This is a fantastic novel, well written and absorbing. It reminds me of Steinbeck's East of Eden and of some of John Irving's longer novels. So much happens in this book that it is hard to summarize (for instance when a friend asks what your book is about) and Familiaris is long enough to fit quite a lot of everything into its pages. For being such a long book though, I spent surprisingly little time cecking to see how many pages I had left to read, because I was enjoying reading the story enough not to think about how much longer it would take me to finish reading. I could easily see this book becoming a classic for future generations of readers. I would probably include a mild trigger warning for the section dealing with dog fighting, as I do know a few people for whom that would be where they put the book down and never pick it up again. It is nowhere near as disturbing as it could be, certainly not as graphic as the bullfighting scenes in Michener's novel Mexico. And, I realliy liked how that section resolved. I'll definitely be recommending this book to my friends, family and Booktube audience.

I have mixed feelings. This was a looong read it was good don't get me wrong but I don't think it needed to be this long

This is a colossally brilliant book — Following the life of John Sawtelle, his family and friends from the early to Mid 1900s . You will laugh, you will cry , you will become deeply attached to this family and the dogs they raise-- as you follow them through their lifetime of hard work, love, loss, and memories. — I didn’t want this story to end. This book will be a modern classic with its phenomenal writing in league with the greats and reminiscent of Steinbeck. This is one of the best book for all time.

I LOVE the author's writing style, and was ridiculously excited when I first learned that a sequel! (ok, "origin story") was finally (finally!!) being published to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. My excitement got me through the first several hundred pages. The story (and writing) got me through the rest. Even though I feel like the story of John and Mary Sawtelle (and the Sawtelle dogs) could have been shorter, at the end of the day the story held me from start to finish. Although the last 90 pages or so nearly wrecked me.

Overall, I thought this book was a worthy sequel. Really my only quibble was a passage midway through the book where the author was writing/describing dog fighting. I may have just misinterpreted this section, but he seemed to be waxing poetic about dog fighting, which is in direct contrast to his clear love for dogs.

Honestly, anyone who loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle will absolutely enjoy Familiaris.

If you have read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, the popular re-telling of Hamlet set in the American midwest among a family of dog breeders and trainers, you will find yourself feeling the pangs of knowing what comes next for many of the characters in this novel, but also find yourself understanding The Story of Edgar Sawtelle more deeply. If you haven't read the previously-published book, you can revel in the beautiful language and languorous pace of Familiaris and see the world from the points of view of its various male characters. The women, I'm afraid, are interesting and might be called "strong female characters," but they get none of the interiority or complexity of the men. Ida, one of the major women characters in the novel, is a creature of magic and primeval forces, not really human at all, while Mary, the other primary woman of the book, is good for bon mots, going along with her husband (most of the time; when she doesn't we never find out why) and producing the two sons, Gar and Claude, who put the family on the path to its Shakespearean tragedy. This isn't a book to be hurried; it moves back and forth in time and eddies in explaining things and developing characters. I found the end-of-book emotional manipulations to be pandering to sentimentality, although to many readers they'll feel honest and realistic; I did enjoy the cataloging of dogs and their lives--their lives and deaths were more interesting and moving to me that that of many of the enigmatically-written characters. Overall, Familiaris reminded me of Mark Helprin's A Soldier of the Great War or In Sunlight or in Shadow, as well as John Crowley's Little, Big, in that there's a good amount of magical realism that's handled matter-of-factly in a doxastic world otherwise mostly the same as our own.

Like everyone else, I was so excited to see that David Wroblewski came out with a second book, a prequel to the marvelous Story of Edgar Sawtelle. This book is very long and a serious commitment. The various stories told are delightful. The characters are well drawn and it has that folksy feel that the midwest in the early 1900s provides. The dogs are immediately lovable. I suggest you hold off until you have a lot of time to dedicate to one book. Let it the marvelous story telling wash over you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read in return for an honest review. Without a doubt, the writing here is superb. Characters jump off the page with voices and actions and quirks that will remind you of people you know, and life events both joyous and tragic. I turned the pages quickly, eager to live the next adventures in the life of John Sawtelle and his wife Mary and their band of cohorts. And, of course, the marvelous dogs. But two-thirds through the 950+ pages, the narrative seemed (to me) to lose its way, and I began skimming. At perhaps 300 pages shorter, this book would have been a perfect five stars.

