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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Audiobook
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(3.00) - 53,264 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The extraordinary debut novel that became a modern classic
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose remarkable gift for companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. Edgar seems poised to carry on his family's traditions, but when catastrophe strikes, he finds his once-peaceful home engulfed in turmoil.
Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the Sawtelle farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who accompany him, until the day he is forced to choose between leaving forever or returning home to confront the mysteries he has left unsolved.
Filled with breathtaking scenes—the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain—The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a meditation on the limits of language and what lies beyond, a brilliantly inventive retelling of an ancient story, and an epic tale of devotion, betrayal, and courage in the American heartland.
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"I am not going to give away the ending, but this book is odd and fascinating throughout, while the ending is nothing short of shocking. I really enjoyed it, and it takes the "boy and his dog" story to a level beyond what most of us will have the opportunity to understand. Be prepared for adventure and emotion well beyond what you would expect to be able to get out of an audiobook where the main character is mute."
— Nina (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“I flat-out loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle…Wonderful, mysterious, long, and satisfying: readers who pick up this novel are going to enter a richer world.”
— Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Wroblewski illustrates the relationship between man and canine in a way that is both lyrical and unsentimental and demonstrates an ability to create a coherent, captivating fictional world in which even supernatural elements feel entirely persuasive.”
— New Yorker -
“Edgar’s tale takes you to the extremes of what humans must endure, and when you’re finally released, you will come back to yourself feeling wiser, and flush with gratitude.”
— Amazon.com -
“A stunning debut…Sustained by a momentum that has the crushing inevitability of fate, the propulsive narrative will have readers sucked in all the way through the breathtaking final scenes.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“More than just dog lovers will find themselves deeply immersed in Wroblewski’s assured prose and broad swatches of carefully rendered imagery. High literary art from a talent that bears watching.”
— Booklist
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A Christian Science Monitor Book of the Year for Fiction
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Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Prize for First Fiction
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Finalist for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize
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Selected for the July 2008 Indie Next List
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An Oprah’s Book Club Selection
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Nominated for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
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Winner of the Indies Choice Book Award for Best Debut
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick
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Winner of the 2009 Colorado Book Award for Literary Fiction
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Finalist for the 2009 Audie Award for Best Narration
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Listener Reviews
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" Wroblewski has an amazing writing style and is an excellent story teller as well. The young Edgar steals the reader's heart from the very beginning as does his dog, Almodine. This is a story of unimaginable betrayal as well as love. It is suspenseful, touching, and tremendously sad. But, what a great writer! "
— Kathi, 9/7/2015 -
" Good book. Not a fan of the tragic ending. "
— Tarynia, 2/20/2014 -
" It as agonizing. It also seemed like the 1st and 2nd half were written by 2 different people. I get that training the dogs is about consistency, but some of the repetition could have been lost and some time developing some of the other charchters. "
— Sara, 2/16/2014 -
" I love dogs, and by far the loveliest part of this book is the writing about the dog-human relationship and the dog training invented by the Sawtelles. The arc of the story itself is really engaging, which was good because this book is like 600 pages long. I finished this late last night and I feel unsettled, not only because of how the book ended, but also because there are some parts of the story that didn't really work for me. Anyway! If you like dogs, and farm life, and MURDER than maybe this book is for you! "
— Margarita, 2/14/2014 -
" The mystery of this book was intriguing. Telling the story via a dogs perspective at times, was okay and different. The ending left me wondering though. "
— Ellen, 2/8/2014 -
" Hamlet with dogs, but pretty great. Had some weird subplots and pacing, but they didn't bother me or feel distracting. "
— Chris, 2/1/2014 -
" Nice thick book, loved the writing and story:) "
— Shelly-shawn, 1/15/2014 -
" Wonderfully well written. It has a mystic other-wordly quality. The story keeps you gripped up to the heartbreaking ending. "
— Eleni, 1/11/2014 -
" This is an amazing work, and one I think earns the title of "Great American Novel" quite handily. "
— Heidi, 12/29/2013 -
" This book had its moments for me. I guess I didn't really understand some of what the author was trying to get across. It was interesting at parts especially towards the end. I can say this book is okay, not excellent but not boring for me. "
— Karla, 12/20/2013 -
" Interesting and strange all at the same time. Story about raising an elite breed of dogs, and also about relationships in families. "
— Vicki, 12/15/2013 -
" Not really into fantastical/other worldly stuff--seemed out of place. "
— Sundra, 12/11/2013 -
" Absolutely loved this book. Learned a lot. "
— Suzette, 12/10/2013 -
" This was a wonderful book. A couple of plot lines, nicely written, kept my interest throughout. A favorite. "
— Vicky, 12/8/2013 -
" I loved this book...if you love your pets, if you love your kids, if you have loved passionately, if you have suffered a heartbreaking loss...you will love this book "
— Jill, 6/21/2013 -
" While I found one part of the book totally hold me, and this is a well written story, I was distressed, saddened, mad and not at all happy at the end of the book "
— Peggy, 3/21/2013 -
" Okay to be fair I didn't finish it when I heard it was like the story of Hamlet...it was okay but I just couldn't finish it knowing how it ended. "
— Erin, 1/24/2013 -
" good story, did not love the ending, though. "
— Becky, 10/20/2012 -
" Very disappointing at the end... Poor conclusion to a well written story. "
— Sadie, 3/17/2010 -
" Wow. Such a well-told story. I highly recommend this to anyone, but especially someone who loves farms, dogs and a slow-moving story. "
— Kirsten, 2/16/2010 -
" I loved this story - I fell in love with the characters, and was apprehensive the whole time, worrying over what would happen. A beautiful, beautiful story. "
— Faith, 10/29/2009 -
" Birthday gift from my oldest. I loved it! "
— Michelle, 1/16/2009 -
" I lost interest in this book early on but kept on reading to see if it might get more intersting. Although the writing is good, it lacked something and I was left dissaponted in the end. "
— Laura, 10/2/2008 -
" Loved this book. One of my most favorite. "
— Carmel, 9/19/2008
About David Wroblewski
David Wroblewski is the author of the internationally bestselling novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, an Oprah Book Club pick, Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection, and winner of the Colorado Book Award, Indie Choice Best Author Discovery award, and the Midwest Bookseller Association’s Choice award. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle has been translated into over twenty-five languages. He lives in Colorado with the writer Kimberly McClintock.
About Richard Poe
Richard Poe, a professional actor for more than thirty years, has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including 1776 and M. Butterfly. On television he has had recurring roles on Star Trek and Frasier. His films include Born on the Fourth of July and Presumed Innocent. Poe is a well-known and prolific audiobook performer and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards.