don't bother to read this book. The author sells it as a American story and then only hurts you in the end. Shame on Steven King (who I love as a writer) for recommending it. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 3 | 1\1 |
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I am very conflicted about this work. Obviously, he can write beautifully, and evocatively, of the countryside. This book has a very strong sense of place. Also, his description of the relationship of Edgar and the dogs is moving, and really altered the way I relate to my own dog. However, I had many problems with this book, namely:
1. It is way too long, in the wrong ways. The very long section wherein Edgar runs away from home seemed almost totally unnecessary and did not move the story forward 2. Claude is drawn in a unidimensional way, as a nefarious sociopath. That Trudy, who is such a strong, intelligent and insightful woman, could be drawn to him and not see through him just didn't wash for me. 3. Without revealing too much, it was unnecessarily tragic 4. The book did not break any new ground, nor did it seem particularly insightful. In fact, I liked Old Yeller better. I just don't get all the excitement about this book...except that it is about dogs, and everybody loves dogs. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 3 | 1\1 |
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That David Wroblewski can write is plain to any reader of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, in places his prose literally sing off the page. Likewise, he has done an excellent job of researching his material, particularly as it relates to dogs and breeding, a topic clearly close to his heart. His decision to make Edgar mute also shows a great deal of creativity and serves to deepen the work considerably. However, the book suffers from several short comings, some of which are not uncommon for first time novelists, others of plot, and still others which might have been handled by a good editor. To begin with the third, at more than 550 pages, the book feels way too long, with a great deal of background information which fails to come to any fruition later in the book. The author's choice to write an homage to Hamlet makes this particularly clear; while no one has ever accused the Bard's longest play of brevity, the Ghost of Act I, scene 4 here appears to young Edgar, around page 230! A good edit could well have slimmed down that first half and tightened this novel. Also, an editor would have pointed out how many of these characters appear two-dimensional; where the characters of Hamlet are among the most complex in the history of literature, here the villain Claude becomes a rather flat uninteresting socio-path. Trudy (Gertrude) becomes the font of the good mother. Only Edgar (and his dog Almondine) show signs of the necessary depth to be consistently interesting. On another note, Mr. Wroblewski follows the modern vogue, jumping from character to character, even to one of the dogs. While this sometimes serves to improve a work, here it feels often unnecessary and sometimes forced, a way of avoid the work of displaying a character's motivations through actions by instead leaping inside his head. Where The Story of Edgar Sawtelle offers much to admire, it also leaves the reader wondering how much better it could have been had the many fine authors on the jacket spent less time on effusive blurbs, and more offering the writer notes on how to sharpen his story. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-04-08 | 4 | 1\3 |
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Excellent story telling technique makes material that is not at first glance the best for a suspenseful page-turner into just that. Vivid descriptions advance, do not distract from, the story.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-03-08 | 3 | 2\3 |
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I was left very unsatisfied after finishing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. After reading 500 pages of almost overly detailed prose the ending was rushed and didn't leave me feeling as though I had completed something (a nearly 600 page book). Some of the story was very heart warming & for dog lovers there's a definite hook there, however when Wroblewski introduces mysticism things just get confusing and mish mashed. My biggest issue with this book is the ending however I am giving it 3 stars because I was definitely hooked for the first 500 pages.
Note: I ended up reading this book because it was recommended based on enjoying Water For Elephants, let me assure you this is no Water For Elephants. There's gotta be a better story with an actual ending out there for dog lovers. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-06 06:04:39 EST)
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| 09-02-08 | 3 | 1\4 |
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The three stars are for all that was enjoyed. The characters, the animals, the writing, the really good parts. The two missing are for what wasn't said, what was left to imagination, or just was completely confusing altogether. It was a book I wanted to put down, but couldn't because I had to see how exactly this was going to end, and I was disappointed. You'll have that with a lot of books you love as well, the ending isn't what you wanted for whatever reason. So I guess with this book there was too much that wasn't explained,too much left to imagination. Certain characters didn't make sense in general and it was never explained at all why they were that way as far as the past without giving too much away.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 01:13:10 EST)
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| 09-02-08 | 1 | 1\4 |
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I may be one of the few folks who are not going to rave about this book. But I read it and was very, very disappointed with it. The author is no King or Burke so reading the endless pages that have little new information really drags the book down. A good author's book is one that that you wish were longer (read "Duma Key" or "The Stand", for example) but this author is not on that level so it really drags. I wonder why the editor was asleep at the switch? This could have been trimmed way down and been more effective.
