Kate’s 2¢: “The story of Edgar Sawtelle: a novel” by David Wroblewski

“The story of Edgar Sawtelle: a novel” by David Wroblewski

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Excerpts:

   The glass was crude and warped…He produced a long thin reed whose tip was cut on the oblique and sharpened to a needle’s point; a minute quantity of liquid had wicked into the reed and a drop shimmered on the point…The rain fell and the three-legged dog laid still.

   Edgar’s grandfather began the unsual dog strain…Edgar’s father was interested in what the dog’s chose to do…Edgar’s mother was a trainer of the dogs…Edgar was born mute, but could hear…the dogs obeyed his hand signals.

   Almondine was a special dog who loved Edgar and could mentally communicate with him…omniscient point of view…Edgar was silent in contentment and silent in distress, but the dog understood…Gar’s brother, Claude, comes to stay and repairs the old barn where the dogs live.

   Edgar knows his father’s death wasn’t an accident…The old vet’s death was an accident…Edgar’s death was no accident…Claude got what he deserved.

   I enjoyed observing the silent interactions of Edgar with his mother and with the dogs he trained and worked with.  His travels with the dogs when he flees his home is amazing and a tribute to loyalty.

David Wroblewski – Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wroblewski

David Wroblewski was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. He earned his master’s degree from the Warren Wilson College MFA Program for Writers. As a child and through high school, he had a dog named Prince that was the basis for the dog in his novel.

Born: David Wroblewski, 1959 (age 61–62), Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States

Nationality: American

Occupation: Novelist, software researcher and developer

Period: 2008–present

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The story of Edgar Sawtelle: a novel DB66656

Wroblewski, David. Reading time: 17 hours, 34 minutes.

Read by Steven Carpenter. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Disability

Adventure

Family

Animals and Wildlife

Bestsellers

Wisconsin, 1970s. Gar and Trudy Sawtelle raise an intuitive and intelligent dog breed on their farm. One dog, Almondine, can communicate with the Sawtelle’s mute son Edgar. After Gar’s brother arrives, Gar dies and fourteen-year-old Edgar flees into the forest with three of the dogs. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2008.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Envoy” by Edward Wilson

“The Envoy” by Edward Wilson

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   In every story there is a kernel of truth. I wonder if our foreign offices in certain countries are actually told to not process the locals who apply for visas or asylum.

   I liked the twist at the end of the story.

   I enjoyed listening to Gregory Maupin read this story.

From the WEB:

Edward Wilson served in Vietnam as an officer in the 5th Special Forces. His decorations include the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for VValor. Soon after leaving the army, Wilson became a permanent expatriate. He formally lost US nationality in 1986. Edward Wilson is a British citizen but has also lived and worked in Germany and France.

   From: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3132126-the-envoy

Apr 01, 2008 · The Envoy, Edward Wilson’s second novel, will prove familiar territory for fans of A River in May. The setting is 1950s London, at the height of the Cold War. Kit Fournier is ostensibly a senior diplomat at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square, but is also CIA Chief of Station. This job and its secrets prove deadly and Kit faces a crisis of the soul as the threat of the H-bomb.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The envoy DB84067

Wilson, Edward, (Novelist). Reading time: 10 hours, 20 minutes.

Read by Gregory Maupin. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Spy Stories

London, 1956. Kit Fournier, a CIA agent under diplomatic cover at the US embassy, is troubled by the arms race and obsessed with a woman whose husband works at a secret nuclear research facility. Kit makes a series of catastrophic decisions. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2008.

Download The envoy

Kate’s 2¢: “Cold July: A Dave Garrett Mystery” by Neil Albert

“Cold July: A Dave Garrett Mystery” by Neil Albert

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   It is always disheartening to read about dirty law enforcers, but, I know, it is a reality. Hopefully, the good guys out-number the bad ones.

   I appreciate Dave Garrett’s fidelity to Lisa. He is a man of character and morals. A rarity in this day and age.

