What a disappointment! I had read several good reviews before I started this book and maybe my expectations were too high. This book never approached its hype -- and I started reading it before Oprah jumped on it.The characters (other than Edgar) are never fully developed. Claude, the antagonist, is but a slippery shadow. We never even come close to understanding his motivations. I don't mind using my imagination to fill in some blanks, but to have Claude so ill-defined leaves the reader to write the book!I kept waiting for this book to capture me and draw me in. It continued to push me away. I had to force myself to finish it. Of course I was hoping the ending would bring things to clarity and make me say, "wow!" Never happened.Someone likened this book to "The Life of Pi." I have been looking for another "Life of Pi" since I read it and this is not it! "The Life of Pi" is lyrical, mystical, magical and just downright fun and funny! This book just disappoints. ( )

No spoilers, but if you read it, stop and consider what details hit you as significant and what seem irrelevant, then as you read it, see if you are correct.

If you are the type to read the blurb on the dust jacket (I'm surprised to find many people don't), don't get too caught up in thinking you can imagine what will happen.

The most surprising thing to me is that this is one novel where much of the foreshadowing details aren't explained, and details that seemed to precipitate something big are misleading. Usually that ends up feeling disappointing or confusing. In this book, it doesn't. It fits. It makes sense in this meandering, fairy tale style, little orphan boy, Lassie saves the day sort of way.

The characters are pretty brisk. Trudy and Gar both seem extremely complicated, but it's only by inference, not by any internal monologue that you have to plod through. They are described fairly briefly but you can sense how they've been shaped. No wasted dialogue to have to figure them out. Edgar himself is amazing, and you don't for a second feel sorry for him like another author might want you to. Almondine, a main character in her own right, knows only loyalty and desires to protect. Imaginary to think a dog could ponder protecting it's family, but we do have guard dogs, right?

Two other really compelling characters (no spoilers so I'm being vague) are fascinating in how they perceive themselves, and how they describe themselves, and you get to figure out how on target they are.

The book is lush, beautiful, and is probably going to be a movie soon. I tried to mentally cast the characters and could only come up with Chris Cooper as Claude, Steve Buscemi as Henry, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Edgar, and David Morse as Glen. Trudy seems like she could be Laura Linney but maybe not as pretty? I can't find anyone for Gar, as yet. He has to resemble Chris Cooper a great deal, but I hate those movies when one guy plays two roles. Alas, no role for Viggo.

My only irritation with the book, as with myself, is it gets too wordy at times. Sometimes you want to say to the author, 'okay, so we know you own a thesaurus...yay'. He definitely puts that book to good use, I had to look up a million words and by the end of the book realized they all described pretty much the same thing, only so much more elegant. ( )

The book is about a boy who is born mute into a small but loving family in rural Wisconsin in the 70s. The family breeds and raises dogs- they have their own breed- the Sawtelle dogs, which are not distinct because of their looks but because of their training and character. From the very beginning of his existence the boy forms a strong bond with the dogs and especially with a dog assigned to him to help him navigate the world in his muteness. All is well until the man’s brother appears and everything goes awry. Wroblewski toys with a Hamlet theme on the way.

I’ve wanted to read this book since it came out. I have a friend who owns six huskies and works with dogs, his own and others, and I heard the author speak and his demeanor somehow compelled me to read it. Now that I have finished it, I am in a bit of a quandary- I don’t know if it is a good YA book, or if I should judge it as an adult book. It’s absolutely all right, it kept me reading, it had a proper plot with all the twists and turns, some plausible and decently developed characters, some really good ideas, dogs described beautifully and coming alive from the pages, and yet, it seemed, well yes, somewhat adolescent. Perhaps, the motivation for the actions was not crystal clear and the book seemed more like exercises in writing put together , even though the novel that came out was perfectly enjoyable and coherent.
Definitely impressive for the first novel. ( )

I loved this book---the writing transported me and I loved the characters! The ending was tough, but I think it was the only way it could end. Can't wait to re-read it for book club! ( )

