The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend 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… Product details and pricing info |
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436 Customer Reviews Posted
- waste of my time
- I usually love Oprah's picks, but this was a lulu. I read 275 pages before I gave up. Too much descriptions of weather, forests, dog training, etc. Not enough action. The author could have condensed the pages by at least 50%. I am interested in what happened afterward, but not patient enough to endure the endless writing and descriptions. I am sure that I will find someone who has finished reading the book who can answer my questions.
- 2008-10-09, 2 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Tense, sad, yet ultimately unfulfilling
- As I read the last page, closed the book (still warm and heavy in my hand) and placed it upon my nightstand of distressed oak purchased at a time when money was more plentiful than taste, I could not help but wonder the difference a talented editor could have made, not only on meandering thoughts, wandering points of view and considerable descriptions of the mundane, but the effect he or she might have had on harnessing chapters, passages and sentences 10 years in the making.
That aside, dog lovers beware, since the book is rife with canine (and human) sadness. I certainly bought the ending, just didn't completely understand the journey (this novel seems written with book clubs in mind to discuss and debate various meanings, from the dogs' talents and training to the tragedies that seemed to befall nearly every character).
And a pet peeve -- the spoilers contained on the end flap. You don't learn of (SPOILER ALERT -- see, is that so hard?) Gar's death until roughly 150 pages or so. Or (ANOTHER SPOILER) that Edgar returns to the farm to face down his nemesis, which occurs about 70 pages from the end. What the heck? I make it a practice to avoid end flaps, as well as most Amazon (and other website) book reviews, which often divulge too much. - 2008-10-08, 2 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Our Book Club LOVED it! 100%
- By far one of the best written, most imaginative, books I've read in a long time.
I loved it so much - I didn't want it to end.
Everyone in my book club raved - it made for a great discussion. Especially the "Hamlet"
connection.
Definitely one I'll read again one day with joy and sadness! - 2008-10-08, 2 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Mixed Feelings
- I really enjoyed reading this book, for most of it. It was a real page-turner and once I got into it it was hard to put down. The characters, both human and canine, were interesting and their story pulled me along and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. However, I have to agree with a number of the other posters who disliked the ending. I was expecting something grander, something more revealing, something that would draw on what came before and leave me feeling satisfied. But it seemed liked the author didn't know how to end the story so he just decided to betray character and logic and simply wrap everything up. So, on the balance, it's hard to say whether I'd recommend the book or not. The first 500 pages were great, but the last 60 just left me with the feeling that I had wasted my time getting there.
- 2008-10-08, 1 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- If you loved the ending of Cold Mountain, you'll love this one too.
- This is a slow read; nothing compelling. But interesting nonetheless. Until the semi-last chapter. There is no last chapter. I haven't been this angry with a writer since Cold Mountain- hated that ending and hate this one too. This one is even worse- it just ends abruptly. I wonder if the author didn't have an ending or just got bored with the story. Even Cold Mountain had an ending that allowed the reader to come to terms with it even if you hated it. This just ends. Very frustrating, very incomplete. The author is in love with his writing style which is beautiful at times but he goes the extra mile to show you his craft- too obvious and it takes you out of the story to marvel at his "way with words". Unless you absolutely loved Cold Mountain, don't waste your money.
- 2008-10-07, 1 of 2 people found this review helpful, Rated:
