A masterful and captivating novel that is a prequel to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I liked the atmospheric writing which paints a vivid picture of the landscape and the characters lives. The story is filled with heartbreak, insight, and humor and delves into the bond between humans and dogs. It is a beautiful story that will stay with the reader.
Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another fantastic book. This is more encompassing the Edgar Sawtelle. This reads with so much heart and emotion and even a little magic. The characters are amazingly human. It really is the story of basic human nature, the good the bad and the ugly of it, but also the simplicity and the beauty as well. Props to you Mr. Wrobleski!

I’m not sure where to begin a review of a 1000-page book – especially one by an author whose last work was published sixteen years ago. Many of us were salivating for his next.

But to put it simply: this prequel to the fantastic Edgar Sawtelle is a book to savor. What do I mean? Quite simply, if you are feeling rushed, unfocused, or are in the mood to ‘tear through’ your next book, this isn’t your best choice. If you want rip-roaring action, also not your best choice. If you want deep characterization and setting (and dogs), and beautiful, but complex sentences, perhaps a good fit. It is not Edgar Sawtelle. It is its own book.

For me, personally… I went into this novel fully committed to sinking in, to truly taking my time (something I haven’t done in a long while), to enjoy the physical heft of the book, and to – yes – sniff its pages (the ink in this one was delicious). I knew I was in good hands with Wroblewski, who can spin a beautiful sentence. The book is chock-full of them. And I trusted that he would lead the reader down the right path.

The author practices some literary magic on multiple occasions, and in one instance to such a degree, I began emailing and texting all my reader friends with comments like “Mind blown!” “Possibly one of the greatest passages ever written,” “This is why I read!” There is also one line in the last 30 pages of the book that is genius in a meta kind of way, and that rather ‘explains’ the entire book. I tip my hat to the author, once more, with this brilliant move.

But I stress that patience really is the key with this book that – as the title suggests – is, yes, about dogs, and, yes, about family. It has otherworldly elements that I ate up (and wanted more of!); it has love and heartbreak and hilarity. Wroblewski’s ability to draw rich characters – both two- and four-legged – is unparalleled.

And, so is his ability to over-describe. To be honest, I probably could have omitted 400 pages from this book. And, yet, maybe it wouldn’t have been the same book in the end.

You see, the main characters – John, Mary, Elbow, Frank – are quite the philosophical crew. They ponder philosophical questions and philosophical books (for some readers, it might feel too much). I admit when a philosophical debate about a goat, a wolf, and a head of lettuce ensues for eight pages (some of it hilarious), even I grew weary. But then, Wroblewski pulls another magic trick from his hat and circles back to that seemingly silly and long-winded exchange … and it leads to a pivotal, poignant scene many chapters later in the book.

That’s not to say, again, that lots of passages couldn't have been severely trimmed. If you are finding your patience wearing thin, you learn pretty quickly that you can skim over-described sections and miss very little (i.e. painstaking steps on how to put a table together, how to clasp a screen door, etc.). Sometimes you may wonder, “why is this scene even in the book?” but you will get your answer eventually, and if you experience the book the way I did, you will be gutted at the end. You will realize, “Holy #*!~, I had no idea I had grown to care so deeply for these characters. I don’t want to leave them. I don’t want to leave these dogs. I don’t want to leave Wisconsin. I don’t want to leave this story.”

Many times throughout, I’d never have guessed this would be my final stance – because my love of this novel waxed and waned with the book’s pacing. But in the end, this one, reader friends, is going down as another all-time favorite for realism of character, for depth, and for John’s personal mantra – a message that struck very personally with me. I’ve book-darted it, photographed the page on which it occurs (it's set-off in all caps), and will always have it with me.

We picked Familiaris for our November book club, and I can already hear the grousing. Among it, though, I believe I’m going to hear a lot of positivity from our group of dog lovers. We’re going to have some great conversation about friendships, family and magic, too.

Excellent characters! I feel this could have easily been 2 books with so many stories. An enlightening prequel to one of my favorite reads!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing Inc & NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I have had the kindle version downloaded since April 15!
I wish they would have approved the audio book instead since I have become 90% audio listener now.
No problem, I waited until it was available on Libby and a long road trip.
I made it through 80% of the book before it auto returned after 2 weeks.
That left about 200 kindle pages to go. Most of those were dry and I glanced through them pretty quickly. The entire time I either listened or read, I was thinking this was an "ok" book when I averaged the parts I felt were needless and did not add to the story, and the parts that were absolutely wonderful. I wonder if the editor tried to give Mr. Wroblewski any feedback on some of the parts that just rambled or veered off the path 180 degrees? I'm not going to give specifics in order to avoid spoilers. For such a long book, there were characters I would have loved to know more about. Maybe there will be an in between book to explore the wayward brother?
What I loved about this book is the characters, such an eclectic group to form a family. For the characters with a full arc, it was most satisfying to have closure.
I would suggest reading this book first and then Edgar Sawtelle.
And if you are an audio listener, the narrator is excellent IMO.
Finally, how does an average book become more? When you wallop my emotions at the end. :)