Other than all the wasted pages, the biggest problem with the book is reading the front flap or the book description here on Amazon gives away the key points in the arc of the story. The first does not happen until maybe 35% in to the book, the next about 10-15% later, the next about 75% into the book, and the last does not happen until about 90% of the pages have been turned. So you know several things that will happen to Edgar, but you have read through page after page of "back story" that for the most part is a waste of your time. I don't know how *I* would have described the book, but if you read these key points before reading the book it is like knowing the Bruce Willis character in "Sixth Sense" is dead before watching the movie or knowing that the "girlfriend" in "The Crying Game" is not what "she" seems. So you know pretty much everything that will happen but you are forced to read through way too much stuff to get to it. I didn't care for the "occasional mysticism" of the book either. Either jump in with both feet like King or just skip it completely. The ending left a lot to be desired as well, but by then a better ending would not have made up for all the other flaws. For a very good and much shorter book about a man and his dog, told from the dog's point of view read "The Art of Racing in the Rain". If you have to read this book, then don't read any of the other reviews, front flap, or other description of the story in the book. At least then, some of the plot points will be unexpected. It will still drag, but not has bad if you are not waiting for the next story point to come up. Maybe many of the raves are from folks who do not read much or read "popcorn" fiction like anything lately from James Patterson? So they read something with more substance and weight and are overly impressed? Trust me, there are many more books on the market to read that blow poor old Edgar into the weeds :-) . (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 01:13:10 EST)
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| 09-02-08 | 3 | 1\4 |
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If you can love a book just for the beautiful writing, this is the book for you. If you love to have all the details and the seemingly significant plot lines tied up nicely at the end, this book is not for you. I wanted to love this book, and 1/4 of the way through I actually recommended it to several friends. Then I found myself trudging through a couple hundred pages that I felt should have been edited out. I didn't know of the Hamlet parallels before I read it and I felt, in the end, this tragic ending was not redemptive.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-05 01:13:10 EST)
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| 09-01-08 | 5 | 2\4 |
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I simply was so sad that this book came to an end, it grabbed me in a way that has never happened when reading. It taught me many things about the bond between humans and dogs, things I thought that I knew being a dog lover but never really grasped. I will always remember Edgar and the Sawtelle dogs and truly thank David Wroblewski for this journey.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-04 01:15:41 EST)
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| 09-01-08 | 5 | 1\3 |
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This book was chosen by book club that my husband belongs to.
He says it was a good choice and is enjoying reading it. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-04 01:15:41 EST)
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| 09-01-08 | 5 | 3\6 |
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This novel will remain with you long after you have finished reading it and I'm sure in the months ahead it will be one of those few books that I read again. Edgar Sawtelle is a first novel for this author and a real "home run" with descriptive phrases that become clear beautiful images in the minds eye. Enjoy your journey with Edgar and all the wonderful dogs, it is a special world that we are privileged to have been invited into.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-04 01:15:41 EST)
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| 09-01-08 | 2 | 2\5 |
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This might have been an excellent book if the author or publisher had cut a third of it. It's the last time I take Stephen King's word for anything. The book is quite a slog, and frankly I'm surprised it ever got published. Still, there were sections I enjoyed reading, but most of the time I asked myself, "Why was this left in?" and "Do we really need to know this?" and "Why all the hype?" It's my own fault: I'm a sucker for hype. Not a "great" book, just passable, with moments of brilliance, in my humble opinion.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-04 01:15:41 EST)
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| 08-31-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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An astonishing first novel! Beautifully written. I could hardly put it down. Not until I'd finished it and read some reviews did I realize
there was a Hamlet relationship - but I think that's not relevant - the story is gripping and sad, but not necessarily because of that sub-theme. Edgar, the dogs (and especially Almondine), and his journey away from home and ultimately back again, are gripping and mesmerizing and tragic. I have loaned this book to many friends and recommended it to any others. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-02 06:15:39 EST)
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| 08-31-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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There's no mistaking that this is a beautiful work of fiction. The sentences are lovingly drawn in the finest detail, and the pace, laconic throughout. Perhaps, though, this is part of the problem of this very meritorious "first"novel. (Oddly, "first" novels are sometimes the best a writer will ever do!)
