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    Thalia Book Club: David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
    Thalia Book Club: David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
    Thalia Book Club: David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
    Audiobook1 hour

    Thalia Book Club: David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

    Written by David Wroblewski

    Narrated by Dan Menaker

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    David Wrobleski sits down with Dan Menaker to discuss and read excerpts from his book, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSymphony Space
    Release dateJun 10, 2009
    ISBN9781467663748
    Thalia Book Club: David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

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    Reviews for Thalia Book Club

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    • 4/5
      I resisted reading this for a long time, because it was an Oprah book and because it was so long; finally, after two friends each gave me the paperback, I decided I'd better see what it was all about. I liked the descriptive writing, except for a slight overuse of hyphenated adjectives. I liked the story, pretty much, except for the apocalyptic ending. I liked the interactions with and descriptions of the dogs, although a dog friend of mine said real dogs aren't like that. Overall, I'm glad I read it, and all those pages went quite quickly.
    • 5/5
      I don't think I've ever read a book as fast or found one as compelling. Sometimes alittle too detailed, but great read. It followed the srory of Hamlet and I eneded up rereadng Hamlet to understand the connecton better.
    • 3/5
      Follows speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father's death.This was a very unique book, but I had problems with the plot. Many times it felt that the author assumed that the reader knew what he was trying to convey, so he didn't really "spell it out". Much of the book featured the "special" Sawtelle dogs, but it was never explained why they were so unique or special. I didn't see the ending coming at all and it still left me hanging. Interesting to read, but not what I expected.
    • 3/5
      While I think that there is a great book hidden somewhere in this story, the text has left me with mixed opinions. Wroblewski is at his best writing about rural Wisconsin or the Sawtelle dogs, but grafting these interesting things to the plot of Hamlet served only as a distraction.If one is going to attempt a retelling of Hamlet, perhaps the only way to get away with it is when it's a first book. I don't understand why Wroblewski chose to use the Hamlet plot so plainly, yet strip out most of the nuances of the original. Plots come easy, compared to the task of world- and character-building, so this is a situation where the author decision seems to be one of laziness.My specific gripes about the Hamlet plot (including several spoilers) are these: Edgar lacks several Hamlet qualities, most notably a philosophical bent. Much is made in the original to show Hamlet's indecision and moral wrangling with the uncertainties of life and death. By not acting quickly, he propagates a worse disaster. There is no interlude of feigned madness in Edgar, only a recalcitrant period following his father's death that can be seen as normal teen-aged behavior.Several missing tertiary characters like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern providing a second level of betrayal, or a Fortinbras poised as an external power threatening the kingdom/kennel. Ophelia/Almondine seems badly mis-handled--the relationship can obviously only be so complicated given that Almondine is a dog. When the blow-up finally happens, Edgar pushes her away out of jealously instead of the complex mix of motivations for Hamlet. Simply put, there isn't a great "Get thee to a nunnery" speech here.The ending strays from the source so much as to make less of the whole. Claude should have died by Edgar's hands--why would the ghost of Gar haunt Edgar, only to take the final action that dooms Claude? Trudy gets off far too easily--she isn't even allowed the understanding of what happened, since she doesn't witness the events in the barn. Glen Papineau comes out only blinded, apparently unaware of Claude's treachery--so why bother with him in the first place?
    • 4/5
      I can see why this novel was popular and received positive reviews. It's hard not to like the silent, moral, confused main character of Edgar Sawtelle ,and I - a golden retriever owner for 20 years, also appreciated the insights into dog breeding and training. However I wish I never read a snipet of a review that called it a "Hamlet" retelling. This caused me to read with a certain preoccupation, looking for the varioius scenes and characters that can be found in Shakespeare's tragedy. I have to learn to not read anything about a book before deciding to experience it. I again though would say that I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to others. An amazon review is listed below for reference: Beautifully written and elegantly paced, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a coming-of-age novel about the power of the land and the past to shape our lives. It is a riveting tale of retribution, inhabited by empathic animals, prophetic dreams, second sight, and vengeful ghosts. Born mute, Edgar Sawtelle feels separate from the people around him but is able to establish profound bonds with the animals who share his home and his name: his family raises a fictional breed of exceptionally perceptive and affable dogs. Soon after his father's sudden death, Edgar is stunned to learn that his mother has already moved on as his uncle Claude quickly becomes part of their lives. Reeling from the sudden changes to his quiet existence, Edgar flees into the forests surrounding his Wisconsin home accompanied by three dogs. Soon he is caught in a struggle for survival — the only thing that will prepare him for his return home.
