Rating: - Well written but disappointing
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a fascinating tale of dogs and humans and their relationships. Edgar is a boy, born mute, who actively participates in the family business, the breeding, raising and training of dogs. Edgar's disability is no hinderance in his becoming a gifted canine handler. It is evident that the loyalty and companionship of his dogs is as central to his personal well-being as is the love of his family.

The story is a page-turner from the beginning, interestingly written. The author weaves a great yarn about this boy and the reader is soon caught up in the family saga and the adventures that ensue.

My problem with the book is that the adventures of Edgar Sawtelle go on and on and, even though they are interesting to follow, at some point the story has to take the hero back home. Herein lies the rub. I was vaguely dissatisfied with the book's conclusion--it was quite abrupt and one wonders what happened to the characters left at the end.

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Rating: - Lovely words, fractured story and loose ends all over
I bought this the very day Oprah almost fainted over it. I was so disappointed and struggled to get through the entire book. The story was so fragmented, going from one story to another without a tie or character change to allow you to smoothly transition. I would go back and read the previous paragraph to make sure I was not skipping pages when a new paragraph would be talking about someone and some events totally different. The story lagged, the characters and their relationships were not fully developed and the ending left you just sitting there saying, ok, so that is it? I cannot for the life of me understand Oprah's over the top embracing of this book.

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Rating: - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a modern tragedy, harrowing, haunting , and beautiful. Half of me is sorry I ever read it, and the other half rejoices in the mind that created it.
I am a dedicated breeder of dogs and was struck by the discussions of breeding theory.
However, in the end, the blurring of our common sense teaching of that which separates man and beasts is FREE WILL, and the Sawtelle dogs' evolution where they choose their destiny, is inspiring.
And then there's, Almondine...
Wroblewski,
Thou hast cleft my heart
in twain.

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Rating: - Slit your wrists instead of reading this
This is the most depressing book I've ever read. Seriously, and I just finished The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion.

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Rating: - A Beautiful Evocative Read, but a Disappointing Ending
I greatly enjoyed this book about a farm family breeding and raising dogs in northern Wisconsin. The story beautifully evokes the textures and rhythms of rural life in the mid-twentieth century, as a mute boy grows and learns the many nuances of dog-rearing and training. Meanwhile, the backstory is the interplay between his parents and his father's estranged brother, hinting at darker pasts. After his father's death, Edgar Sawtelle slowly comes to the realization that his uncle is responsible for that death, and that his uncle is very subtly weaving his sinister grasp around Edgar's mother and Edgar's beloved dog Almondine. This leads to a sequence of events that, like a building country storm, eventually leads Edgar to flee into the wilderness of geography and emotion, from which he eventually returns to an epic climax of confrontation with his uncle.

I was, however, disappointed by the ending, which I found needlessly saddening and tragic. I so hoped for the ending I envisioned as I read, a happier denouement perhaps involving Henry, Trudy, an ordinary life, and a mute young man heeding a blonde siren's call to the Starchild Colony.

Ah well. I will certainly eagerly await David Wroblewski's next story.