I was excited to see this sequel to Edgar Sawtelle but couldn’t get into this book. Very slow and boring.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

What an epic read! I have not yet read "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle", yet after reading the tale of his family, I really look forward to continuing the Sawtelle family story. This is a novel that took me time, and I think that's the way it's meant to be read. Really delving into the characters and their epic journeys and experiences was a treat, and the development of characters was thorough and impressive.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5/5

I spent quite a bit of time going back and forth on how to rate this story. On the one hand, David certainly does know how to craft a lush, beautifully written tale of these small-town characters and the dogs that come in and out of their lives. These are such unique people, and the addition of some otherworldly elements just adds to the journey that you take with them. On the other hand, it is long and there were times when you felt like you were really going somewhere only to suddenly go off in the weeds and lose any momentum you felt you had. Just a few too many digressions. I liked getting the full story of Ida Payne and how she came to have the special abilities she has and the final scene with her was a tear-jerker. If you read and enjoyed The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, then you should be satisfied with this prequel. My final thought was that Mary and John would be so upset over what happens to the family in Edgar Sawtelle. I did listen to the audio for this book and was happy that they used the same narrator for it.

I didn’t love this novel as much as The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It had the unique characters, quirkiness, and depth of Edgar Sawtelle but meandered a bit too much. Some storylines were just outright strange and confusing. It was beautifully written.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200262412

This is an epic book, the prequel to the acclaimed The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, which I adored. Like the first book, Familiaris is to be read slowly and savoured. It’s a tale of a marriage, friendship, the search for meaning, and dogs, set in the US in the early 1900s. There’s also a touch of the supernatural. It’s a sweeping tome, a gentle meander through time, and not recommended for those who like to race through a gripping thriller.
Author David Wroblewski has an enviable ability to use the English language. His writing is beautiful, lyrical and original. I was swept up in the tale, although I found it a little slow to start. The book is full of the stories of the different characters –beautifully told.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget the characters. John Sawtelle searches his whole life for meaning, yearning to accomplish something bigger and better, something spiritual – “a something beyond something”. His wife Mary is a little wild, a tad radical (for her time) and utterly wonderful. And then there are their friends: Frank – returned from Vietnam with a body that’s practically destroyed – bitter and suicidal, and Elbow – quiet, thoughtful, and yet totally communicative. And the wonderful So Jack, with his giant of a horse, Granddaddy.
Oh and the dogs: characters in their own right as they accompany the Sawtelles and their friends through their lives.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5

Familiar is was a wonderful book about a man, John, his wife Mary, and his dogs. It was also about life, love, friendship and relationships. There was a bit of mysticism surrounding the character Ida, and I’m still a bit confused about why she was included, but she certainly helped sort the good from the bad.

It took a while for me to get into the book, because the early parts skipped around a bit to introduce the characters who would be central to the story. But once it got going it was hard to put it down.

John was an inquisitive guy who worked at an automobile factory, bouncing from one role to another because he drove each boss he had crazy with his questioning and tinkering. He was eventually fired and subsequently convinced his wife that they should buy an old, dilapidated farm. They and a couple of their down on their luck friends moved across the state with no idea what the future would bring. The story then continues through their lives as dog breeders and trainers, Mary’s easy style and John’s fastidious record keeping of each dog they placed or raised.

The story also follows their two boys as adults and each of their friend's successes as a furniture maker and surprisingly successful cook. Ida shows up at unexpected times, calling upon nature to do as she asks to help her friends.


It was a long and winding story well worth the time to read. It left me feeling peaceful and satisfied at the end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for me to review.

4.5 ⭐️'s

This is a difficult review to write. There were parts of the book I loved, but others I struggled with. There were many sideline stories that I felt were unnecessary and too long. Just a little background would have been nice. Other characters I would have liked more information about. Claude, where did he go? I also wanted more on Ida, Frank and Elbow. Forget the pages about dog training and record keeping and give me a soul deep character.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about the dogs. But for me less would have been more.

Now I need to mention Ida and Walter. I don't want to give any spoilers, but why is this in the book? A little magic with an overlay of mythical is the description of Ida. What was her true roll in the lives of the Sawtelle's? Again, I wanted more, more of a connection. More of Ida's voice.

The whole book is a love story that surrounds the main characters John and Mary. It spans their entire lives from the time they meet to the end of their days. And what a love story it is! This, this is the heart of the book. And it is so enjoyable.

"But how does the story of a life begin? Or in the case of Familiaris, the story of a thousand lives?"

The above quote sums up the books theme and also has me contemplating; "How does the story of a life begin?"

