Reviews
The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn--rare and wonderful, and maybe no more than just a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one.... [an] extraordinary debut., ...here is a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed...grand and unforgettable., Edgar Sawtelle is a boy without a voice, but his world, populated by the dogs his family breeds, is anything but silent. This is a remarkable story about the language of friendship—a language that transcends words., A stunning first novel…a ranging story that is part coming of age, part mystery and part tragedy on the order of Hamlet…Wroblewski executes with elan, building an addicting tale peopled by fully dimensional characters. He carries the reader, with authority and confidence, on a thought-provoking ride., Edgar Sawtelle is a boy without a voice, but his world, populated by the dogs his family breeds, is anything but silent. This is a remarkable story about the language of friendship--a language that transcends words., I doubt we'll see a finer literary debut this year than The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. David Wroblewski's got storytelling talent to burn and a big, generous heart to go with it., I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.... Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying….I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one., "A stunning first novel...a ranging story that is part coming of age, part mystery and part tragedy on the order of Hamlet...Wroblewski executes with elan, building an addicting tale peopled by fully dimensional characters. He carries the reader, with authority and confidence, on a thought-provoking ride." -- Denver Post "...a stunningly well-written novel..." -- Pittsburgh Tribune "The author's spellbinding first novel...is nearly impossible to put down." -- Kirkus Reviews, First Fiction Special The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn--rare and wonderful, and maybe no more than just a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one.... [an] extraordinary debut. -- Elle "A literary thriller with commercial legs, this stunning debut is bound to be a bestseller." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A stately, wonderfully written debut novel...[Wroblewski] takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language... a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An excruciatingly captivating read...Ultimately liberating, though tragic and heart-wrenching, this book is unforgettable." -- Library Journal (starred review) "I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.... Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying....I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one." -- Stephen King "I doubt we'll see a finer literary debut this year than The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. David Wroblewski's got storytelling talent to burn and a big, generous heart to go with it." -- Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls "The most enchanting debut novel of the summer....a great, big, mesmerizing read, audaciously envisioned as classic Americana...One of the great pleasures of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is its free-roaming, unhurried progress, enlivened by the author's inability to write anything but guilelessly captivating prose. -- New York Times "In this beautifully written novel, David Wroblewski creates a remarkable hero who lives in a world populated as much by dogs as by humans, governed as much by the past as by the present. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a passionate, absorbing and deeply surprising debut." -- Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street "Edgar Sawtelle is a boy without a voice, but his world, populated by the dogs his family breeds, is anything but silent. This is a remarkable story about the language of friendship--a language that transcends words." -- Dalia Sofer, bestselling author of The Septembers of Shiraz "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a wooly, unlikely, daring book, and wildly satisfying." -- Mark Doty, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Years "This luminescent story has the kind of sprawling, wide-lens focus that readers think of when they talk about the so-called 'great American novel.'" -- Capital Times (Madison, WI) Don't let the book's massive size fool you: This is a good old-fashioned coming-of-age yarn. Grade: A -- Entertainment Weekly "...here is a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed...grand and unforgettable." -- Washington Post Book World "Whether you read for the beauty of language or for the intricacies of plot, you will easily fall in love with David Wroblewski's generous, almost transcendentally lovely debut novel...the scope of this book, its psychological insight and lyrical mastery, make it one of the best novels of the year...." -- O Magazine, The most enchanting debut novel of the summer....a great, big, mesmerizing read, audaciously envisioned as classic Americana...One of the great pleasures of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is its free-roaming, unhurried progress, enlivened by the author's inability to write anything but guilelessly captivating prose.|9780061374234|, …here is a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed...grand and unforgettable., A stately, wonderfully written debut novel.[Wroblewski] takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language. a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended., A stately, wonderfully written debut novel…[Wroblewski] takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language… a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended., An excruciatingly captivating read...Ultimately liberating, though tragic and heart-wrenching, this book is unforgettable., .here is a big-hearted novel you can fall into, get lost in and finally emerge from reluctantly, a little surprised that the real world went on spinning while you were absorbed...grand and unforgettable., The Great American Novel is something like a unicorn-rare and wonderful, and maybe no more than just a notion. Yet every few years or so, we trip across some semblance of one.... [an] extraordinary debut., I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.... Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying..I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one., I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.... Wonderful, mysterious, long and satisfying....I don't re-read many books, because life is too short. I will be re-reading this one., In this beautifully written novel, David Wroblewski creates a remarkable hero who lives in a world populated as much by dogs as by humans, governed as much by the past as by the present. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a passionate, absorbing and deeply surprising debut., This luminescent story has the kind of sprawling, wide-lens focus that readers think of when they talk about the so-called 'great American novel.', An excruciatingly captivating read…Ultimately liberating, though tragic and heart-wrenching, this book is unforgettable., Whether you read for the beauty of language or for the intricacies of plot, you will easily fall in love with David Wroblewski's generous, almost transcendentally lovely debut novel...the scope of this book, its psychological insight and lyrical mastery, make it one of the best novels of the year...., Don't let the book's massive size fool you: This is a good old-fashioned coming-of-age yarn. Grade: A, A stately, wonderfully written debut novel...[Wroblewski] takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language... a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended., Edgar Sawtelle is a boy without a voice, but his world, populated by the dogs his family breeds, is anything but silent. This is a remarkable story about the language of friendship-a language that transcends words., A stunning first novel...a ranging story that is part coming of age, part mystery and part tragedy on the order of Hamlet...Wroblewski executes with elan, building an addicting tale peopled by fully dimensional characters. He carries the reader, with authority and confidence, on a thought-provoking ride., A stunning first novel.a ranging story that is part coming of age, part mystery and part tragedy on the order of Hamlet.Wroblewski executes with elan, building an addicting tale peopled by fully dimensional characters. He carries the reader, with authority and confidence, on a thought-provoking ride.