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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62)x$13.50
  (674 reviews)
Best Price: $25.95 $13.50
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. 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  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. 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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Customer Reviews
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Its understated elegance shines through
By ASPJ8Z8WTPQEQ on 2008-06-13
This is an astonishing, mysterious, bewildering and profound novel. And even though the story is sad and heart-breaking, it is written so well that it has resulted in a deeply satisfying novel as well. Not since I read Yann Martel's mesmerizing novel, "Life of Pi", have I found myself so deeply absorbed in a novelist's magical creation as I was while reading "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle".
The novel begins with a needless killing of an injured, limping, stray dog with poison by a medicine man or herbalist. This brutal killing fits into the novel later, as the novel progresses.
The protagonist of the novel is a fourteen years old boy named Edgar Sawtelle, who was born mute. His parents - Gar and Trudy Sawtelle are dog-breeders, who live on a farm in a remote part of northern Wisconsin, not far from the Chequamegon National Forest. They breed and train a unique and special breed of canine developed by Edgar's grand father, John Sawtelle; hence the name of the breed: Sawtelle. The dogs earn good reputation not only for their noble temperament, but also for their intuitive ability to anticipate their masters' command, and then interpret and act on the command independently also. The family's peaceful farm life is disrupted when Claude, Edgar's charming, conniving paternal uncle visits them. Gar offers him a job at the farm and a place to stay. Soon Gar dies suddenly and mysteriously. Edgar suspects that Claude murdered Gar. He tries to prove that Claude did indeed murder Gar, but his plan misfires, and so to save himself from Claude he runs away into the Chequamegon woods, accompanied by three young dogs.
The author's vivid descriptions of nature, his ability to describe the terrors of the wilderness and the horrors of living in a jungle, and his decision to narrate a part of the story from a dog's perspective have added distinct charm to the novel. The magic of his pen is such that even the supernatural and paranormal incidents in the story seem to be natural, logical and believable.
David Wroblewski is a masterful narrator. His prose is spare but mellifluous; and even though it lacks the grandeur and splendor of Yann Martel's or Joseph O'Neill's prose, its understated elegance shines through: "Late in the morning he found himself navigating along a heavily washboarded dirt road. The limbs of the trees meshed overhead. Left and right, thick underbrush obscured everything farther than twenty yards into the woods. When the road finally topped out at a clearing, he was presented with a view of the Penokee range rolling out to the west, and an unbroken emerald forest stretching to the north - all the way, it seemed, to the granite rim of Lake Superior. At the bottom of the hill stood a little white farmhouse and a gigantic red barn. A milk house was huddled up near the front of the barn. An untopped stone silo stood behind. By the road, a crudely lettered sign read, "For Sale."
This novel is so extra-ordinary and so exquisitely written that I am sure that I shall be reading it again soon. Reading it was a great joy.
Disappointed - Not worthy of quesionable hype
By A14I6DC10NZD8S on 2008-07-21
I'm having a really hard time believing that all these 5-star reviews are legitimate. Some of them don't even seem to be by someone who READ this book as they are full of factual errors. I cannot recommend this book, but will try to provide some insight into what you'll REALLY be getting if you buy it.
What's good: Author is a gifted wordcrafter, with an ability to pick poetic and unusual phrases to capture an image or feeling. The dog interactions in the wild are inspired and inspiring. The evoking of a time and place (rural Wisconsin in the 50's) is powerful.
What's not: Pacing is virtually unchanged throughout. There are dozens of plotlines that occupy pages and go nowhere and are never resolved or tied in (dog breeding debate, Forte, stray puppy, town fortune teller, role of Dr. Papideau, Henry and the dogs - for just a few). It's sort of like a long poem or a set of song lyrics that makes you sit back and appreciate it's beauty, but scratch your head at the point. Presented as a tragedy, but just disappointing, not cathartic. Evil personified (Claude) is just sort of grey and strange - no convincing explanation for source of his evilness or his motivation for ruining everything. No clear personal flaws presented in Gar, Trudy or Edgar to make them deserving of their fate - in fact quite the contrary. About 90% of the way through, all these threads have been spun and you're waiting for the author to work his magic of pulling them all together into a beautiful and coherent ending, and instead he just quits and literally burns it all down. It's not that I insist on a happy ending, but I insist on one that makes me feel there was a point to my journey.
