Wonderful book, wrong endingNovember 22, 2008 What a wonderful read and a group of characters that tie you in to a story with the most unfortunate and ill-perceived ending. I, as other reviewers, do not mind a tragic ending, but too much of the novel's mystique that carries you through is left unanswered and unfinished. I am truly unsatisfied after a starting a book that seemed to be off to a great start.
I liked it but couldn;t finish it...November 22, 2008 Beautifully written - but I am an animal lover and it was very, very hard for me to always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. As much as I felt the author's intent to show Edgar and his father and mother's love for their dogs, I also knew (from the first foreshadowing/preface page of the book) that any minute a dog could or would die, be harmed, mistreated or neglected. This won't be a problem for most people, but as someone who anthropomorphises - I felt the dogs were strong characters in the book and deserved better. I literally could not finish this book once I saw the writing on the wall (which was soon after Gar left...), This was my first "kindle-book" and I was sad not to be able to finish the experience. I have NEVER not finished a good book. This is a first.
A Good ReadNovember 21, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book has the potential to become a modern classic; it was extremely well-written and drew me in like few books can. It reminds me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Especially good were the events and impressions from both Almondine's and Edgar's points of view. The last pages of the book, however, left nothing but questions and cognitive dissonance. How could the protagonists Edgar and Trudy deserve such an ending? Where was Essay leading the pack of dogs? Why did people really want Sawtelle dogs and what were the Sawtelles truly selling? And what about all the characters who took so much time to develop--the creepy old lady; Henry; Trudy; Forte II? How could the author allow the plot to simply extinguish, without bringing any resolution? Having asked all these questions, though, I still recommend this book. If you need your book to have a happy ending, don't buy this book. If you're comfortable with leaving a few loose ends, read away. Perhaps in the future the author may publish some alternative endings. While we're waiting for that, though, it would be a good college freshman literature assignment: rewrite the ending to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I'm looking forward to more books by David Wroblewski.
One of the most depressing books I've ever read.November 21, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I first heard the author interviewed on Diane Rehm, I thought it sounded like a great book, but I chose not to read it at the time since it was about dogs and I convinced myself that at least one dog would die and I'm extremely emotional in when it comes to non-human animials.
Like Oprah frequently warns, one should always listen to their gut instinct.
Unfortunately, I was later told by someone I know that I simply must read this book (although admittedly, not someone I trusted even before the recommendation) and then Oprah put in on her list (I don't hold it against her). So, I finally decided that if Wroblewski spent 10 years writing the story, I should give it a go. After suffering through the few days it took to get through this, I wonder how he could have spent that much time creating such an abysmal tale.
The story was nothing but tragedy from start to finish. I agree that the passages devoted to Almondine's thoughts were poignant and beautifully written, albeit absolutely gut-wrenching. I cried from the beginning to the end of this book. I wish that I had not finished it, but I felt at the time that I just had to see Edgar through to the end. Big mistake.
I was also very taken in by, and hoped that the history of "The Sawtelle Dogs", and in particular the letters between the senior Sawtelle and the biologist/breeder, would lead to something interesting, but it went absolutely nowhere.
The only reason I'm writing this review and the only reason I would tell anyone I know about it, is to ward them off of it. If I could prevent one person from reading this book, it is worth the time it took to write this. Sorry Wroblewski.
BTW this is my first book review.
Awesome!November 20, 2008 2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I couldn't put this book down- I read it in 2 days! It is a great story, you know the story line, but the unique setting and twists make this a great read!