    • 4/5
      The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is an unsentimental journey. Where the story could lapse into predictable or nostalgic ebbs, it does not. The mystical occurrences are influential, yet do not overwhelm the course of the action. Fine writing and thorough, believable story details made this book a compelling read!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I know others thought it was overly long, but I enjoyed it cover to cover. I am waiting for his next novel, but it's taking awhile.
    • 3/5
      I sure wish someone had told me this was discussed as being a "modern retelling of Hamlet" before I read it. My expectations would have been much different and I might have enjoyed it more. Or perhaps I would have just not read it since I DON'T LIKE tragedy.
    • 4/5
      I'm always looking for original debut novels and this one was a very good-outstanding in some of the description and characterizations of both people and dogs. But...it lost me along the way because it was just too long and too much and lost its momentum. It would have been great with more editing.
    • 5/5
      I really couldn’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 childhood fantasies: benevolent and wise dog companion/nursemaid? Check. Super-intelligent semi-wild pack of devoted dogs that sleep with you at night? Check. I guess the only thing worse than being raised by wolves is wishing you were – as a kid I always had a fantasy of a wolf pack appearing on my street to take me away. I wanted a dog who would look out for me like Lassie. So this was like – pardon the crudeness of the simile – finding the porn that gets you off just right.Even though there were problems – a series of transitions in the last quarter of the book that didn’t work well, and the last part in the barn wasn’t the climax or catharsis that I think the book wanted, and yeah, it was fat as a tick on a dog’s ear. But that didn’t matter much to me, honestly – I was so emotionally involved with the characters it was like being in love, in the way logic just flies out the window for a while. And it’s been such a long time since a book did that to me. I gave in, I did, I swooned.Plus there’s a lot that was just right. His language is nicely suited to the tale, elegant and tuned into the natural world. Obviously I’m a dog person so I’m slanted that way in the first place, but I thought he wrote the dogs well. It’s always a treat to read someone who’s so carefully observed something that you have too. And much of the book flowed beautifully. But mostly it was the characters that moved me, people and dogs alike. Not necessarily their inner lives or motivations, which fluctuated all over the board in terms of plausibility – just the fact of them. They’ll stay with me a while. Lord, I cried so hard over Almondine I had to go sit outside for a few minutes with my arm around my own flesh-and-blood dog.And the very last scene just called up my inner 8-year-old and made her happy. I couldn’t evaluate that dispassionately if I tried.In the end I don’t really know what to say about this book that anyone else might relate to. All I know is it transported me, and it was a good ride.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful story! "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is just that. It is about the coming of age of a mute boy, it is about breeding dogs, it is about evolution of a species and of lives, it is a ghost story,it is a story about good and evil, and it is about love. The plot is great, the characters so very memorable. Who will ever forget psychic Ida of Popper's Corners or Henry, who is determined to live an "unusual" life. Of course, there are those fabulous Sawtelle dogs. Above all, there is Edgar, who, as many literary characters before him, goes through his transformation to a young man by entering the forest, that strange and mystical place where incredible events transpire. The book is so close to a five star read, but just falls short in terms of writing. The author's use of language was just not quite as superb as the other aspects of the book.
    • 5/5
      A modern remix of Hamlet, the prince is deaf and the kingdom is third generation dog breeding business. Heart breaking, yet so beautifully written it was worth the pain. I wept at the end.
    • 2/5
      I was disappointed in this book. It moved to slowly for me. Read about 100 pages and decided to try something else.
    • 4/5
      I did not pay much attention to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle when it was released in 2008. I knew it was a “dog story” and, frankly, novels about dogs or cats do not have much appeal to me. So I did little more than thumb through the book once when I saw it on the shelf of my local bookstore.Then, in December 2009, I attended the Texas Book Festival in Austin and sat in on a an interview session with the book’s author, David Wroblewski, during which the author discussed, among other topics, how he came to write the book. The discussion was interesting – but not nearly as interesting as the reaction Mr. Wroblewski’s presence drew from the bulk of those in attendance that day. The man was treated like a superstar author, and the questioners seemed to know the book by heart.I was so impressed that I purchased a first edition copy of the book and had Wroblewski sign it for me. Then I put it on the shelf at home for another year, finally “reading” an audio version of the book just this month. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle turns out to be quite a story (those familiar with Shakespeare’s Hamlet might recognize early on where it is headed) and my usual aversion to “dog stories” did not surface. In fact, I particularly enjoyed those portions of the narrative told from the viewpoint of Almondine, the beloved Sawtelle dog that was Edgar’s protector from the day he was brought home from the hospital. This is the story of the Sawtelle family: Gar, Trudy, and their mute son, Edgar. The Sawtelles have been breeding and training very special dogs for several decades and the dogs have become so special that they are known now simply as “Sawtelle dogs.” However, despite the quality of the animals they produce, the Sawtelles are just barely surviving financially. That their local veterinarian owns a share in the business, and does not charge for his services, is what allows them to continue at all.But the Sawtelles are working at something they love, and 14-year-old Edgar is preparing himself to carry the business forward at least one more generation. Then Gar’s brother, Claude, fresh from prison, comes home and things begin to change – for the worse, and in a way and to a degree that will surprise most readers right to the very end of the book.I admire David Wroblewski’s courage to end the book the way he did, knowing that many readers will be very disappointed in that ending. That ending, though, is a very logical one considering all that led up to it and the makeup of the book’s central characters. The audio version of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is exceptionally well read, with narrator Richard Poe striking the perfect tone and cadence for the various characters for whom he reads. It was a pleasure listening to Mr. Poe and, because of the half point I am adding for his narration, I am rating this one a solid four. Rated at: 4.0
    • 5/5
      outstanding, interesting, over 550 pages of great storytelling. It was hard to put down when my eyes got too tired. I think this is a great achievement for a first time writer. Cheers to writer Wroblewski.