In short, if you love Russian novels, go ahead. DON'T buy if you think you're getting a "dog story" or a "kid story".
Very Disappointing :-(
By A1I3Y3YXVTHUO8 on 2008-06-23
From all of the hype surrounding this book to the overwhelmingly positive reviews on the back (Stephen King RAVES about it), I couldn't wait to read it. I was certainly surprised (but not in a good way).
The reader must be willing to slog through tons of backstory, some relevant, some irrelevant, before you get to the meat of this book.
I agree with the reviewers that the author is a very "pretty" writer (the scenes and descriptions are at times breathtaking and certainly creative and on point) however the story itself reads like a typical "first novel" in that the author has not yet learned what to keep in and what to leave out. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is left in in this book, the necessary and the unnecessary. This causes the story to drag in places and, at times, leaves the reader perplexed: not sure who to follow or who to sympathize with (especially in the first 200 pages).
The author is heavy on "telling" too, as more narration than scenes make up the first part of this book. All of the above combines to distance the reader from both Edgar and his quest. Lovers of Hamlet will certainly recognize the story, but in the end they may wish that they had simply stopped with Hamlet and left this version untouched.
Get ready to lose some sleep!
By A1C9WVCEU72PJB on 2008-06-21
There are at least three ways to introduce this wonderful American novel to you. I could say, in summary, that this novel is like a 20th Century American midwestern Hamlet with dogs. That kind of lead would draw me in, but it might leave you cold. But be assured: you don't have to love dogs or dote on Shakespeare to adore this fine novel.
Or I could say, Here is an extraordinarily well-written novel set in mid-20th Century Wisconsin and built around four beautifully crafted characters: Edgar Sawtelle, the mute but very bright son; Gar Sawtelle, the warm persevering father; Trudy Sawtelle, the disciplined but sweetly loving mother; and Claude Sawtelle, Gar's brother who returns from years in the Navy and on the road to turn the world upside down for the Sawtelles. If you are into relational stories, that lead might grab you.
But I think the best way to prepare you for this book is to tell you that once you reach the incredible scene where Edgar is confronted by the ghost of his dead father, you will not be able to set this book down until you finish it. Since this scene occurs approximately in the middle of the story and the book runs to some 576 pages, be prepared to lose some sleep.
One of the claims of Claude Sawtelle is that you can have anything you want if you are patient. That may or may not be true in your case. But if you are patient with the rich, convincing unfolding of this story, you can certainly have a rewarding reading experience.
P.S.: If you do love dogs, you will love the book even more.
*Here* is a writer...
By A296VPC2WT0JQ5 on 2008-06-10
...and *here* is a novel.
Chock-full of a love of language, a robust narrative style, but moreover, more importantly, here is an actual *story*, something rare on today's literary fiction landscape.
'Edgar Sawtelle' will appeal to those who love a good story, to those who love intriguing characters, and certainly to those who love dogs.
Mr. Wroblewski's accomplishments with this, his début novel, is substantial. Equally so are Stephen King's glowing words, which, I find in reflection, say everything I might lavish on the author, leaving me to simply nod and pass along the book to loved ones, so that they too, might experience the enjoyment I did at reading 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle'.
Congratulations to the author on this storytelling achievement.
- Outstanding
By ALUJ15UFI1422 on 2008-09-20
From the moment I read the Publisher's Weekly starred review in June on The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel by David Wroblewski, I knew I had to read the book. It did take some time, but it was worth every moment. (I'll admit that I read some non-fiction in between--if for no other reason than to make the novel last longer!)
If you love animals--especially dogs--and believe in their power of communication and their ability to love, this book is a must read. I was entranced from the start, as The Sawtelle's raise a fictional breed of dog, known to be exceptional at understanding humans.