Definitely worth reading, although I found the final chapters somewhat jarring and not in keeping with the rest of the book. The best parts are those written from the dogs' perspective, such as this from Almondine:"The barn swung her fat shadow across the yard, holding it gently by dark wrists and letting it turn, turn, stretch out in the evening upon the ground but never slip. Clouds rumbled across heaven and she lay beneath, and in the passage of shadow and yellow sunlight, the house murmured secrets to the truck, the traveler, who listened only for so long before its devout empiricism forced it away in wide-eyed panic to test such ideas among its fellows. The mailbox stood soldierly by the road, capturing a man and releasing him, again and again." ( )

A beautiful story that drew me in - in ways that I never expected. Lovely. ( )

i avoided Shakespeare like the plague when i was in school, so all comparisons to Hamet are lost on me. I can only review this novel as an "experience". Partially because I listened to the unabridged version on Audible (excellent reader and recording), and partially because the book is written so beautifully that it literally blossoms before your eyes....sometimes as a tulip, hopeful and braving the uknown, and sometimes as a black vine that confuses, tangles and grows.

I am an animal person, so the beauty of how the author describes the dogs and their training was not lost to me. I will say that my monumental empathy for critters left me breathless at several times while listening to this book....and crying in a few more.

I felt the end coming before it did. I cheated and looked up the ending on the internet because I feared I would drive off the road if it took me by surprise (tears)...so in the name of safe driving, i cheated. I'm glad i did.

There are few books written these days that are prose...that key in on the EXACT right words to evoke an emotion in a reader....(see Mark Spragg's Where Rivers Change Directions) David Wroblewski does this beautifully. A must-read for those who can take the realities of life and treasure words and the visions they can evoke. ( )

A little slump at the end of overall a very good read and an interesting write. Lots of twists, turns and unexpected events. Dogs are very involved in this story which put me off a little in the beginning because I'm not a dog lover, but they fit in perfectly and I found myself learning quite a bit about dogs through the book. ( )

Well written, but a bit depressing ( )

I will have to think about this one. The ending was a surprise in a way. I will be forever changed by this story. ( )

While I found this book eloquently written, I was incredibly disappointed with the ending. The book drew me in and captivated me. The ending was disconcerting because it was not inline with the characters that were developed. Disappointing at best. ( )

A story about some amazing dogs and the boy who loved them. The ending will jerk you around a bit and does remind one of classics. High drama at its best. ( )

Read this book for our September 09 meeting with 5 new members. We met at
Most liked it, but some felt the ending wasn't right. ( )

A wonderfully touching book. The story loosely tracks Shakespeare's Hamlet. Well-written, quick-paced, and moving. Highly worthwhile. ( )

This story about a deaf child draws you into a loving family who raises and trains special dogs. When the family allows a reprobate relative into their lives, calamity results. Although I did not like the ending, the story is well written and makes one pause to think a little deeper into their own life and choices. ( )

Reviewed by Mrs. Hoff (A+ Program Coordinator)
What an engaging story! Edgar is born mute but learns to sign when he is just an infant. His parents breed and train a special type of dog that is incredibly perceptive to human needs and when Edgar is born, they "assign" one of their best dogs, Almondine, to be his protector. She ends up becoming his best friend. The book truly makes you think about what it's like to be different and to find your own way when you no longer feel like you belong and it does this on a number of levels...with Edgar, his father and his uncle. It also makes you ponder how people can love one another and yet be blind to their needs, especially if they, themselves, are consumed with their own issues. Such "blindness" can cost them everything. It's a must read :) ( )

Not for the feint of heart! A good story but with way more information on the training of dogs than I cared for. I found the story sad and without really any justice in the end. ( )

I was unable to get into this book--I only got through perhaps 150 pages...I'm not sure why I found it so dull. The writing was very good, I think the pace may have been slow, but the characters and the story just didn't pull me in. I know there is a big turning point where all this action happens, but I couldn't even get there. I'm not a dog person, so who knows maybe that had something to do with it. ( )

This book left me feeling profoundly depressed - the mark of a great story teller. I was completely engrossed and would have greedily gobbled the book up in one sitting if events such as eating, work and annoyingly, sleep hadn't torn me away from it. An absolute page turner and I can't wait for the next book by this author.

