Edgar Sawtelle

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

Summary: The story of Edgar Sawtelle, a boy born without the ability to speak, as he comes of age while learning to breed and train dogs on the family farm and uncover the mystery behind his father's death.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Comments: I just finished reading this book and still can't decide whether or not I liked it. At some points during my reading, I was thinking it was a 4 star, bordering on a 5 star, novel and loved it. At other times, I felt bored, and found myself counting pages until the chapter ended, certain I would give the book a solid 2.

Let's start with what I liked: 1. Edgar. I connected with him and grew to love him very much.
2. Almondine. Without doubt my favorite character. She was the perfect dog--loyal, perceptive and loving. Her death was the most emotional part of the book for me, as I was really looking forward to her reunion with Edgar. Why did she have to die (and how did she die)?
3. The description of Trudy grieving over her lost baby (and later, her husband) and how she was able to force the darkness back to a tiny seed, never gone, but no longer consuming. It made me understand a little more how she could let Claude into her life.
4. I think it would make an ...more I just finished reading this book and still can't decide whether or not I liked it. At some points during my reading, I was thinking it was a 4 star, bordering on a 5 star, novel and loved it. At other times, I felt bored, and found myself counting pages until the chapter ended, certain I would give the book a solid 2.

Let's start with what I liked: 1. Edgar. I connected with him and grew to love him very much.
2. Almondine. Without doubt my favorite character. She was the perfect dog--loyal, perceptive and loving. Her death was the most emotional part of the book for me, as I was really looking forward to her reunion with Edgar. Why did she have to die (and how did she die)?
3. The description of Trudy grieving over her lost baby (and later, her husband) and how she was able to force the darkness back to a tiny seed, never gone, but no longer consuming. It made me understand a little more how she could let Claude into her life.
4. I think it would make an amazing discussion, and I wish I had read this with a book club. I know there are things I missed, and I am sure I could appreciate it much more if I had a group to help me make sense of it all.
5. I was emotionally involved, and have thought about the book often as I have read. That is always a good thing.
6. The dogs were wonderful. I am wishing I could have a Sawtelle dog myself.


Things I didn't like: 1. The length. This was my biggest gripe with the book. It was too LONG. It started slow, picked up momentum, then stalled time and again before finally reaching the climax. I thought the middle section, with Edgar on the run, was very long and I wanted him to turn around much sooner.
2. So many details were unnecessary, yet I often wished for more. It was quite confusing. I never really got a sense for what was important to know
3. The ending. I never picked up on the fact that this was a retelling of Hamlet (I guess I need to brush up on my Shakespeare), and I was not prepared for the tragedy that was the conclusion. I felt cheated, as if the ending wasn't worthy of all the build-up.
4. It was plain weird. A crazy woman at the grocery store is some sort of seer/fortune teller, yet we know nothing about her. Edgar communicated frequently with ghosts (what was the deal with the old farmer anyway? I didn't understand that).

I am still unsettled. A good book. I am glad that I read it. Definitely not my favorite and I think it could have been a whole lot better.