The hero, Edgar,a mute, bonds with his favorite dog, Almondine. How they communicated with such intensity and depth was deeply moving.
The novel is a thriller and does not disappoint.
While the novel deeply explores the communication between dog and human, it is also a book about humans' nature--bad and good.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle will, no doubt,take an exalted place next to other great literature.
Congratulations, David Wroblewski!
Author of the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT
- Oprah cheapens a fabulous literary work of art
By A2ZILNRU582ZIQ on 2008-09-21
First of all, I LOVED this book, and the more I think about it, the more I love it. I was saddened to see that Oprah chose THE STORY OF EDWARD SAWTELLE for her book club since I feel it cheapens the book. Oprah's books are for the most part, so mundane and ordinary, and THIS book is anything BUT. It is interesting to see the short, nasty comments from people who evidently read Oprah's selections. Very nasty. Most of them didn't even read the book, or read it and didn't "get" it.
I am also surprised to see that Oprah has her own page for this book; is this page for readers of Oprah's books only? Because THE STORY OF EDWARD SAWTELLE has had it's OWN page at Amazon since its publication, with hundreds of reviews, most of them good to excellent. This is weird. Oprah seems to be an entity which does not include any but her own.
This is an extraordinary book, full of love and full of characters who have a huge capacity for love, for learning, for living. The premise may come from HAMLET, but this is a book in a category all its own, and is true literature.
From a comment the author made about the lack of "a boy and his dog" books, I read THE CALL OF THE WILD after this book, and THAT is also a fabulous piece of literature. I sobbed in certain sections of both books, and actually was afraid, at first, that I would not be able to read a book about dogs because of my deep love and respect for them, but these two books are so beautifully written, and timeless, that it was a pleasure to read them. They have become a part of me.
Please, people, do not be put off by the nasty notes appearing here. This is a remarkable book, certain to win all sorts of literary prizes, full of the stuff of life and so beautifully written that it will stay with you long after the last page.
- REALLY Disappointing
By A18EJM1FLHM3E1 on 2008-08-06
I heard about this book even before it was published and was very excited to read it. I love dogs, the plot sounded great, and the early reviews were that it was "An American Masterpiece!" Let me assure you--it is most definitely not.
Here are just a few of the many problems:
1. The characterization. I still have no idea really who any of the main characters are--what drives them, how they think, what they feel. I have vague, general ideas (as one might get from a thriller or mystery where plot is the point rather than the characters) but nothing at all that makes me care about any of them.
2. The plot. The basics--a mute boy, his dogs, running away from home--are promising enough, but Wroblewski just does not know what to do with them. His book reads like a first draft of a first novel of someone who has not yet learned how to hold all the pieces together. And he is in desperate need of an editor. Which brings me to my next point.
3. The Writing. It could easily have been half the length without sacrificing anything at all. There are whole pages that go nowhere and plot points that wander off into the woods never to be heard from again. And I DID read the whole entire book, all the way to the bitter, boring end, hoping that somehow things would all come together and the book would at least somewhat redeem itself. It did not.
4. The dogs. This is the most disappointing and most unforgivable aspect of the book for me. As a long-time dog lover (I grew up with them and have lived with them my whole life) I live for books about dogs--fiction, non-fiction, even kind of badly written books, as long as the dog part is well done. And I can promise you, this is not well done at all. The author must know something about dogs as his bio says he grew up on a breeding farm, but if so, he is clearly not capable of writing about them. The internal world he has created for them simply does not match how dogs are. If you want to read a good dog book, read Merle's Door, Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain, Call of the Wild, Where the Red Fern Grows, Pack of Two, A Dog Year.
5. The ending. After being alternately annoyed and bored out of my mind for 500 pages, I still had hoped for some kind of payoff in the end. It is, after all, being marketed as a literary MYSTERY. Perhaps there was some kind of WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! final scene? Nope. There's not. The ending is stupid, unsatisfying and has all the melodrama of a soap opera. It is not suspenseful, it did not warm my heart, it did not make me believe in redemption or the power of love. It didn't even make me want to go hug my dog. And that's really saying something for a "Boy and His Dog" kind of story.