Strangely enough, I don't think I could bring myself to read it again with the knowledge of the ending - I won't be able to enjoy the richness an depth of the characters in the same way now knowing what their fate is. I've insisted my husband reads it and have given no hint of the ending. I hope he isn't as heart broken as I was, but he is currently enjoying it thoroughly and I feel a bit guilty as if I've given him a sweet with an extremely sour centre.

Phenomenal book! One of the best I've read. ( )

I, of course, had no idea until someone told me that this was based on Hamlet. Guess I need to go back and read the play again. The story was engrossing and I was fascinated by the dog breeding and training. That the dogs became more difficult to train with succeeding generations didn't seem surprising - in becoming better companions the dogs became smarter (reminds me a bit of I,Robot and 2001 Space Odyssey.) I was also intrigued by Edgar's muteness, tho his prescience seemed an irrelevant diversion. I hated the tragic ending and tried to mentally re-write it, which led me further & further back into the plot until I realized I was being ridiculous!

Excellent. Hamlet with dogs. The soul of dogs. Absorbing. Beautifully written. ( )

This is another book that I learned about by listening to the Diane Rehm Show on the radio. The author was on for an interview and aroused my interest because Diane, David Wroblewski and I are all dog people. Wroblewski has written a novel set in an unusual dog breeding kennel which produces unusual dogs and the dogs are central to the story he tells. The founder of this kennel, the grandfather of it's central character, had the idea to breed dogs based on behavior instead of conformation. He took dogs of many, and sometimes no breed, that had performed unusual and sometimes heroic acts, dogs that got written about in the newspaper, and he created his own breed of dogs. He clearly researched both breeding methods and obedience and service dog training for the book, although the results achieved by this fictional kennel are probably not possible.

The book is written from many points of view, sometimes even that of one of the dogs, but never sinks to a level of cuteness or anthropomorphism while doing so.

The difference between us and our animal companions is one of degree and not of kind, Descartes notwithstanding.
The idea of creating these dogs that are intelligent and loyal but able to to make moral choices is a fascinating one. It gives the book a kind of Sci Fi speculative edge. What if you bred and trained dogs for intelligence and judgment? How far could you take them? What part of their behavior is learned and what effect does inheritance have? This question is played out in the dags and in the humans in this story.



This is a coming of age novel, as many first novels are. A young man, Edgar, grows up on this farm, where his parents are engaged in breeding and training these amazing dogs. Edgar is unable to speak, although he hears normally, and communicates with a half made up sign language, to everyone, including the dogs. Edgar is destined to take over the kennel and continue breeding and training these amazing dogs.

But this coming of age novel takes a wrong turn when Edgar's uncle Claude comes home after a long absence. In fact, not until Edgar's father suddenly dies and Claude starts paying unwanted attention to Edgar's mother, does the reader realize the Wroblewski is re-telling the story of Hamlet on a dog breeding farm.

Like the play, the novel ends tragically. I won't spoil it by telling you how. It is a satisfyingly thick book, a good long read, and I highly recommend it.

I'll Never Forget The Day I Read A Book!

I'm sorry to give this book such a low score since so many are raving about it. I think that simply re-writing Hamlet and placing the location in Wisconsin and throwing in some dogs doesn't really make for a compelling story. The pacing of the book is very slow and it runs back and forth from each characters perspective, even the dogs. If you are dog lover or train dogs, you would really like this book. It goes through the emotions and the discpline it takes to train a dog. (For instance, Trudy not responding to a very trying puppy teaches him not to misbehave again. He won't get a reaction and he won't be rewarded.)I think that enough people have read Hamlet that a subtle reference to it is enough. Copying it exactly seems overkill and makes the story very unoriginal. ( )

a beautifully written book. this is hamlet retold in american setting, including variations of character names (trudy for gertrude, claude for claudius, etc.). although long (562 pages), the story flows quickly. worth reading and may be worth re-reading hamlet for comparison. ( )

Why an author would take such care and pride in creating such vivid characters (canine and human) and then do such harm to them is beyond me. Though beautifully written for all of the reasons mentioned in almost every review, I couldn't possibly recommend this book to anyone. ( )