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by: David Wroblewski  List Price: $25.95 Amazon.com's Price: $14.27 You Save: $11.68 (45%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: HardcoverDewey Decimal Number: 813.6 EAN: 9780061768064 ISBN: 0061768065 Label: Ecco Manufacturer: Ecco Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 576 Publication Date: September 19, 2008 Publisher: Ecco Release Date: September 19, 2008 Studio: Ecco Sales Rank: 29 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product 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. Amazon.com Review: 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 Praise from Stephen King Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Not always a happy endingEdgar Sawtelle had me spellbound. I was clearly not going to put this book down until I read the conclusion. Suffice it to say.. I do expect a sequel...if there is a possiblility that dogs could write. If and when a sequel is written, there might not be any spare time left in my life. Hmmmm that is a thought. At least I have more trust in a Sawtelle dog than I do in our present Government. What has become of "Forte"? Admittedly, I will be first in line to pre-order the sequel.. Rating:  - Tedious and Self-IndulgentThis book is tedious, self-indulgent, and over-hyped. It is a rip-off of Hamlet, books by Martha Grimes (human-like animals), and even Hard Times by Dickens (the loyal circus dog). After suffering through this book, there is no ending. The exhausted reader is left up to guessing what happens to the dogs. One can only assume they go to Henry Lamb's farm. I cannot recommend this book. Rating:  - What Happened?I loved the players and the twisted, exciting story build up, but.....did the author suddenly leave town before writing the last chapter? This was not an ending, only a terrible, deflating, defeating let down. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62) Rating:  - Story of Edgar Sawtelle: a Rare TreatThe Story of Edgar Sawtelle is one of those rare books that comes along on occasion. I was reluctant to read it because of its length and because it is an Oprah pick. I don't usually read a book just because Oprah recommends it. However, I read several reviews of the book and the more I read about it, the more I wanted to read it. I actually started reading it from the library but then, I decided I wanted a copy for myself. The language the author uses is so rich and he makes the reader ... Read More Rating: - book orderMy order was placed in November, 2008. By the end of December I still had not gotten my order. I contacted the seller, no response. I contacted Amazon and received a reply, only to find out for some reason my order was never delivered to my house or mailbox and because it had no return address on it, it is now at a Mail Return Center. I have now had to write a letter, because they do not take calls, to MRC to try and get my order. This has been a big hassle. I cant believe the seller did not ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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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.