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Liked It5 of 6 members found this review helpful “This was an incredible read. The author immerses the reader immediately into a different world. The detailed immersion is never mundane or monotonous, as some would say. However, it is literature, and as such, many common readers do not like literature. It is an intriguing story, well researched,...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It5 of 7 members found this review helpful “I thought this book started off great. I loved the writing style. Then halfway through the book came to a stand still. While the writing was still good, the plot was boring. Then the end was disappointing. |
Newest Reviews
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“What an amazing book! I loved the discussion of the dog training because that was really at the heart of the book...it was what helped Edgar come to terms with life. I don't think there could have been any other ending. Claude set things rolling and the ending is then unavoidable. I would have preferred an unrealistic ending because I loved the other characters so, but it really was the only ending that would make the author's point.”
Lindam wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It took me quite a while to like this book, but I'm glad I persevered. I got hooked way at the end, during the chapter called "Wind". I admit I had looked at some other Shelfari reviews and was a bit prepared for the ending.”
Ellen M wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Loved it all. Excellent writing and interesting family story. Thought the ending was a bit of a cop out, which is kind of a bummer when you spend so much time reading. Loved that the dog was a narrator at times.”
Elisabeth S wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Didn't finish. Was very disappointed. ”
Kelly L wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book was an OK story but I felt like the author put in way too many unnecessary details which made the book way longer than it needed to be. There was so much detail about the actual training of the dogs that didn't add to the storyline. I was disappointed with the ending as well.”
Leanne B wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“If you have ever loved a dog this book will creep into your soul.”
daye wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Oprah picked this book for a reason you will not whant to put this book down it is a very sad story though filled with sorrow and loss.”
Nolan D wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is an amazing read. Wroblewski is a talented writer who can imagine his way inside the minds of animals and who has crafted an enormously readable, yet beautifully literate story. Edgar is a boy who is born mute but who can hear. His family runs a dog breeding operation on a farm in rural Wisconsin. His father is dedicated to the idea of breeding the 'next' dog - in other words a dog which is one step farther along in intelligence than all other breeds. He largely succeeds, breeding a kind of dog just known as 'Sawtelles'. The novel takes you deep into the ways and hows of dog breeding and training and introduces a cast of dog characters that are as finely drawn as any human character - BUT - that is just one part of the story that if fabulous (SPOILER ALERT). The second thing is that Wroblewski has retold the story of Hamlet in a fresh and compelling way. I saw echoes of Hamlet in the story at the start but did not realize how completely the writer took the narrative from Shakespeare. Gar (EdGAR's father) is married to Trudie (Gertrude). Their kingdom is the world of the Sawtelle dogs. Claude (Claudius) returns home and murders Gar to get Trudie and the dog breeding business. Gar's ghost appears to Edgar (done incredibly well - ghost appearances are notoriously tough to write) and tells him the story. If you know the rest of Hamlet, then you know how the story ends. The character of Ophelia is the dog Almondine - sounds lame but it isn't. Almondine is Edgar's companion dog - the dog who has been with him since his birth. She is the 'next' dog that Gar has taken a life's work to breed - so intelligent and knowing that it is eerie. It is hard to identify which part of the novel I liked best - it had a fast paced interesting narrative, beautiful, lyrical prose and characters that were fresh and familiar but who you cared about in the reading. Pretty awesome combination. ”
Wendy J wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was so disapointed with the ending”
Bobby wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It took me a long time to finish this book, and now that I have, I find myself torn at it. But first, how I came across it.
Sofia Carvalho wrote this review 7 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
My mother bought this book and gave it to me because she had heard great things about it and knows about my book addiction. I have to admit that, at first, I wasn't very keen on reading this. I mean, giving a book a title that says "The Story of Some Fictional Character I have Never Heard of Before" does little to pique my interest. But I always read every book that is given to me, and decided to give it a try.
As an aside, I should say that, contrary to what I usually do, I didn't read this book in the original language - I read the Portuguese translation (by Patrícia Xavier). It was probably the first time in my life I've ever read such a great, nearly flawless translation.
Well, it's certainly very well written, without being difficult to read. I could feel myself in the places described, and the characters were believable enough. But I just couldn't find any empathy with them. I know that all human beings are flawed, and I'm not complaining about that (in fact, my favourite characters are always the flawed ones). No, it's just that I couldn't relate to or understand what they were doing, the decisions they made. I ended up not feeling either empathy nor, towards the end, any sympathy. The exception to this were the dogs. The dogs were great and I found myself really caring about what happened to them. But the humans? Not so much, and the only reason I can think of for this is because, like I said, I didn't understand what they did (and I'm usually a terribly empathic person with characters in books).
**Slight SPOILER Alert**
Also, the story had some pretty weird moments. I was a bit taken aback the first time something "supernatural" happened, although I understood its place in the story afterward. But most of it, specially the drama, was rather predictable. I mean, I kept expecting everyone to die. And sure enough, lots did, and even in the order I thought they would.
The ending... Well, without wanting to give away too much, it left me thinking, "Then what was the point to all this?". Maybe I just need more time to digest it. Maybe the book is supposed to be an enigma that never gets solved. Or maybe there really wasn't a point to it after all.”