Make no mistake, this is written in the grand style--almost as if it were from another era altogether, but the story itself may not be worth all the beautiful passages it takes to get to its conclusion. And the fact that this is a long work. The characters both human and canine may not meet up to the laboriously detailed task. WAR AND PEACE this is not. This may be an over-elaborate work about a small story, actually, and the interesting thing about it is, this novel would have worked far better if it were shortened by about 150 pages. Although the author may have had bigger ideas (with the HAMLET parallels, etc.), does not mean he must stretch the story for over 500 pages. To be fair, in these days of lackluster fiction, I credit this author for producing a novel that is far superior over most. Recommend (if you don't mind the length) but for an un-put-downable and unique read, pick up SIM0N LAZARUS--a lot shorter but a far richer story more should know about. (the Eckhart Tolle blurb on the cover says it all). (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-02 06:15:39 EST)
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| 08-31-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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This is the most compelling story I have read in years. In fact, when I finished reading it the first time, I started all over from the beginning and am now halfway through for the second time. I have never re-read a book after just finishing it. The writing is eloquent and almost poetic at times and the story is riveting.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-02 06:15:39 EST)
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| 08-31-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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Sorry, I couldn't finish it. Never got to the Hamlet part. C'mon, the chapters from the dog's pov were fine, but so few and why--not the voice of the book as a whole. Also, you can't create an elegy without something elegaic.
The trick in good writing is to find away to exude power without showing it. This writing was too much a product of writer's workshops at grad programs. The brother killing brother didn't convince me. Moreover, the brother was a more interesting character. Finally, if you want to show off knowledge of dogs make sure you are clear that the theme rests elsewhere--see The Sun Also Rises (about boxing but not about boxing) and Bang the Drum Slowly (about baseball but not about baseball) This is a novel that proves less is more, at least most of the time. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-02 06:15:39 EST)
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| 08-30-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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Definitely impressive for a first novel, but I found it overly long. There was also a "so what" feeling when I finished. It is a remarkable feat to write a 500 page version of Hamlet using a mute boy and dogs to fill out most of the roles, but why? I kept thinking: Borges would have written an equivalent story in 15 pages or less. How much is gained by the added padding when you know the plot all along? And what is gained by making him mute? Also, there turned out to be very few pages written from a dog's perspective - not that they were all that interesting but I think the reviews exaggerate the proportion of those chapters. There were definitely some very clever and humorous decisions regarding the roles from Hamlet that wind up played by dogs and I won't spoil the pleasure of discovery by identifying them here. Also, the scenes with the father's ghost and the lengthy interlude on his own in the woods were well written. But when the plot is known to the reader by virtue of the explicit Hamlet parallel, many sections of the book seemed either forced, to match the Hamlet plot, or to drag as you awaited the next step in the known plot.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 06:34:43 EST)
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| 08-30-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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was a wonderful read! I heartily recommend this book to everyone. Dog lovers will especially appreciate this book.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 06:34:42 EST)
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| 08-30-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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This book flows wonderfully, great visuals and characters. I totaly agree with another reviewer in that this book took you off to a certain place, and just dumped you there. Miles of dialog with no ending or meaning to their presence. And the ending he just burns down leaving you speachless that you spent the time to read this, for what? I was stunned at the butchery job of the ending. Maybe he needed to finish as he had a vacation planned, his editor was on his back, I don't know, but he lost me as fan on the ending.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 06:34:42 EST)
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| 08-30-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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For a man who can write so lyrically and observantly of nature, David Wroblewski has been responsible for the death of too many trees: excessive length is what happens when you try to weld together the story of a boy and his dogs with "Hamlet." Mere editing could not have solved this problem--it is too deeply a part of the novel.
