The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

My husband and I listened to this book in the hot tub and we both loved it. Got to where when as soon as we got home from work, we were in the hot tub!

What a wonderful book...until Edgar's father is killed. Wish I had never read the book. The ending is quite disturbing or so I thought.

This debut novel is the engrossing story of a mute boy, his family and the special breed of dogs they raise. After a fatal accident on their northern plains farm, Edgar and three of his dogs try to make their way to Canada. Taking no supplies, they must live off the land until an eccentric farmer takes them in.There's a Huckleberry Finn feel to this boy and his odyssey. The writing is compelling. I read rapidly, and I couldn't put this book down for the several days it took me to read it. I hope Edgar Wrobleski has another novel this good in his repetoire

This is an extraordinary novel, Hamlet in the North Woods of Wisconsin. Wroblewski was very fond of the stories of Shakespeare as a kid, if not necessarily the actual text, and it is clear that he carried with him the knowledge of tragedy. Edgar opens with a mysterious transaction in the Orient in wh......more

This is a very well written book with serious flaws. I cannot fathom what the point of the book is or why it's getting such good press. The author doesn't seem to understand the relationship between story and the flow of ideas. He skips over important details such as why anyone does anything they do......more

Stayed up half the night finishing it and… I really can’t be objective about this book. I said earlier how I was enjoying it purely as a reader and not a critic, but it goes deeper than that. It’s like Wroblewski had some kind of infrared Jungian checklist and somehow managed to find out all my chil......more

I waged a personal debate for this five-star rating, arguing what exactly makes a book great. With every question, I returned to the story itself has the ability to lift a book above more average efforts. 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' is just that, a great story. A modern retelling of 'Hamlet'? Certa......more

I feel like I'm one of the only people missing something here. I just finished a book about family, loyalty, dogs, and I just didn't get it. I didn't find myself connecting with the characters and as soon as I was starting to feel a connection (the last two hundred pages), Wroblewski throws out a ha......more