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David Wroblewski

Story of Edgar Sawtelle LP, The Paperback – Large Print, September 2, 2008

by David Wroblewski (Author)

2,953 ratings

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Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life on his family's farm in remote northern Wisconsin where they raise and train an extraordinary breed of dog. But when tragedy strikes, Edgar is forced to flee into the vast neighboring wilderness, accompanied by only three yearling pups. Struggling for survival, Edgar comes of age in the wild, and must face the choice of leaving forever or revealing the terrible truth behind what has happened. A riveting family saga as well as a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is destined to become a modern classic.

Print length

904 pages
Language

English
Publisher

HarpLPLuxe
Publication date

September 2, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 1.75 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0061691623
ISBN-13

978-0061691621
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A stunning first novel…a ranging story that is part coming of age, part mystery and part tragedy on the order of Hamlet…Wroblewski executes with elan, building an addicting tale peopled by fully dimensional characters. He carries the reader, with authority and confidence, on a thought-provoking ride.” (Denver Post)

“…a stunningly well-written novel…” (Pittsburgh Tribune)

“The author’s spellbinding first novel…is nearly impossible to put down.” (Kirkus Reviews, First Fiction Special)

The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn—rare and wonderful, and maybe no more than just a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one.... [an] extraordinary debut. (Elle)

“A literary thriller with commercial legs, this stunning debut is bound to be a bestseller.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“A stately, wonderfully written debut novel…[Wroblewski] takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language… a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“An excruciatingly captivating read…Ultimately liberating, though tragic and heart-wrenching, this book is unforgettable.” (Library Journal (starred review))

“I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.... Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying….I don’t re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one.” (Stephen King)

“I doubt we’ll see a finer literary debut this year than The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. David Wroblewski’s got storytelling talent to burn and a big, generous heart to go with it.” (Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls)

“The most enchanting debut novel of the summer....a great, big, mesmerizing read, audaciously envisioned as classic Americana...One of the great pleasures of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is its free-roaming, unhurried progress, enlivened by the author’s inability to write anything but guilelessly captivating prose. (New York Times)

About the Author

David Wroblewski grew up in rural Wisconsin, not far from the Chequamegon National Forest where The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is set. He earned his master's degree from the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers and now lives in Colorado with his partner, the writer Kimberly McClintock, and their dog, Lola. This is his first novel.

Product details

Publisher : HarpLPLuxe (September 2, 2008)
Language : English
Paperback : 904 pages
ISBN-10 : 0061691623
ISBN-13 : 978-0061691621
Item Weight : 2.2 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.75 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,354,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47,829 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #68,324 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
- #143,941 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
2,953 ratings

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Customer reviews

5 star		57%
4 star		16%
3 star		12%
2 star		8%
1 star		8%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Chewbdu

I can't get those hours back

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2018

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I bought this book because I like to read stores that are written to take place in areas that I am familiar with. My dad was from Mellen (Highbridge) WI, where this book is set. The story could take place anywhere. The author throws around the names of Wisconsin cities and they have no real relation to the story. The characters are well defined and a variety from dedicated, intellegent, thoughtful dad to sinister dad's brother. Mom is weak and Edgar is a teenager thrust into the middle of turmoil, grief, greed,betrayal, and mystery. My favorite character, next to the dad was Henry. An incidental man, but humorous, who wasn't a dog person, but a caring man. Then there are the dogs. I am a lover of dogs, so that part was interesting, especially the importance of the lineage. I loved the main dog character - Almondine. The story was interesting and unfolded slowly (the book is over 400 pages). It sucked me in to the details of the events and characters and I liked not knowing which way it was going to turn. It is well written. The ending sucked and was a total letdown - pure and simple. All I can think was that I wasted a lot of hours reading it for a crumby ending. If you are into stories that end up going nowhere and don't mind wasting hours of your life to get there, by all means read this book. If you look for a story with a decent ending, where things tie together at the end - find something else. This book left me hollow.

41 people found this helpful

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Deborah

Sad and awful ending

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2018

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Toward the end you were wrapped up and loved main characters (boy and dog) and they all died with no closure. You couldn’t even GET to their deaths with any certainty until wading through pages and pages of irrelevant junk. No closure at all. Life’s a bitch and then you die. Unpleasant and worthless read.

26 people found this helpful

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bgb18

Not understanding the positive reviews

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019

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It is mysterious to me how people could go crazy over this book. The prose can be interesting at time, but then there are pages upon pages of overblown descriptions of just about anything. The thing I HATED the most about the book was how self-absorbed Edward is. I continued to the end out of curiosity and a need to understand the enthusiastic reviews, but the more I read, the more I grew to really dislike the main character. The endless descriptions about training and breeding dogs for their puppy mill was beyond tedious. The dismal ending was fitting - I certainly didn't shed any tears.

20 people found this helpful

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ProfRice

Compelling tale that fell flat

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2019

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Lush prose (sometimes too much) drew me into a world inside the minds of a boy and dogs, both likeable and believable. I was cheering for all of them. So when the ending came I was crushed. Evil wins, sins get buried not revealed and lives and history destroyed. Up till the very end I was loving the book. If you don't mind evil winning, you might enjoy this book. I can handle some injustice (that's real life, isn't it?), but I want to at least have my fantasy world be a better place.