Even more than in Shakespeare's play, Gertrude/Trudy is an enigma--it doesn't seem possible, even allowing for a more subtle Claudius/Claude than Wroblewski paints, that the woman he gives us in the first fifty pages of the novel would succumb so quickly to her brother-in-law. Claude, who poisons as much with his tongue as with the mysterious substance he acquires in Korea, seems in motivation more like Iago than the king's brother from "Hamlet." (The seer Ida seems to have wandered in from "Macbeth.") Ophelia represented by a dog? If your hero is fourteen, I guess that's the way it's got to be. And when Hamlet is transformed into a fourteen-year-old boy, the finale of the novel becomes both distasteful and ludicrous. The bloodbath that ends "Hamlet" is fitting because it was not only implicit in the construction of the play, but also because it was understood by contemporaries as an appropriate conclusion to the unnatural usurpation of Claudius and his incest, as it was deemed at the time, with Gertrude. The death of the royal family and the leading figures of the Danish court was a catharsis--the state was normalized and the road clear for Fortinbras/Forte (!) to begin his rule. To heap this weight on Edgar's story is meaningless in its modern context. For what did Wroblewski set the last violent and sentimental scene? To establish the Sawtelle dogs lead by Essay and Forte in a new kingdom at Henry's? Such a conclusion does not justify the events of the last scenes, and renders them silly where they are not painful. It is probably true that I would not feel so frustrated with the outcome of this novel, had it not really engaged me at many moments. Wroblewski can write well enough to create a universe, but in the end, he leaves us feeling confused and cheated--and wishing he had been more modest in his aspirations. The story of a boy and his dogs might have been story enough. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 06:34:42 EST)
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| 08-30-08 | 1 | (NA) |
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I admire the effort this book took. Wroblewski writes proficiently if laboriously. I enjoyed the interaction with dogs. But for me, the book was way too long and repetitive. The ending was unsatisfactory, not that I need endings to be totally resolved.
The most interesting part to me was Edgar's time out in the world after he ran away, especially the time he spent with a man called Henry. Otherwise, the book got claustrophobic, forever cramped inside the boundaries of the Sawtelle property. Okay, I get that it is based on Hamlet, but to me the book could have been half the size, and the tragedy somehow have had more weight IF the characters had seemed more authentic. Too many questions dangling. Yes maybe I read it too quickly, but honestly -- after putting hours into it, at the end I only wanted to throw it across the room -- never a good sign! (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-01 06:34:42 EST)
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| 08-29-08 | 5 | 1\2 |
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I read this over a three day vacation period just before Labor Day. In the end, despite having to go to work the next day, I stayed up to finish the last hundred pages. It's a beautiful, haunting story that keeps you turning the pages.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-31 06:15:31 EST)
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| 08-28-08 | 1 | 4\6 |
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I love the Kindle, but this book revealed one of its disadvantages - its not so easy to sample ahead, revise back and broadly assimilate a volume when its in electronic rather than paper format. Instead, one has to accept the pace of the prose, and in this instance there is so much ambiguity and superfluous repetition that the story becomes tedious. I agree with all of the positive and negative observations that the "two star and less.." reviewers have made. This is great prose writing (but lousy editing..), classically-derived plot structure (but incomplete and unsatisfying analogy..). I can understand why the author confesses that "this book has been a long time in the writing...". I suspect that he was groping his way past questions that he formulated with only the vaguest ideas relating to the answers. That approach is clearly satisfying to the imaginative folk who gave this five star ratings, but its much less rewarding for more concrete minds like my own.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-31 06:15:31 EST)
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| 08-28-08 | 5 | 0\2 |