    • 5/5
      I don't read fiction - especially modern fiction. It was the periferal "dog" story that drew me to this modern Hamlet knock-off.....but the ART in this imitation blew my socks off. The writer moulds us like clay. Agricultural midwest americana.
    • 3/5
      Boy who cannot speak loses father and tries to understand how he died and who caused his death. They own a kennel with dogs they have bred and trained for interacting with humans in a way very different than what we know. I kept thinking I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but every time I picked it up to read more I found myself falling right back into the story. The really stange but wonderful thing is that I just finished reading a book my grandson had ordered from the Scholastic Book Club and wanted his Grandpa and myself to read--Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman. If not for that, I wouldn't have understood that part of the story at all. Hachiko Waits is a very good book for 9 to 12 year olds. Funny how everything is connected in some way.
    • 4/5
      The book is about a boy who is born mute into a small but loving family in rural Wisconsin in the 70s. The family breeds and raises dogs- they have their own breed- the Sawtelle dogs, which are not distinct because of their looks but because of their training and character. From the very beginning of his existence the boy forms a strong bond with the dogs and especially with a dog assigned to him to help him navigate the world in his muteness. All is well until the man’s brother appears and everything goes awry. Wroblewski toys with a Hamlet theme on the way.I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out. I have a friend who owns six huskies and works with dogs, his own and others, and I heard the author speak and his demeanor somehow compelled me to read it. Now that I have finished it, I am in a bit of a quandary- I don’t know if it is a good YA book, or if I should judge it as an adult book. It’s absolutely all right, it kept me reading, it had a proper plot with all the twists and turns, some plausible and decently developed characters, some really good ideas, dogs described beautifully and coming alive from the pages, and yet, it seemed, well yes, somewhat adolescent. Perhaps, the motivation for the actions was not crystal clear and the book seemed more like exercises in writing put together , even though the novel that came out was perfectly enjoyable and coherent. Definitely impressive for the first novel.
    • 3/5
      At times, very engaging, at other times...tough to read. It may have been the time I was reading it, what I had just finished reading, but I had a hard time getting into it. There were parts that drug on for me but others that I couldn't put it down. By the end of the book, after gaining the whole story, I really liked it. Worth reading for sure.
    • 2/5
      This was yet another stinker from the Oprah mandates. I found The Story of Edgar Sawtelle too wordy and not engaging. And not to mention that the main story-line is a complete ripoff of William Shakespeare's Hamlet! Don't read it.
    • 2/5
      I think if I lived on a farm and was American I would have appreciated the story a little more. Well written, excellent descriptions.
    • 4/5
      i avoided Shakespeare like the plague when i was in school, so all comparisons to Hamet are lost on me. I can only review this novel as an "experience". Partially because I listened to the unabridged version on Audible (excellent reader and recording), and partially because the book is written so beautifully that it literally blossoms before your eyes....sometimes as a tulip, hopeful and braving the uknown, and sometimes as a black vine that confuses, tangles and grows. I am an animal person, so the beauty of how the author describes the dogs and their training was not lost to me. I will say that my monumental empathy for critters left me breathless at several times while listening to this book....and crying in a few more.I felt the end coming before it did. I cheated and looked up the ending on the internet because I feared I would drive off the road if it took me by surprise (tears)...so in the name of safe driving, i cheated. I'm glad i did. There are few books written these days that are prose...that key in on the EXACT right words to evoke an emotion in a reader....(see Mark Spragg's Where Rivers Change Directions) David Wroblewski does this beautifully. A must-read for those who can take the realities of life and treasure words and the visions they can evoke.