11 people found this helpful

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Irish Bill

Captivating read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2017

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As a senior citizen, I love to read for awhile before settling in for the night. The problem with this book was that I found it really hard to put down. It cost me some sleep a few nights! LOL For me it was definitely a very captivating novel. If you are a dog lover, you will enjoy this book. The author obviously did his research and not only are their a ton of facts about dog training and dog in general, he does a great job of describing the personality of each of the dogs. Yet, there is so much more to this novel. The book is also a classic "whodunit murder mystery" and the author does a great job filling out the individual characters. Finally, for those who love a "coming of age" story, this book is definitely one you will enjoy. As an added bonus, I found the ending to be very thought provoking. It end with the main character..........don't want to ruin it for you! LOL Definitely a good read for me which is why I gave it five stars!

15 people found this helpful

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DonnaEllis

I Loved Edgar...as well as Almondine

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2016

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This book doesn't really fit those nice neat boxes of "hopeful, dark, nostalgic, light-hearted, suspenseful, thoughtful, etc. It was a story about human beings who are all of those things, and the ups and downs of life which cannot be predicted. The joys of life are counterbalanced by suspicions, death and grief, and yet also hope. I kept hoping for Edgar and I refuse to ruin this book by alluding to any part of it for the reader, but I loved his devotion to his family, as well as his dogs, and the dogs' devotion to him as well. I was richly entertained, even in the hardest parts of the book, and found it very difficult to put down. I never got to have a pet growing up, but always imagined she'd be an Almondine, and I kind of "lived" this book...it was sad and lovely at the same time. I know that people who have dogs must love it even more.

15 people found this helpful

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SheVandal

Stay, Watch, Recall

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2016

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A barn, a boy and his dogs. They shared a life without words. They didn't need them. The signs were all there.
I was drawn into the characters and the routines that kept them all together. Yet just as in any life, routines are broken. The unexpected disrupts the ordinary and choices are made. It's not always pretty. It's certainly not easy. All you can hope for is the best possible, which is seldom the best.
This was a great story. It was written with simple prose but rich in detail and feeling. It had realism, action, mystery, heartache and healing. It was satisfying in the truest sense and I believe this story will stay with me. I believe I will continue to wonder what the secret was, if it's what I think it is, if the right words were spoken.

13 people found this helpful

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Susan G. St. Pierre

One of the best stories I have read in a long time.... It keeps me thinking about it long after I finished reading it.....

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016

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What a GREAT book... I was sorry when it ended... I wanted the story to continue on and on...... Finished it well over a week ago and I am still thinking about the story..... It left a very lasting impression on me... Find a comfortable place to relax and read this book... It will make you think about the way we interact with each other.... A GREAT story.....

22 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Wynne Kelly

Too many words.....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2013

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This was a reading group choice - so probably not a book I would have picked normally. "It's Hamlet with dogs - you will love it!" I was assured.

Edgar is a mute boy being brought up on a farm in Wisconsin where his parents breed and train dogs. His father dies and his uncle Claude gradually moves in takes his place. The Hamlet references are fairly easy to spot: Trudy/Gertrude, Claude/Claudius Papineau/Polonius. There is even an Ophelia but I won't spoil that for any future reader. The Hamlet references work well, especially the way in which Claude insinuates himself into the family.

Unfortunately I did not love this book. After a concert Emperor Joseph II is supposed to have said "Too many notes, Mozart, too many notes." I felt the same about Edgar Sawtelle - too many words. - 550 pages of small print. The story just took much too long to tell and there were several sections that could easily have been omitted (such as the time Edgar stays with Henry). The physical landscape is very well portrayed and Edgar is a likeable central character. But the story as a whole just did not grip me.

S Mears

An amazing book!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2018

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I have never written a review before. I never read books twice.
I am writing this review because I thought The Story of Edgar Sawtelle was such a fantastic book. It was a real roller coaster which left me emotionally drained at the end. Anyone who loves, understands and has a close relationship with dogs should read this book.
I read it twice (with at least ten years in between) and love it both times.

Trickle Tree

Worth a read but not a rave

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2009

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I read this book after watching Oprah rave about it on her show. I absolutely love dogs and have three of my own. I really did enjoy the story and loved the Almondine chapters and wish the author would write a whole book from a dog's perspective though it could prove heartbreaking. I didn't like the 101 ways to describe weather. Some description was beautiful but some just got in the way of the progress of the story. It almost felt like the author was padding out the story. I loved the characters and would say that the farm itself was the main character in the book. I have marked it down due to lack of substance but have heard that the author is going to make this a three book series so I will be reading them all when they come out.

One person found this helpful

Book chatter

Interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 16, 2009

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It's rare these days that I read a book that surprises me, and this is one of them. A little slow in places and perhaps a touch too long, it's a book of relationships, mystery, murder and ghosts with interesting descriptions of both the countryside and dogs. The ending surprised me and it wasn't what I'd hoped for, but the build up to the climax was truly gripping and I resented anyone interupting me as I made my way to the end. One I will recommend, but not necessarily re-read.

Lorna Nolan

Perfect

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Love this book beautifully written

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