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Engrossing story from the first pages. A must read for 2008. Every avid fiction reader will not be able to pass this one by, or will miss one of the great reads of this era.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-31 06:15:31 EST)
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| 08-28-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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I have to begin this review with a caveat: This book is not for everyone.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle leans largely on backstory and detailed description. The backstory is necessary. It builds Edgar's character and explains who he is and how he got where he is. The story moves very slowly, switching back and forth between the past and the present, which is fine, a lot of stories do that. It moves very slowly for other reasons too. The deep, detailed descriptions remind me a lot of Stephen King's Duma Key. While it was a terrific story, so much of it was unneccessary: such as taking two full pages to describe pouring a cup of coffee. I can easily see why SK liked this book so much. The description goes entirely too far in Edgar Sawtelle, as well. Countless paragraphs are burned describing the order in which the dogs stood up. Who cares? They stood up. I get it. There is a part where Edgar and the dogs run away. It takes several chapters. Nothing happens. Nothing happened that propelled the story foreward and it could have been left out. That being said, the book has its merits as well, and they greatly outweigh its flaws. For instance, by the middle of the story, I knew Edgar so well that I began setting a place for him at the table. I felt like he was a living person who I knew and could predict. I felt a little empty when I turned the last page. People give Edgar Sawtelle bad reviews based on the length of the story or depth of the description, and that's fine. I don't like it much either. However, with that culled out, the story is a delicate, elegant piece of modern literature. It's very easy to forget that Edgar Sawtelle is DW's debut novel. It reminds me of Shakespear's Hamlet. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-31 06:15:31 EST)
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| 08-28-08 | 3 | 4\6 |
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I also expected so much more from this novel, based on the hype. But the plot and sub plots remain unresolved at the book's end-almost 600 pages later. Although I was enjoying the book as I read it, by the end all I could say about it was that it was "pointless".
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-31 06:15:32 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 4 | 2\4 |
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This book grips you from the beginning. The only time that it slows down is when he and his dogs are fending for themselves in the woods. Otherwise, it is well written and very imaginative.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:37 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 5 | 0\3 |
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David Wroblewski's new novel is one that has truly earned its place among the literary elite.
A page burner extraordinare. The book is about a family living on a farm in a remote part of Wisconsin. Young Edgar is a mute who must deal with the grief of losing his father, the miss guiding of Claude (his brother) and the lack of attention from his mother. But young Edgar does have a true friend, Essay. ....A powerful story of survival.... (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:37 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 5 | 3\5 |
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Exquisitely wrought. I share common opinions with all of the reviewers who have given this unique and unforgettable book a 5 star rating. Having just finished the book this morning, I am haunted by images that will no doubt remain in my mind for a long time. I thought of the childhood animal stories I read: "Call of the Wild," "Lassie Come Home", even "Bambi." This book is written for children of all ages who remember what it is like to wander into the woods to find undiscovered treasures, bugs, sunlight, leaves whispering; the companionship of a your best friend, the family dog.
Yes, the book is loosely outlined on Shakespeare's tragedy of Hamlet - but the story is really about the dogs and their relationship with a special mute boy, written in a language limned in shimmering clarity. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:37 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 3 | 2\3 |
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A good yarn -- a good "summer read", or, for that matter, any time you're looking for a good story.
