The Story of Edgar Sawtelle |  | Author: David Wroblewski
Publisher: Anchor Canada
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Rating:  662 reviews
Media: Paperback
Pages: 576
Number Of Items: 1
ISBN: 0385664796
EAN: 9780385664790
ASIN: 0385664796
Publication Date: November 10, 2009 (In 354 Days)
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Amazon.com Review
bAmazon Best of the Month, June 2008/b: It's gutsy for a debut novelist to offer a modern take on iHamlet/i 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 iThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle/i 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. --iMari Malcolm/i pHR class=bucketDivider noShade SIZE=1pp span class="h1"strongBook Description/strong/spanbr\ pBorn 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. /p pGrief-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./p pDavid 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. /p p align=left span class="h1"strongiDouble Life, with Dogs/i: An Amazon Exclusive Essay by David Wroblewski /strong/span p img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/books/harper-gms/wroblewski250.jpg" border="0" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="right" 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. iThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle/i 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 iCall of the Wild/i. 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. /p pbContinue Reading iDouble Life, With Dogs/i/b p align=left span class="h1"strongPraise from Stephen King/strong/span p "I flat-out loved iThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle/i, 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 idoes/i articulate them, and splendidly. I closed the book with that regret readers feel only after experiencing the best stories: iIt's over,/i you think, iand I won't read another one this good for a long, long time./i/p pIn truth, there's never been a book quite like iThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle/i. I thought of iHamlet/i when I was reading it, and iWatership Down/i, and iThe Night of the Hunter/i, and iThe Life of Pi/i--but halfway through, I put all comparisons aside and let it just be itself./p pI'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 iEdgar/i, I think they will be apt to stick to the book and forget the neighborhood gossip./p pWonderful, 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."/p
Product Description
A riveting family saga, bThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle/b explores the deep and ancient alliance between humans and dogs, and the power of fate through one boy#8217;s epic journey into the wild.brbrBorn 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 companion. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelle's once-peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm #8211; and into Edgar's mother#8217;s affections.brbrGrief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires, spectacularly. Edgar flees into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm. He 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#8217;s murderer, and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs, turn Edgar ever homeward.brbrWroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes #8211; the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a ghost made of falling rain #8211; create a family saga that is at once a brilliantly inventive retelling of Hamlet, an exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.brbrbriFrom the Hardcover edition./i
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| Customer Reviews: Read 657 more reviews...
 A Good Read November 21, 2008
Kathleen Church (Washington State)
This book has the potential to become a modern classic; it was extremely well-written and drew me in like few books can. It reminds me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Especially good were the events and impressions from both Almondine's and Edgar's points of view. br /The last pages of the book, however, left nothing but questions and cognitive dissonance. How could the protagonists Edgar and Trudy deserve such an ending? Where was Essay leading the pack of dogs? Why did people really want Sawtelle dogs and what were the Sawtelles truly selling? And what about all the characters who took so much time to develop--the creepy old lady; Henry; Trudy; Forte II? How could the author allow the plot to simply extinguish, without bringing any resolution? br /Having asked all these questions, though, I still recommend this book. If you need your book to have a happy ending, don't buy this book. If you're comfortable with leaving a few loose ends, read away. Perhaps in the future the author may publish some alternative endings. While we're waiting for that, though, it would be a good college freshman literature assignment: rewrite the ending to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. br /I'm looking forward to more books by David Wroblewski. br /
 One of the most depressing books I've ever read. November 21, 2008
dijjer (Arlington, TX USA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
When I first heard the author interviewed on Diane Rehm, I thought it sounded like a great book, but I chose not to read it at the time since it was about dogs and I convinced myself that at least one dog would die and I'm extremely emotional in when it comes to non-human animials. br / br /Like Oprah frequently warns, one should always listen to their gut instinct. br / br /Unfortunately, I was later told by someone I know that I simply must read this book (although admittedly, not someone I trusted even before the recommendation) and then Oprah put in on her list (I don't hold it against her). So, I finally decided that if Wroblewski spent 10 years writing the story, I should give it a go. After suffering through the few days it took to get through this, I wonder how he could have spent that much time creating such an abysmal tale. br / br /The story was nothing but tragedy from start to finish. I agree that the passages devoted to Almondine's thoughts were poignant and beautifully written, albeit absolutely gut-wrenching. I cried from the beginning to the end of this book. I wish that I had not finished it, but I felt at the time that I just had to see Edgar through to the end. Big mistake. br / br /I was also very taken in by, and hoped that the history of "The Sawtelle Dogs", and in particular the letters between the senior Sawtelle and the biologist/breeder, would lead to something interesting, but it went absolutely nowhere. br / br /The only reason I'm writing this review and the only reason I would tell anyone I know about it, is to ward them off of it. If I could prevent one person from reading this book, it is worth the time it took to write this. Sorry Wroblewski. br / br /BTW this is my first book review.
 Awesome! November 20, 2008
M. Gonzales (New HAmpshire)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I couldn't put this book down- I read it in 2 days! It is a great story, you know the story line, but the unique setting and twists make this a great read!
Very Disappointed in Sawtelle November 20, 2008
Natalie
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I finished reading I thought to myself, "WHAT!?" I turned back a few pages thinking I had missed something- there had to be more. The author wouldn't dare end it with SO MANY unanswered questions and run off plots- would he? Indeed he did. br / br /The book jacket gave too much information away and I spent the first 300 pages reading, yet already knowing what was going to happen. How boring is that! br / br /The concepts were great, but the actual story was just all wrong.
 What a disappointment! November 20, 2008
Alicia Smith
Oh my goodness! I have read many of Oprah's Book Club suggestions. All of them have been very good. I cannot, however, remember a book where the ending of the book was such a big disappointment. If it hadn't have been on my Kindle (which I absolutely love, by the way!!) I probably would have thrown it out.
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