When I saw that Familiaris was available to preview on Netgalley, I jumped at the opportunity. The story of Edgar Sawtelle, this author’s 2008 novel, has remained in my top ten favorite books. I am glad I didn’t even notice the intimidating 980 page length of Familiaris. The length of this novel makes it a truly immersive experience. You feel like you are living the lives of John and Mary Sawtelle right along with them. Familiaris is a prequel to Wroblewski’s previous novel and it establishes my favorite part of both books, the breeding of the unique, intuitive, compassionate, Sawtelle dogs.
At its heart, Familiaris is a love story, the story of John and Mary and the amazing relationship they have. It is also a story of the love they have for their friends and the strong bonds they carry throughout their lives. The author takes us on a few lengthy side stories to establish other characters, they are equally enjoyable, although I was always happy to get back to John and Mary.
The Sawtelle dogs are my favorite part of the world that Wroblewski has imagined and I would have welcomed even more descriptions of the dogs and their training as the breed is established.
I will be recommending this book to my friends who enjoy dogs and are not scared off by the time commitment of this novel. I am very glad I was given the chance to preview this novel, I enjoyed living in the Sawtelle world once again.

**Features:**
- Explores themes of family, friendship, finding fulfillment/purpose in life, the dark parts of humanity, and much more.
- Features found family, human and animal alike
- Historical setting: American Midwest starting in 1919

This wandering and surprisingly philosophical tale is something I didn’t realize I needed. It is one of those books that is hard to fully describe or categorize, but is certainly an experience you’ll want to take your time having. This is a prequel to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and follows Edgar’s grandparents from their young twenties almost all of the way to where the original story begins. As someone who had not read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle prior to picking this one up, I can safely say that you will not at all be lost if you choose to tackle this one first. However, this is a slower paced read where you really have to be there for vibes. You will definitely know if this is a book for you pretty quickly, so it is worth getting a preview if you are unsure before fully diving into the hefty tome. But if you are willing to hang, I think this is a very enjoyable and impactful read.

**Pro: Life and man’s best friend**

When his car breaks down on the way home from exchanging puppies, John Sawtelle finds himself wandering the back roads of Wisconsin with his new companion, Gus. In their search for temporary refuge, the two come across an abandoned farm for sale. John doesn’t realize it at the time, but this fateful discovery will be the start of his life’s work. However, it will take a village to turn a promising vision into reality.

Joe is a thinker and has a natural curiosity that gives this book a very philosophical feel. I wouldn’t call this a character novel in the traditional sense, but each character brings their own dynamic, experiences, and view of life that we get to experience through their interactions with Joe. How each of the characters grows and finds their way is also incredibly meaningful and gratifying. Things only get better as the dogs begin to play a bigger role in the story. This book definitely goes to some dark and challenging places, but in a way that feels gentle and reflective rather than heavy.

**The Breakdown: Meandering**

As much as I loved this book, I do think mileage will vary depending on the reader. This story is one that you are meant to take your time with and moves at a slower pace. Unlike a lot of slower books where you get bogged down in emotions or detail, this pace is more due to the story meandering along with John’s train of thought as the story unfolds. Where everything ties together well and nothing strays too far from the golden path, the ‘scenes’ do jump back and forth in time, preventing things from developing too quickly. I personally never felt bogged down or stuck, but you have to be willing to go with the flow to some extent.

Reading this book, it feels to me like Wroblewski had a lot more to share about the Sawtelle family after writing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and wanted to share it in one book rather than splitting it into two different books. The story works well as a single piece, but the span of time covered is much longer than its predecessor and so results in a book that is nearly twice as long. I say that mileage can vary here despite having a very strong book because it’s not just slow paced, it’s also 992 pages long. I had plenty of dedicated reading time for this book alone, but I also read it alongside a couple of others since it is one you don’t want to rush through. Giving myself permission to approach it that way (taking short breaks and coming back) really worked for me, but other readers might find the length intimidating and/or have a different experience trying to tackle this book.

This is a prequel to the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. The main character of Familiaris is John Sawtelle (Edgar’s grandfather) and the book begins with John being a young man looking for property to buy for him and his bride to be, Mary. Once he purchases a farm, two old friends join John and Mary in their new lives. We read about the training of the dogs and the births of Edgar and Claude. This is a chunker of a book (probably could have been edited down quite a bit in my opinion) but if you stick with it you’ll discover a story that is rich and worth your time and effort.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will post on Amazon and Goodreads/social media on publication day.

Brilliant. Yes, a hefty book, but well worth it. If you read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and fell in love with it, then you must read this book.

It's the history of Edgar Sawtelle's family, yes, but it's very profound and rich. It's about friendship, love, hate, the evil things humans will do to animals, and to each other. It's about brothers. It's about things more ancient than we. It's about the lines crossed that we can't come back from.