That being said, unless you're an absolute died-in-the-wool dog lover, you'll wish that the editor of this book had spend a little more time at the cutting board. Or, do what I did and skip whole chapters or sections. They do not contribute to an otherwise engrossing story. That being said,a book-loving friend HATED the end of this book. And I might have changed it myself... (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:37 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 2 | 3\6 |
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The writing is wonderful and keeps the reader wanting more, anxious to
have more time to continue reading. If you know the story of HAMLET, you should know what to expect. Foolishly, I did not know. After investing the time to read 566 pages, I personally want some satisfaction from what I thought to be a thoroughly enjoyable read...and the best novel I've read in years. The ending is so absurdly disappointing that I not only regret reading it but wish the book had never been written. A very gifted writer who, I hope, will give at least minor thought to reader satisfaction when writing his second novel. He lets the reader down big time in this first novel. If he's going to use or mirror another author's work the next time, he should search libraries for books which tell a compelling story with at least some reward at the end for the reader who has spent valuable time on the book. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:37 EST)
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| 08-27-08 | 2 | 2\3 |
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I actually purchased the hardcover (couldn't get an ARC :( -- disappointment. The writing is great, and the story is sort of inspirational, but it drones on and on. Maybe for other readers it's a great book (and its newspaper reviews were great, the reason I bought it), but I was disappointed.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-30 06:15:38 EST)
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| 08-26-08 | 2 | 4\5 |
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Many times while reading this book I was ready to quit and take it back to the library. Pushing ahead I should have gone by my first instinct. When I could go no further I read some of the reviews here on Amazon that had spoilers and decided then and there that the book was going back to the library unfinished (100 pages to go---just couldn't suffer through it). It had such potential but just did not execute. Now looking back I have no regrets and will not recommend. The ending sounded terrible (from the amazon reviews I read) and I chose not to read it. Caution: Read this book at your own risk.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-28 01:14:10 EST)
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| 08-26-08 | 4 | 5\7 |
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I couldn't agree more that this book is stunningly written. From the moment I picked it up I was entranced, in the same way that I am moved and awed by Wendell Berry's prose (particularly Jayber Crow). Unlike Mr. Berry, however, this author has chosen to give us an intriquing, even gripping plot. It is slow but delicious and so well written that it would seem a crime to have to move more quickly. I was so devoted to Edgar and his incredible dogs that I would have followed the story anywhere...or so I thought. I won't tell the ending, but to say that I was disappointed is an understatement. Mr.W went to all the trouble to create this amazing story and then just when the reader is sure it will have been all worth it...he drops the ball! I am just desparate to tell him how sad and upset I am that he could not find a way to satisfy the heart of the story and certainly to give the reader what we deserved after all we went through with Edgar. I don't know whether to recommend this book or run shouting through the streets to stay away or you'll get your heart broken!
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-28 01:14:10 EST)
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| 08-25-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This is a very elegant book. I understand why some reviewers call it long-winded but that's about style: this is not Tom Clancy or a similar author writing on a tight, fast-plotted story-line. You'll either like that style of writing or it'll drive you nuts. This book is not fluff but it's certainly not a chore to read, I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Part of the charm of the book for those of us who like it is found in what some would call the 'digressions', although there are no true digressions in the book. Everything in it serves the end-point of the story.
That said, I'm another person who found the ending not entirely satisfying, especially since it seemed to hinge on the dogs. It wasn't satisfying to me and not 'uplifting,' which I think was its intention. I'm not putting spoilers in here so it is hard to say exactly why it didn't work for me but perhaps this advice will help the next reader: I urge the reader not to be "species centric" as you devour this book because for the book to work the dogs have to be characters on an equal basis to the humans, not simply appendages to a human story, not even supporting characters to the human story. To me that becomes critical at the end. I want to avoid spoilers but being as general as I can be while still (hopefully) making sense, it might help to have the idea that the book is about the dogs and the transformation of the dogs into free beings of choice through the breeding of the Sawtelles. It is the dogs that will remain. I thought I was good with the story except at the end and then I didn't feel a connection with the group of dogs with Essay. The ending wasn't as compelling to me as it should have been and I think that's because I was too deeply into the human side of the story to see an ending that hinges on dogs as compelling (and I like dogs!). I think the people who really love this book don't have my limitations as a reader. I think the people who find the ending a huge let-down are probably not able to get the story at the level of the dogs. Anything that is loosely based on Hamlet isn't likely to have a happy ending, but if the story always remains about the people you're likely to find the ending unsatisfying; for the book to work completely it needs to become about the dogs, possibly even more than the people, except as they relate to the growth of the dogs. With that in mind, there's a dog character that I just didn't see the point of, not during the story; not at the end. I knew it was going past me as I was reading and I suspect that the people who really love the book rather than just being well-satisfied by it got the bit about that one "free" dog in a way that I did not. So do your best to be conscious of the status of the dogs in your own mind as you read the story and you'll probably enjoy the ending more than the dissatisfied reviewers here. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-27 01:20:20 EST)
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| 08-25-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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I was immediately attracted to this author's style of writing and intrigued by the subject matter, a mute boy who trains dogs by sign language, but the book was work to finish. At 500+ pages, I had plenty of time to hope something would happen to make it worthwhile, but in the end, it was a book I had to struggle through and an ending that left me frustrated.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-27 01:20:20 EST)
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| 08-25-08 | 4 | (NA) |
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This is a very elegant book. I understand why some reviewers call it long-winded but that's about style: this is not Tom Clancy or a similar author writing on a tight, fast-plotted story-line. You'll either like that or it'll drive you nuts. This book is not fluff but it's certainly not a chore to read, I enjoyed it and couldn't put it down. Part of the charm of the book for those of us who like it is found in what some would call the 'digressions', although there are no true digressions in the book. Everything in it serves the end-point of the story.