My heart WAS filled with gratitude however that my copy was from the library so I could simply dump it in the return slot rather than curse the wast of money it would have represented had I purchased it.
- boring
By A79T836JTU1M9 on 2008-09-19
I was very excited about reading this book. It starts out fantastic and the characters are rich, interesting and complex. After about one third through the book it becomes so predictable. The part of Edgar running through the forest is downright boring.
Pass on this over hyped book.
- SOMETHING IS ROTTEN IN THE KINGDOM OF RURAL WISCONSIN.
By A74TA8X5YQ7NE on 2008-09-20
David Wroblewski's debut novel is one that stays with you for a very long time. Built around a classic Hamletian scaffolding, it quickly acquires its own original character of a classic novel.
A mute boy, Edgar, is coming of age in a family that raises a special breed of highly intelligent dogs. The strained yet strangely idyllic balance between the uncommunicative boy and the overly communicative dogs soon shatters. Tragedy interlaced with mysteries come rushing in as the father dies and an uncle steps in his place.
When the father's apparitions seem to bring up murder and its investigation precipitates even more tragedy, Edgar runs away in the companion of his dogs...but I digress: I would not want to spoil it for anyone.
Beautiful prose, insightful descriptions of both human and canine emotions and a grasping story make this novel one that you too will greatly enjoy! As a bonus, if you already share your life with a dog, you will appreciate it more; if not, prepare to experience an intense urge to adopt one.
RECOMMENDED!
- Don't bother with this one!
By A4XS59AH1UB47 on 2008-09-19
I see Oprah jumped on the bandwagon with this book, as have some book reviewers. The charm of it eludes me. I found the characters uninteresting and the story even more so. The story could have been told in half the words. Paragraphs had to be skipped just to make the reading of this book tolerable. I kept reading to see if I could discover why many people find it a good read, and I never did. I wish I hadn't spent my good money on this poor read!
- Something is Really Weird
By A3MUXRC8FB6O63 on 2008-06-20
I enjoyed the book very much, though I thought it could have used some more editing. My concern here, however, are the reviews. Here are excerpts from three of the above reviews.
"accompanied by three young dogs named Almondine, Baboo and Tinder."
"Edgar flees accompanied by his best friends Almondine and two other dogs."
"he runs away into the Chequamegon woods, accompanied by three young dogs named Almondine, Baboo and Tinder."
Almondine does not run away with Edgar - Essay does, but the fact that three of the nine above reviewers make the same very obvious mistake (if you read the book) seems more suspicious than coincidental.
- So glad I'm not the only one...
By A1ADZJWH438E8Q on 2008-07-11
I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait for it to end. The Hamlet parallels are as subtle as a sledgehammer (Claude/Claudius, the Vet/Polonius, okay, but the dogs as "players" and Almondine as Ophelia?). The plot is far-fetched (no pun intended), sinister and creepy. The poison, the ether, the dog-fights--these are awful people. I wanted to get away from all of them. And what about Edgar's mother--what did she do to deserve all this sadness? I wanted to like this book--it's obviously touched a lot of people. I shared that feeling briefly in reading the chapter that describes Almondine's grief after Gar's death--it's beautiful. But otherwise, I just tried to plod through, but found it all so depressing. And if I hear the word "mow" one more time, I'm going to scream.
- Beautifully Written, Hauntingly Rendered
By A19MR7ZLIFJUJ8 on 2008-09-19
As a writer of nonfiction, I'm in awe of novelists, as they not only have to write well, but yanno, make stuff up. While this book's prose is gorgeous (the last time I felt this way about the writing in a novel was Jane Hamilton's MAP OF THE WORLD), the plot and characters pulled me in. A thoroughly astonishing read that will stay with you long after finishing it.
- Shocked
By A3N6UM9I1YD2C6 on 2008-09-19
I was truly shocked to learn that Oprah had picked this one. Like her, I loved it ... until the end, which left me going "huh"? So much promise, so much squandered. I won't give anything away, but please read, then tell me I'm wrong.
