|
| 
 enlarge | Author: David Wroblewski
Publisher: Ecco
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $14.20
You Save: $11.75 (45%)
New (53) Used (22) Collectible (26) from $12.99
Rating:  654 reviews
Sales Rank: 674
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 576
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.5 x 2
ISBN: 0061374229
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061374227
ASIN: 0061374229
Publication Date: June 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Dramatic and Compelling June 10, 2008
29 out of 33 found this review helpful
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.
Astounding September 21, 2008
25 out of 28 found this review helpful
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.
A Story About ....... June 25, 2008
34 out of 40 found this review helpful
"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.
A thoughtful literary masterpiece! September 21, 2008
23 out of 27 found this review helpful
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
Beautifully Written, Hauntingly Rendered September 19, 2008
46 out of 57 found this review helpful
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.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