See my full review on my YouTube BookTube channel: https://youtu.be/ifkWsllg1lE?si=yzsdSLVFstRuzskU

Familiaris by David Wroblewski is a prequel to his wonderful book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.The book begins in May 1919 with John Sawtelle and his new dog Gus in the middle of nowhere in northern Wisconsin with an overheated car.He sees a large red barn and a farmhouse for sale and this starts a series of events with John and his wife Mary and his friends Elbow and Frank.Then comes the story of Walter and Ida at Popcorn Corners.Also are the stories of the dogs Gus and Needles We can not forget about So Jack and his horse Granddaddy.As you can tell the book is long but you will not want to stop reading.You will not want to miss stories about John and Mary’s sons Claude and Gar-.Nor will you want to miss all the stories about the dogs -Penny ,Forte,Octavia B. Suspenders,Jug and Almondine!You will love these wonderful stories!Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for allowing me to read an arc of this book!

"Suppose you could do one impossible thing?" -John Sawtelle

Suppose you could read one impossibly long book? Don't let the length of this book steer you away from diving into it.
This book was all things: historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, a coming-of-age story, a family saga, love story, friendship story, and so many more things.
The book tells the story of John and Mary Sawtelle, and begins with them falling in love at a time in which John is trying to discover his purpose and place in the world. As the book unfolds, they buy and move to a farmhouse in the country despite having no knowledge of what it will take to repair, restore, and maintain the farm. They are joined by a rag-tag team of friends and acquaintances, including a disgruntled, drug-addicted, disabled war vet, a quiet gentle giant of a carpenter, and an old man and his beloved horse (whom he happened to have stolen from his employer), and a few really great dogs. The team learns to live with and take care of each other, and restores the farm and finds a home together there. As time goes on, the friends each set off on their own life journeys and John and Mary become parents to two boys, and use the farm to start a dog business. They don't just breed and sell dogs, though. They selectively assess and cross and evaluate dogs until they have developed their own type of "Sawtelle dog" which becomes sought after nationwide.
They also become friends with the neighborhood grocer, who has rescued and adopted a girl with supernatural powers. This is a minor sub-plot; if this isn't your "thing," I still wouldn't avoid the book for that reason alone.
The book had me laughing at times, crying at others, wishing I could both slow down and speed up the story at various points. It reads like an old classic; while the length of the book is hard to look past in our modern era of "hurry up and get to the point," it was actually rewarding to be forced into enjoying the slow burn of this saga unfolding. My only concern is that no one will actually attempt to read it being scared away by its enormous size. This could have easily been split up into two books.
Admittedly, this was not a book I probably would have ever given a chance had it not been for receiving an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That being said, I will be recommending this book to anyone up for the challenge.
A great read for anyone who enjoys a saga, who loves dogs, who enjoys beautiful writing and rich, deep character development, or who appreciates a deep dive into motivations, grief, love, and friendship- "an experiment in what happens when a hopeless optimist comes up against an immovable object."

I received this from Netgalley.com.

I liked the fist book but feel this one, at 1100+ pages, may be just a tad too much, my interest waned at mid book.

3☆

At 1164 (kindle) pages, this is not a story you can read in a day, nor should you try. This is a book to sink into and spend time inside the pages, but if you read and loved ‘The Story of Edgar Sawtelle’, one of my all-time favourite reads, you will likely not need any encouragement to tackle this mammoth tome, as it shares the story of the years before ’The Story of Edgar Sawtelle’ begins.

’Familiaris’ shares the story of the years before ’The Story of Edgar Sawtelle’ begins. It is a long and winding road of a journey, but it is a journey you won’t want to miss, especially if you read and loved ’The Story of Edgar Sawtelle’.

This story begins slowly, with John Sawtelle in the early years of his life as an adult, which share the years as he and his soon-to-be wife are young and somewhat naive, but also filled with hope for the future. When John comes across a farm that appears deserted that is for sale, he envisions a life there and despite how little funds they have, he knows in his heart that this will be their home, and that despite all the work needed, that they will thrive there. This is where they will begin the work of raising and training exceptional dogs, and where they will raise their children when they come into their lives, as well.

With an old friend, Elbow, by his side, along with Frank, another old friend and a veteran of the war, and So Jack with his horse, Grandaddy, make a great team. Each has their flaws, some physical as a result of the war, but each is eager to help turn this place into something special. Their enthusiasm for what they are creating is what keeps them working hard.