- boring and down right dull!!!
By A2OU3XN2L27FHJ on 2008-09-20
I read this book over the summer. It is so incredibly boring and the author is so long winded with his never ending dull thoughts. Ugh! I only powered through it because I had paid for the hard back and felt like it would have been a waste... well, it was... a waste of time and money. Due yourself a favor and pass on this book. Don't ask me why anyone would recommend it.
- Could have been a great one
By APSPHFJV4X85P on 2008-08-18
Sometimes a book just has the wrong ending, not a sad or loose end trailing kind of ending--both of those endings are just fine if they are the right ending for the story, but the wrong ending. 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' is a book with the wrong ending, making it a frustrating read.
Unanswered threads such as how Edgar's parents met or why Gar and Claude hated each other or exactly how Almondine died don't really affect the quality of the story; the author has given us enough clues to let us fill in those blanks on our own. Edgar's parents had created a lovely game of giving Edgar misinformation about their courtship. The truth, although good, as his mother said, would only be a letdown. Any tale of sibling rivalry goes back to Cain and Abel. We can fill in how Claude was jealous of Gar and how Gar resented Claude getting away with things. Almondine died because she was old and old dogs die and she died because she was Ophelia and Ophelia dies. It doesn't matter whether the car hit her (which I don't think happened) or whether she just died on the side of the road waiting for Edgar to return. Her fate was to die while Edgar was away.
But a wrong ending is a completely different matter. It can make us resent the time and emotion we have invested in a story. And the ending is wrong for this book whether you see it as a retelling of 'Hamlet' or as a dog story. 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' follows the plot in 'Hamlet' so closely that it is wrong that Trudy/Gertrude doesn't get the poison intended for Edgar and wrong that Claude/Claudius getting trapped in the burning barn doesn't feel more satisfying and dramatic. To leave Trudy out of the ghostly group hug at the end is, as several people have commented, just cruel. Why leave Trudy alive and destroyed at the end without the redemption of an afterlife with the ones she loved? What evil did she do to deserve a worse end than Claude? Remember, she didn't even ask Claude back. Edgar did when he realized that his mother would die if she didn't get help with the kennel.
If you look at the story as a dog story, then the ending is wrong as well. John Sawtelle picked dogs that had a special connection to their humans. Gar and Trudy carried this on in their dog breeding. That is the importance of the Haichiko story, in addition, of course, to its relevance as a ghost story in the 'Hamlet' parallel. Essay chose Edgar. So to have her choose to lead the other dogs off instead of coming into the barn to defend and protect Edgar, as Almondine did with the rabid animal, has her make an incomprehensible (and enormously wrong) choice. If Wroblewski wanted to show us that you can't breed loyalty, then why did the rest of the story show us that you can. Trudy has spent the entire book trying to get Edgar to understand what makes the Sawtelle dogs special and as soon as he gets it, the next step in the evolution of Sawtelle dogs, Essay, shows him that Trudy was wrong. To have Edgar go to the trouble of saving the kennel papers just to show us how worthless they are--the dogs have gone wild, Edgar is dead and Trudy catatonic--is a pretty nihilistic and wrong-headed conclusion, given the loyalty and love that have filled the rest of the story.
Are we supposed to believe that Edgar would allow Claude to get so close given his understanding of Claude's intentions? Are we supposed to believe that Trudy whose love for her son kept her from irrecoverable depression would not have found some way to get into the barn, even if she had to maim Glen further to break free?
'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' frustrates so many of us posting on this site because the ending feels so wrong. Could Wroblewski have just gotten tired of telling his story and wanted to be done or perhaps his editor was up against a time crunch and needed to get the book to bookstore shelves quickly? Whatever happened, it's a shame because the characters deserved a proper ending and so did we, the readers.
- Pointless. Don't waste your time.