That said, I found a portion of the ending relating to the dogs less than entirely satisfying and not 'uplifting,' which I think was its intention. I'm not putting spoilers in here so I can't say exactly why it didn't work for me. Let's just say that anything that is loosely based on Hamlet isn't likely to have a happy ending, but the author seems to want to tie up the situation with the dogs in a way that just didn't resonate for me. I suspect the problem is that for me the story always remained about the people and for the book to work completely it needs to become about the dogs and the people. The least satisfying element of the story for me relates to this observation. There's a dog character that I just didn't see the point of, not during the story; not at the end. It went past me and I suspect that the people who really love the book rather than just being well-satisfied by it got the bit with that one "free" dog. So don't be species-centric when you read it and you'll probably enjoy the ending more than the dissatisfied reviewers here. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-26 01:23:23 EST)
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| 08-25-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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I was nervous to buy this, but all the talk about dogs made me do it and boy am i glad i did. Normally not my type of book, but it kept me very intrested and deeply involved in the story line. The dogs in this story are amazing. Definitly a good read.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-27 01:20:20 EST)
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| 08-24-08 | 2 | (NA) |
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I found Wroblewski's story to be boring and taxing to read. I have never read an author that used the same words so often. "Melange" is one word that comes to mind (but there were others). Moreover, I would love to ask Wroblewski why he started so many plot-lines and then let several of them fizzle out with no closure for the reader. Coming in at close to 600 pages long, this book may have been a better read if it was edited down to somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 pages.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-26 01:15:21 EST)
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| 08-24-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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I rarely buy hardcover books, but after reading a glowing review in my local newspaper, I decided I couldn't wait. I did enjoy the first half of this hefty book and felt the magic of the Sawtelle family's respect for and relationship with the dogs they bred and raised. Unfortunately, as the "plot thickened", I found myself feeling let down. Without giving away too much, there is a family conflict that results in an adventure of sorts for the main character, Edgar, and his dogs and this is what lost me: the adventure felt far-fetched, drawn out and caused me to grow somewhat disenchanted with the whole story.
Despite not quite living up to its potential, I would still recommend it as a good, though not great, novel. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-26 01:15:21 EST)
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| 08-24-08 | 3 | (NA) |
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At first I was mesmerized by this promising novel. As the chapters progressed, though, I grew tired of the feeling that my trust as a reader was somehow being betrayed. Tantalizing plot elements go unfulfilled (such as the whole story arc concerning the dog Forte--I never was satisfied with what developed) and key information remains inaccessible throughout (WHY the rift between the brothers? What happened? Why is Claude so deeply bad? And. . . who wouldn't want to know more about the Sawtelle breed?). In the end, despite Stephen King's enthusiasm, I was not entranced but, rather, vaguely troubled. To me, this book promised to be not only NEW, told by a strong and exciting new voice, but also emotionally fulfilling. Yet the author seems to shy away from delivering on the latter of these promises. The final scene--violent to an unanticipated degree--seemed designed to fit the future screenplay more than to serve the current novel. Throughout, I felt the author's focus shifting in a somewhat manipulative, too expert way. And all of this left me wishing that he had shut his "head" off a bit and let his heart do the writing. I recognize excess process at work here, and would bet that his first draft had more of what I would have wanted than did this polished and controlled (though certainly beautifully crafted) final product.