From Neil Albert’s website:

Even as a child I wanted to write, and probably for the same reason that drives others to write—an isolated and unhappy childhood.  My parents moved frequently.  Being the new kid in school is bad enough; being an only child with no extended family is worse.  After a while you give up and retreat into the world of your imagination.  My first book-length work was an adventure story set in the present day (1965) that came to 300 longhand pages and took me all summer to write.  Blessedly, it has disappeared.  If anyone reading this has it, I will pay good money to make sure it never gets out.

In my thirties I tried my hand at short stories.  The only good that came of that was the suggestion that I try a mystery, because it was clear what belonged and what didn’t.  My advisor had a short story in mind, but I misunderstood her and wrote The January Corpse by mistake.  The book was written over the space of two weeks in 1988, and appeared in 1990.  It was nominated for Best First Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America but lost out.  It was a very edgy book for its day; saying anything more would be a spoiler.

The structure of my series stole shamelessly from Sue Grafton and her A is for Alibi system.  The months of the year seemed much less ambitious.  The fact that Sue died without getting to Z proves my point.  Between 1990 and 1996 I churned out a book a year, while practicing trial law full time on the side.  It was the best of days and it was the worst of days.  I attended many conventions and book signings and met dozens of wonderful people—fans, other writers, editors, book dealers, collectors—and it was a pleasure to deal with everyone.  Anyone who thinks that mystery writers feel that they are in competition with each other is mistaken.  I have seldom been in any social setting with as strong a sense of collegiality.  We were genuinely happy when somebody broke out.  I knew Harlen Cobin and Lisa Scottoline in the early days and when one of us hit it big, we were as happy as if it had been us.   And it was the days when there were still independent bookstores.  I got my start because shop owners liked my work and hand sold it.  Those days are gone.  I feel very lucky to have been in the trade at the time.

And it was the worst of times.  Writing to a deadline when it’s your side job isn’t fun.  For six years I never had a vacation.  If I accompanied my friends on a ski vacation, for example, I would take a laptop and write 5,000 words a day while they were on the slopes.  At any given moment I was touring for the current release, editing the book that was in process, working on the first draft of the new one, and making research notes about the one after that.

 And then Fred came into our lives.

Fred was a $2,000 horse of uncertain age and breeding that the woman who was my wife at the time was persuaded to buy as a fox hunting horse.

Of course, $2,000 wasn’t the end of the commitment.  There was the $2,000 used saddle, about $1,000 in blankets and bridles, just enough to get started, and the $10,000 trailer and the $20,000 truck.  And then we needed a place where Fred could live with us, which involved a broken down farm of 50 acres.  I won’t mention the price.  But the horse was a bargain.

How all this was going to affect my writing wasn’t clear at the time.  I had never ridden a horse and I was vaguely frightened of them.  But after a year on the farm, seeing the horses on a regular basis, I had a gestalt moment.  The horses were right there.  Not riding was like living in Colorado and not going skiing.  At age 47 I got on a horse for the first time for a lesson.  I was instantly hooked.  Five months later I participated in a no-jump fox hunt, which is a ridiculously dangerous rate of progress for a beginning adult rider.  Two years after that I got a well-trained jumping horse and joined a hunt with jumps.  Big jumps.   Writing was off the table.

I stopped hunting when my mare Madison became arthritic and just did trail riding for a few years until it was time to let it go. My last years of riding were spent with Ev, the woman who is now my wife (and proofreader). I hunted in the front for fifteen years and never got hurt, thanks to some wonderful horses.

And here I am again, still working full time but out of the saddle for good, and eager to continue where I left off. I hope you enjoy the journey with me

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Cold July: a Dave Garrett mystery DB103154

Albert, Neil. Reading time: 6 hours, 42 minutes.

Read by Steven Carpenter.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Months ago, Elsie Mankovik died while helping private detective Dave Garrett, and now he works to help her daughter, Angela, who Elsie claimed was framed on drug charges. But everyone is out to stop him, and he can only rely on his assistant Lisa. Strong language and some violence. 2019.

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