By ANUWZ013U3HJV on 2008-09-20
I am a dog lover and a book lover, so I was eager to crack the spine of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle after saving it for a vacation. I wanted to love it, but didn't. Not by a long shot. If Mr. Wroblewski wanted to illustrate that life is pointless, he succeeded by writing a pointless book. The progression from Edgar's idyllic country life to the total waste and ruin of everything and everyone around him was a convoluted tale, full of overblown language. I am disappointed and angry I wasted valuable vacation reading time on this clunker that couldn't decide it if was Lassie or Carrie.
- A Story About .......
By A37F1G84K35FCZ on 2008-06-25
"A story about a boy and his dog for grownups", that is how the author described this book.
I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Wroblewski speak last night and found his thoughts very interesting and I believe worth sharing here. If I make an error in memory I apologize. He did not share the plot of his book and believes that novels should be experienced, as intended, by being read, not selectively exposed by others. He very politely declined to even share what type of dog he owns as he did not want readers to have any pre-conceived ideas about how the fictional breed of Sawtelle dogs in the book were imagined. He spoke of creating this story that is haunted by another story in 5 acts. And when he did read from the work he chose to read the chapter entitled "Almondine".
I have been posting my comments on books here for over 10 years. In all that time I cannot place another debut work by a writer above this remarkable work by Mr. Wroblewski. Another debut that comes to mind is Jeffrey Lent's first work "In The Fall", also a novel, and "All Over But The Shoutin" by Rick Bragg. The latter was non-fiction but his writing and story-telling skills were and remain extraordinary.
So the best I can do here is to recommend the book without qualification, to give nothing of the story away. You need only to love a wonderful story by a man who is passionate about what he writes who has given readers a book that I believe will be honored with literary awards in the near term and will be read as a classic American Novel a century from now.
- Dramatic and Compelling
By A37SHV7YJVUNJ0 on 2008-06-10
This is a wonderful read. The story blends an authentic portrayal of the cultural and geographic landscape of the midwest with completely new and unexpected elements. The access the story gives you to the feelings and perceptions of the dogs is a rare experience. It reminded me of reading The Call of the Wild in my teens. The supernatural elements and danger threaded through the story create a momentum and suspense that pull you through the story fast. It's a pleasure that's over too soon.
- Good book; bad ending.
By A18FIEWY86BHOU on 2008-09-19
I'm a dedicated dog lover and reader so I thought that this book would please me on several levels. And it did. Right up to the ending which was confusing and pointless. Maybe there's some existential meaning that I just didn't get but the ending ruined the book for me. Yes, I know that life is full of loss and sorrow, but I felt that this loss was just for the sake of giving the story more literary cred. Like a happy/satisfying ending would make the book less important and meaningful. Bummer.
- Hamlet in modern day Wisconsin
By AFVQZQ8PW0L on 2008-06-15
In a remote part of Wisconsin, Gar Sawtelle, his wife Trudy and their young son, mute
Edgar makes a living breeding and training dogs. Edgar has developed a unique special relationship with Almondine, one of the family dogs; the pair communicates in a way that his parents are unable to do with their son.
The family is contented although the work with the canines is hard. When Gar's brother charming brother Claude comes home the family dynamics change but not in a positive manner. Soon after his arrival Gar dies and the silent Edgar is unable to call for help. He is filled with remorse and guilt making his grief even more difficult. However, he soon believes his father was murdered by his uncle who has spent an exorbitant amount of time with his mom. Fearing he may be next, Edgar flees accompanied by his best friends Almondine and two other dogs.
Hamlet is brought into modern day Wisconsin as readers feel the destiny of tragedy will occur from the moment Claude arrives and after that happens, a sense of a second calamity once Edgar concludes his uncle killed his father to eliminate the sole barrier to his mother. Readers will be spellbound by David Wrobleweski's retelling of the classic as the key cast comes alive especially the mute Edgar who readers get to know by his thoughts and his communication with Almondine (sort of in some ways like the Ghost). This is a fascinating winner, but at 566 pages set aside some time.