When the dogs enter the picture, there is a tangible sense of change, an essence of both assurance and pleasure that this is what they are meant to do with their lives, to raise and train these dogs to be exceptional. I remember when I read Edgar Sawtelle how much that made me wonder about the Irish Setter I grew up with, as he was relatively young when he arrived in my life, but he had been sent by a previous couple who had bought him from one of our neighbors, then sent him someplace for obedience, and then returned him to the neighbor that they had purchased him from, and thus he became ours. I grew up with him, technically on him, as that is where I took my naps, who I learned to crawl with, and was, more or less, my babysitter.

There’s so much more to this story, so many wonderful characters who are considered family, as well as those who arrive as the years pass. A story that covers a lifetime of hard work, love, loss, and memories. Of family and those who become family as the story evolves. The journeys they went on, the changes over the years.

And, of course, the dogs.


Pub Date: Jun 04 2024

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Blackstone Publishing

Familiaris is a prequel to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (SES), relating the back story of the special dogs but mostly centering around John Sawtelle, his wife Mary and friends Frank and Elbow. In a smoothly written style, we learn the details of John's observation and training of the dogs. We follow his family and friends through the years including the birth and raising of Edgar and Claude as well as discover the motivation behind Claude's subsequent actions in SES. Other subplots include finely tuned wood boxes, interludes of the Goddess Nix and gourmet cooking. Familiaris is a wide scope portrait of an American family in the structure of the 20th Century relating many of the values and themes to be found in that context. Adroitly proposed through narration and plotting are many questions; for example, what is the course of life all about? What is our place there? Does hard and virtuous work count more than the complexities of individual identity? Bitter losses and gory life events are counterbalanced by optimism and perhaps even, interestingly, supernatural forces and are not indulged in morbidly. One is left with a sense of satisfaction after gazing across these special years and prepared for the events yet to be in the SES.

Familiaris
by David Wroblewski
Pub Date: June 4, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
The follow-up to the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling modern classic The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Familiaris is the stirring origin story of the Sawtelle family and the remarkable dogs that carry the Sawtelle name.
* historical fiction
It is spring 1919, and John Sawtelle’s imagination has gotten him into trouble … again. Now John and his newlywed wife, Mary, along with their two best friends and their three dogs, are setting off for Wisconsin’s northwoods, where they hope to make a fresh start—and, with a little luck, discover what it takes to live a life of meaning, purpose, and adventure.
Familiaris is the prequel to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I read Edgar 16 years ago when it was chosen as an Oprah book. That combined with the fact it was written by a local man about a boy and his dog taking place in Northern WI, made it an instant must read for me.
I found the length of the book immediately intimidating. Familiaris is 960 pages long. I re-read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle on the heels of Familiaris and I am so glad I did. The story is darker and heavier than I remembered, perhaps especially so following the gathering light of Familiaris. It is rather amazing how the Edgar story made sense standing alone but so much more sense and depth building upon the foundation of Familiaris. I marveled at the details now that I could see where the threads began.
This is a must read! 5 stars

Familiaris by David Wroblewski follows the Sawtelle family and their dogs as they move throughout the trials and blessings of life. It’s a little bit mysterious, a little bit heartbreaking, and really funny at times. The chapters often alternate between the perspectives of several characters, and there are a lot of characters. The book is long, but engaging and I felt like was part of the family by the end of the novel

Every character is endearing and contributes uniquely to the narrative. You explored the significance of dogs, and I appreciate the emphasis placed on their importance. The book delivered all of that and beyond, making it a captivating and intriguing read for me. The book takes me on a journey that is new to me. So glad I able to read this one. What a good read.

This book is the prequel to 'The story of Edgar Sawtelle' and starts in 1919 going up to 1961. It's an epic tale that could have split up into 3 books, as it's over 950 pages long. I didn't read 'The story of Edgar Sawtelle', but since this is a prequel it worked out fine. It starts with Edgar's grandfather, John Sawtelle taking a long journey through the Wisconsin woods with his wife Mary and 3 dogs. They encounter many obstacles, heartbreak, and joy during this journey.
There are so many characters in this book to keep up with as part of their extended family and new and old friends acquired along the way. There's Elbow, the fix-it man, and Frank, the WWI veteran, who is going through a journey of his own, and Walter, the general store owner. Once they get to their destination and start to set up a new farm, their collection of friends and motley crew comes together and you feel as if you are a part of this family as well. Each character becomes a better person through working on John and Mary's farm, as if it has healing qualities. Later in the book Edgar's father and brother show up. If you read the first book, you'll find these two characters familiar as they are prominently featured there. There's lots of great writing here, it's an atmospheric tale of living off the land in a certain time and place. This book is an ode to Wisconsin farm living, and the relationship between men and dogs.