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Whistle Stopper - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel
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List Price: $25.95
Our Price: $14.00
Your Save: $ 11.95 ( 46% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Ecco
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780061374227
ISBN: 0061374229
Label: Ecco
Manufacturer: Ecco
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 576
Publication Date: 2008-06-01
Publisher: Ecco
Release Date: 2008-06-10
Studio: Ecco
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Oprah, I should I have KNOWN not to believe you.
Comment: I enjoyed the book, but it was not at all as good as Oprah hyped it. In fact, as the book began, I felt the story going in a wonderful direction, but it didn't go there. I thought the signing that Edgar must use would become far more important in the relationship he had with the dogs. All in all, I've never read an Oprah book that had the depth it deserved, but then, I don't think Oprah has the depth to expect it. I was disappointed in the book, but am glad I read it anyway. It was not what I was hoping for. Too many loose ends are never connected. That's it for me on Oprah books. I've decided to never read another one, at least not to expect it to be fine writing or a fine story. I'm still feeling disappointed!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Heartbreakingly beautiful prose marred by chaotic post-modern ending
Comment: For three-quarters of Edgar Sawtelle, I was enrapt within the poignantly gorgeous descriptive prose of the author. Frankly, I have seldom read descriptions that called up such beautiful, sharply-defined images. I was in heaven.
I also was fascinated by what seemed to me to be one of the most interesting variations on Hamlet, cast in a surprising setting with characters recognizable, yet entirely new.
And then came the ending which, unlike the final scene of Hamlet, was like fingernails on a blackboard: pointless, yet excruciatingly painful, without in the least evoking the panhumanity of tragedy.
Having finished the book about three weeks ago (before Oprah's announcement), I have to wonder if all the 5-star reviewers actually read all the way to the end.
I rate the first three-quarters a five-star read; the last quarter was a one-star episode which pulled the overall story (and this reader) into the mundane rather than the sublime.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Closethippy
Comment: David Wroblewski is a wonderfully descriptive writer. This book totally felt real in so many ways. This is a book that truly gets into one's core and it is hard to shake when completed. I actually loved all the information and interaction about the dogs, the spiritual and psychic connections of human and animals, which gave meaning to this novel. The ending was predictable after awhile, but it was an ending that I hoped would not be. I was saddened by the ending and by the lack of closure. I wanted so much more at the end of such a long novel. I was looking for a better resolution between Almondine and Edgar, that Edgar would once again be given back to his mother so that all his efforts and recent experiences would not be for naught,and that Trudy would not have lost everything. I was also hoping for a different and more meaningful demise of Claude who was evil, murdering, and conviving. Claude deserved to die much more cruelly than passing out in a barn full of smoke before I am assuming, he was burnt to a crisp. This was a rather easy way out for someone who so negatively affected so many others. Although I did not like the ending and feel somewhat empty without better closure, I would recommend this novel.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Comment: 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.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Why don't I feel sad?
Comment: 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.
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Editorial Reviews:
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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.
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