Harriet Klausner
- Astounding
By A2L0J8ZXKCZXS3 on 2008-09-21
This is one of those rare reads that leaves you staring at the wall for ten minutes after reading the last page. It will make you ponder the plot and go back to find answers in the well crafted prose. Ironically, this is a novel about the unspoken thought mechanisms we have as humans and we hope our dogs have as animals. Can dogs think? This book will make you believe in the power of man's, or in this case - boy's best friend. Read this book. It will take some time and may feel slow moving at times, but stick with it until the end. Even the namesake - "Saw-Tell" is ironically a main theme of the book. Edgar does see, more than you will believe - but does he tell? Find out by reading this keeper.
- This author must be one unhappy puppy. Please don't read this book.
By AADVZNBCR5FKU on 2008-09-27
I bought this book after reading gleaming reviews on Amazon. Then I heard that Oprah chose it and I lost a little faith in my judgement. I used to read her books but found them so sad and traumatic. However, I love dogs, loved the idea of creating an ultimate canine companion, and wanted to read the book. That part did not disappoint me, and I even recommended the book to others about half way through, cautioning that it was a long way in until you even smiled. The last half of the book was good, and I was really expecting an incredible ending, full of redemption and reunion, love, hope, etc. All the pieces were lining up. But the ending was total devastation. I mean, this book did not end well for anyone, dog or human. The author had no problem killing off very likeable characters. There was no justice for Edgar. I felt like I had wasted a great deal of time.
I was baffled that such a story could have ever ended up in print. What were the editors thinking? Who read this and said, "yeah. good idea to kill the faithful dog AND the hero. let's get it printed for the masses." No, people who pick up this book hoping to read about the blessed union of man and dog will NOT be happy with this book. It is a tradegy, but a comparison to Hamlet? Nah. It's just a tragedy.
- unrewarding even with effort
By AT0B86GMT7IYU on 2008-07-26
I understand the angry responses of many readers. This book received a lot of positive press, creating much anticipation. The author does not lack talent (there is, for example, much beautiful description of the land), but there are decided problems with pacing, character motivation, and especially length. Like a number of others, I found myself wondering if I should give up on the book. I am interested in the human/dog connection, the spiritual bonds people form with animals; however, I found the minutia about dog training quite taxing. Edgar's slog through the forest was also given far too much time. What I found most difficult and unyielding, however, were the frequent metaphorical musings about time. I re-read many of these, hoping to get a clearer sense of the author's overarching theme, but these efforts availed me nothing. Additionally, I fully agree with those readers who have indicated confusion about character motivation. It is not clear what Claude is out to gain or why he should have such resentment towards his brother--whether his acquisition of the poison in Korea was indeed made with his brother in mind. Edgar's trek through the wilderness doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose either. Though we understand he fears being charged with the murder of the vet, the real point of the journey to the north (not to mention its duration) is not clear.
For those considering purchase of the book: you need to be forewarned that this is not a particularly satisfying or fresh story about the bond between dogs and humans. In fact, it's not really clear what the point of the story is... In the end, I felt annoyed and disappointed. I didn't have the sense, as I did with Shakespeare's Hamlet, that a sort of catharsis had come about, that the rot at the heart of the story had been cleared away. Were we readers supposed to think that Essay was taking her canine followers to Henry? Or were the dogs entering the new kingdom of the wild, to be governed by Forte (Fortinbras)? I really didn't get it. I do read literary fiction, but even quite effortful reading did not illuminate some of the stubbornly obscure passages here, nor did it provide me with sufficient pleasure for the time put in. Editors really do have an important role, and I think there's much they (and the author's teachers--Mr. Russo and Ms. Livesay, for example) could've done to help the plainly talented Mr. Wroblewski.
- Attention dog people
By A3774MTUI9ISVX on 2008-09-19
First half was like reading the phone book. All of a sudden it took off and I couldn't put it down! I'm still haunted by it.
- Who Cares About Oprah Anymore?
By A1JXJKTMJ00QPL on 2008-09-19
Oprah's judgment for choosing to play politics with her show left me discouraged about everything Oprah does anymore.