    • 3/5
      I loved the first half of this novel, but was disappointed overall. What many called a "satisfying" conclusion, I found confusing. Familiarity with Shakespeare's "Hamlet" certainly helped to illuminate some plot elements, but sometimes the story seemed contrived and just plain sad. Maybe I just didn't read carefully enough, but I never fully understood the conflict between Claude and Edgar's father, nor Trudy's attraction to Claude after the death of her husband. Loved Almondine though!
    • 5/5
      This book left me feeling profoundly depressed - the mark of a great story teller. I was completely engrossed and would have greedily gobbled the book up in one sitting if events such as eating, work and annoyingly, sleep hadn't torn me away from it. An absolute page turner and I can't wait for the next book by this author. Strangely enough, I don't think I could bring myself to read it again with the knowledge of the ending - I won't be able to enjoy the richness an depth of the characters in the same way now knowing what their fate is. I've insisted my husband reads it and have given no hint of the ending. I hope he isn't as heart broken as I was, but he is currently enjoying it thoroughly and I feel a bit guilty as if I've given him a sweet with an extremely sour centre. Phenomenal book! One of the best I've read.
    • 4/5
      One of the best books I’ve read this year, a real highlight, and yet I’d hesitate to recommend it because it broke my heart a little bit. It was glorious, touching, made of more than a little magic and replete with history, but ultimately The Story of Edgar Sawtelle wanted to be a tragedy, and the reader just had to let it. I was shaking when I put this book down. Edgar – mute, yet gifted with words, gifted in other ways too, helps his parents run the family breeding kennels; Sawtelle dogs are special, sold as trained yearlings rather than pups, they have a spirit and understanding unmatched by pedigree breeds. When his uncle comes to live with them, the story becomes unavoidably Shakespearean, yet suffused with canine charm and deep with that small-town US family history that so many writers try and fail to express. To say that the characters are ‘lifelike’ is to belittle the author’s accomplishments… I’ve encountered no one who could make the personalities of individual humans, let along dogs, leap off the page; Almondine, Edgar’s companion from birth, has simply one of the most heart-engagingly drawn souls I’ve ever read. Definitely worth reading, but allow for recovery time.
    • 2/5
      Terribly disappointing. I felt ripped off at the end of the book especially after all the hype.
    • 2/5
      This is two completely different books. The first couple hundred pages develop a rich atmosphere with complex characters and an interesting look at dog breeding. Then, somewhere along the line the writing style changes. The characters degenerate into complete morons and the story begins to feels like contrived suspense. It’s all plot driven, as the concept of show, don’t tell is flipped backward to just tell everything, especially those critical little details that were left out in earlier parts for no reason and are brought up just as they become relevant. And this goes on for several hundred pages. It's a very strange change. It feels like it was written by two different authors, one exceptionally crafty and the other blindly hacking out a plot without regard to story.
    • 5/5
      A great read, especially if you are familiar with Hamlet. Wonderful character study. Beautiful imagery and language.
    • 5/5
      A great debut novel by David Wroblewski. There are two main characters: Edgar a 14 year old boy who is mute; and Almondine the Sawtelle dog who has been with him since birth. The novel is expansive covering the founding of the family business of breeding and raising "boutique" dogs, sibling rivalry carried to extremes, coming of age of Edgar. There's a pilgrimage, loss, love, and hatred wound into a mesmerizing story.Some reviewers have compared this book to Cold Mountain. I would agree, not because of similarities in the story line but because of a similar writing and descriptive style. Others have commented that the book is too long. I disagree with that because the author has given us the gift of full development of the characters (including the dogs) and the setting of the story. Shortening of the book would deny us that and would make the book seem as though it was written to be a movie. Even so, I would bet that this will be made into a movie though not nearly as good as the book.Finally, there are comparisons to classic literature, particularly Hamlet. There are some similarities but no matching of characters one for one (as Jane Smiley seems to do). Instead Wroblewski has written a classic of his own. Well done!
    • 3/5
      There was so much hype surrounding The Story of Edgar Sawtelle that I couldn't help being a bit let down. I read this novel of over 400 pages and felt like so much more could have been done with the story. I was primed and ready. I loved the characters, I identified with the setting, the dogs hooked me and then...crash. It fell a bit flat.Here's the thing: the last 5 chapters had me reading like a fiend. Completely engrossed. I was reading in the kitchen while stirring the soup, I was reading during commercials, I was reading by the light of a tiny lamp at midnight. It was the climax and I was loving it. But the end? Really? Everyone dies? Really?!The writing was beautiful. The characters were deep. The premise was interesting. But the story? I felt like it didn't do much. Didn't go anywhere...except into a burning inferno of a barn at the end.I will read another of Wroblewski's books if he puts out another. I really like his style, but in that thick of a book I expected a bit more.