Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life on his family's farm in remote northern Wisconsin where they raise and train an extraordinary breed of dog. But when tragedy strikes, Edgar is forced to flee into the vast neighboring wilderness, accompanied by only three yearling pups. Struggling for survival, Edgar comes of age in the wild, and must face the choice of leaving forever or revealing the terrible truth behind what has happened. A riveting family saga as well as a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is destined to become a modern classic.

Average Customer Rating:

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds	Customer Rating:
What a waste of time. I regret holding out hope that some meaningful plot would ever develop. It never does, despite many potential flirtations with potential. Hope the author either finds his groove or another livliehood.

Why don't I feel sad?

Customer Rating:

I recently finished the novel and what surprised me most is that I wasn't sad or moved by the ending. I just wasn't invested in the characters enough to feel what I thought I should be feeling--and that was a surprise as I thought the book was extremely well written, the story line very creative, the characters were strong and interesting and the dogs and Edgar I loved. So why wasn't I impacted more by the book and the ending? Mostly what I felt was lost and that it was all senseless. And I couldn't help but wonder about Trudy and the future of the Sawtelle dogs. Hamlet and the Greek tragedies are definitely what came to mind when I finished reading. I just see no reason for the ending--I feel it was too empty. Is the message that life is tragic and suffering is never ending? If so--Why? I feel the author could have done so much more with the ending to this excellent story.

Possibly the best book I've ever read...

Customer Rating:

I recently took this book on vacation with me after hearing it was an Oprah's pick. I don't get to read a lot but when I do, I expect the book to be excellent. This one exceeded my expectations. I absolutely devoured this book in just a few days, and was begging for more. I love the way the author writes, and the emotion in the story is unbelievable. I was mad at myself for reading it so fast. I definitely will be reading this one again.

Not worth the effort	Customer Rating:
This book was not worth the time it took to read its 562 pages. It would have been tolerable at 250 pages. The author spent to much time talking about trivia.

waste of my time

Customer Rating:

I usually love Oprah's picks, but this was a lulu. I read 275 pages before I gave up. Too much descriptions of weather, forests, dog training, etc. Not enough action. The author could have condensed the pages by at least 50%. I am interested in what happened afterward, but not patient enough to endure the endless writing and descriptions. I am sure that I will find someone who has finished reading the book who can answer my questions.