Here she was lecturing us about women empowerment but refuses to acknowledge Sarah Palin, favorite that his favorite candidate may loose!
- A thoughtful literary masterpiece!
By A28SDQQVF42ZB5 on 2008-09-21
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel is a thoughtful literary masterpiece. This is not your fast-paced thriller beach read; this is a novel you want to read carefully and allow to steep and absorb.
The characters are complexly drawn, three-dimensional and the story itself is highly emotional and inspiring. Edgar, the main protagonist is mute, yet his communication with his dog shows the astounding depths of the relationship between man and animal, and that language is much more than spoken words we hear.
The story had a strong emotional impact on me. Having recently lost my faithful dog of 13 years and later adding a new puppy to our household, it sure made me look at dogs differently. Although the story is fiction and the breed is fictional...well, who knows? Anything is possible, right?
I will admit the story is slow in parts, mainly because I think the author is striving to really paint a picture of the world he's created and the people who live in it. To me, the book's overall plot is a success and the reward for sticking through it all is satisfying. It's the kind of novel I personally prefer. One that makes me think while I'm reading it, and one that I think of long after I've put it down.
I don't expect it will be long before we see this novel made into a movie.
This novel was an honor to read.
~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, bestselling author of Whale Song: A Novel
- Seriously?
By A1A5D6JD0MC0N5 on 2008-08-16
After investing a good deal of time into this book I was utterly disappointed by the ending. I had to re-read the ending a second time just to make sure what happened actually happened. I thought, surely, I must've read something wrong. It just didn't make any sense. There weren't any loose ends tied up whatsoever, everyone basically dies and the dogs are meant to survive on their own? Who does that to their readers? Sure, maybe I was hoping for a happy ending, but realistically, the author could have clarified SOMETHING! Why did Claude and Gar dislike each other so much? What was Trudy's problem shacking up with Claude after the love of her live dies not 4 months before? How, exactly, did Trudy and Gar meet (did that question pop into any else's mind over and over again?)? Those are just three questions that come to mind, but there must be at least 100 questions that I have about certain parts of the book that were never answered. Maybe the book did need better editing as so many reviewers have mentioned. I agree, 1000%, with the other reviews I've read about how the author just sort of dropped the ball at the end of the book and killed everyone off because he didn't know what to do with the characters. Going into the final 100 pages I genuinely enjoyed the book. I even stuck it out through the run away part thinking it was all going to lead up to an excellent final showdown. Wow, was I ever wrong. I was so utterly bummed out by the ending that I cannot possibly recommend this book to anyone. I gave it two stars because I felt that the writing was decent and sometimes beautiful. OK, I see the Hamlet thing and I understand the Shakepearean tragedy thing...however, the author could have still tied up the loose end then killed everyone off. The terrible ending of the book ruined it for me. Well, when i think about it the author could have killed off the dogs too. I guess maybe that's sort of a happy ending?
- over-rated
By A24EWZSBX5A59 on 2008-07-03
Man, what a disappointment! Monotone delivery throughout. The author can't hit the high notes so the book lacks oomph. Boy-dog books are notorious tear-jerkers, but not this one, not at all. Ex. (Spoiler Alert) The main character dies and you barely even notice; The best dog dies and it's not even described! Mind-blowing lack of drama.
The "story" rambles. Was the whole Henry experience even necessary? Now he has his grandfather's insight into the nobility of raising/training dogs? Ooooh. Heck, all that time running away was kind of pointless. No real reason given as to why go home either. Could have cut 1/3 of the book right there. The foreshadowing wasn't done well. It's like what the (dead) father told him to do was completely forgotten for 200 pages, and not picked up too well either. Clearly Edgar was supposed to find out about Claude's time in the clink, but it never happened. I think I'll go to Canada and join a cult?! Hachi(sp?)/ambassador angle went nowhere. Terrible ending. The dogs feel the call of the wild? LAME.
Aside from the first Almondine chapter, which was very original and effective, this book basically sucked. Author: find a story, tell the story and stop trying to be so coy and circumspect.
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