As a dog lover, I loved the Sawtelle dogs and see in them the best of "everydog," including my own bad boy to whom I also never give commands! (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-26 01:15:21 EST)
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| 08-23-08 | 5 | (NA) |
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My interest was piqued by by Stephen King's review and upon seeing a quote by Charles Darwin, I knew it must read this story. I love hefty books, lengthy plots that don't seem to end. The author did a wonderful job weaving in tons of detail, making the fabric of the story heavy.
Another review said the backstory was burdensome, but I felt this background information was necessary for the reader to understand Edgar's position and reasoning for his decisions. I loved Edgar and wish things could have been different for him. Excellent read, highly recommended. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-25 11:48:54 EST)
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| 08-22-08 | 4 | 0\1 |
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This book was a gripping read. For anyone who is a dog lover it is a must, although I kind of wondered at just how smart these dogs were. The human characters were clearly and interestingly drawn. There was rather too much detail about the dog-training and some disbelief that they could read facial expressions and respond to small gestures and body movements.
I did read it almost non-stop and the story was riveting. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-24 23:14:47 EST)
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| 08-22-08 | 2 | 1\1 |
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I hated the ending as much as I enjoyed the rest of the book, and so I definitely wouldn't it -- at least to anyone I liked!! I am furious at the author.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-24 23:14:47 EST)
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| 08-22-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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I was incredibly affected by this book and hope that David Wroblewski will soon write another. Such an interesting and different topic & writing style. I felt so attached to the Sawtelle dogs and felt so much pain for Edgar in not being able to express how he felt after his father's death. While the ending blew me away and was unexpected, I was comforted by the fact that Almondine was once again by Edgar's side. I read the other reader reviews and was not surprised by the extreme opinions on this book, ranging from love to hate. It's not for everyone; but I will surely be recommending it to any reader I know. Reenforces my love of reading debut novels.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-24 23:14:47 EST)
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| 08-22-08 | 5 | 0\1 |
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I rarely read fiction. Usually I can't get much beyond the first few pages when I feel like I am about to waste many precious hours of my life, and I abandon the book. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is entirely the exception. I fell into the book and got lost in it. Fascinating, riveting, wonderfully told. And the ending was what it had to be. It's a tragedy, you see? Sorry to break that news to those who wanted it to be happy happy happy.
(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-24 23:14:46 EST)
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| 08-22-08 | 1 | 0\1 |
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The writing style is absolutely exquisite. You feel like you are there and become totally unaware that you are reading as the pages fly by.
However, in the last third Edgar goes off on a journey that was interesting to read but didn't really go anywhere in terms of the story except to allow 2 months to elapse for the other characters without him around. But the ending was simply horrible and totally uncalled for. I will certainly never ever read another book by this author unless I first know how it ends. (Review Data Last Updated: 2008-08-24 23:14:46 EST)
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We write the stories we wish we could read. There's no other reason to do it, to spend years pacing around your basement, mumbling, pecking at a keyboard, turning your back on a world that offers such a feast of delicious fruits. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle came about because some time ago I wished I could read a novel about a boy and his dog, one that integrated our contemporary knowledge of canine behavior, cognition, and origins with my experience of living with dogs; if possible, something flavored with the uncynical Midwestern sense of heart and purpose so familiar from my childhood (and something which, in truth, I've spent much my adult life being slightly ashamed of, as if either heart or purpose were embarrassing attributes for a grown-up to display). I'd recently come to know a good dog, maybe the best dog I'd ever met, and the subject of people and dogs and ethics and character suddenly seemed urgent. But when I went looking for such a story, I had to go back almost a hundred years, back to Jack London's Call of the Wild. That was a surprise. A little while after that, an idea for a story came to me--not the whole thing, but enough to start.