Thank you to David Wroblewski and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this wonderful book. Thank you to NetGalley too.

4.5 stars
This long awaited prequel to The Story of Edward Sawtelle is massive in volume but it is a wonderful story and well worth the time to read. It was a slow start for me but soon I was engrossed and reminded of the excellent writing from this author, David Wroblewski.
I agree with some other reviewers that the book could have been shorter but I am happy to have read it and would certainly recommend it to others who also loved The story of Edward Sawtelle.

This fantastic novel took me a while to get through but it was worth it! Beautiful prose. Characters we can touch and feel, alive and vibrant. Heart rendering. Hopeful.

I suspect that my love for this book hinges in part from the fact that it is set in the Wisconsin Northwoods where I lived for close to fifteen years. I’m well acquainted with the towns and villages mentioned and the beauty of the region and the friendliness of the people is unparalleled. I didn’t care for the Hamlet inspired “ Story of Edgar Sawtelle”, but my only criticism of Familiaris is that it could have been shorter, or split into three books. This is a really long book, but it makes a great summer read. John and Mary Sawtelle, their chosen family of misfits, the wonderful dogs and a special horse named Granddaddy will occupy your thoughts for a long time after the book has ended.
Highly Recommended!

If you loved The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. you will like this prequel. As in Edgar's story, the characters here are beautifully and fully realized people that you wish you knew in real life. The tale of how it all began with the dogs and the Sawtelle family is fascinating and endearing.

That all being said, this is about 400 pages longer than it needed to be. Around the middle it felt like there was a lot of nonrelevant filler that made the momentum of the stories slow to a crawl. Yes, I got bored.

But the last third of the book? Oh my, worth reading again. And again.

Oh this book, this heartbreak, longspun yarn of a book. It took me far longer to read this one than I had anticipated, and it wasn't because it was 1000 pages (though this was a beefy book). It was mostly because it needed its time and space to flower, kind of like letting yeast bloom before you bake with it. There are a lot of stories wound up in a life, and Wroblewski doesn't shy from the complexity of that. I went in expecting "a good book about dogs" and wound up with stories that approach mythology, plus the intimate moments that make or break multiple families. Beautiful work!

Unexpectedly humorous - I laughed out loud and smiled broadly many times while reading this novel.

The time line starts at a catastrophic event, moves forward and goes then before. This story winds back and forth- mostly forth, and just when I thought too much time had been skipped, a realization would come, this was not a story about raising a family or raising dogs, but about a commitment to the people the narrator holds in his heart.

The first time the author asked me to suspend belief in his previous novel, I didn’t even realize I was doing it. In Familiaris, I noticed immediately but was excited to see the connection to characters I had meet before. The second and third times it happen in this book, I started to be concerned it way more fantasy then I typically read. However by the end of the book, up until the last word, I felt that every unexpected detour and suspension of disbelief was well warranted to lay out the back story I never knew I wanted, but was very glad to read.

I have no trigger warnings as a reader, but it should be known, dogs are present in this book as characters. And just as in life, dogs don’t live as long as humans, so you will have to read of dogs dying.

This is a prequel to the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, no need to read that book as the events in this book happen before that time frame. Though it does help to know what happens to some of the characters while reading this one. John Sawtelle (this will be Edgar's Grandfather) is out on a random drive in the country, after his car over heats, while waiting for the car to cool down he walks down the road and sees a farm that appears abandoned and thinks it would be the best place to live. The story goes back and forth in time, we learn a bit about John, his peculiar way of working (he's been fired from almost every job in the car manufacturing plant he works in as a result), his pursuit of his wife (though this may have been more of her pursuing him), his friends who are loyal to him. Each step back to describe these situations takes many pages, especially when it comes to a fellow who owns a grocery store and adopts a baby (how this happens is a story in itself), that baby grows into a woman who has some very strange capabilities, I won't go into detail as that would spoil it. John and his wife do acquire the farm and they invite their friends to move in with them (it's a large building). They have a couple children, one of whom eventually becomes the father of Edgar in the first book. There is a lot that goes on in this book and trying to condense it is very difficult. I would highly recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Blackstonepublishing for the ARC.

I was a big fan of Wroblewski's first book, "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." So when I heard there was a prequel, I jumped at the chance to read it. There were some really great things and some not-so-great things about Familiaris. Here's a list:

GREAT:
• characters. Oh my word, they are rich, lasting impressions who will live in my mind for a long time.
• prose. This is literary fiction to the max.
• epic. The story spans decades, so it's great for readers who enjoy a long story.
• intricate, connected storylines. There were several side stories that really came together and rewarded the reader who stuck with it.

NOT-SO-GREAT:
• the length. This book was nearly 1000 pages. I don't mind a long book, but some parts were so slow, it was a real struggle to get through.
• confusing timelines. Occasionally several years would go by in a page, and I would have to re-read to understand what happened. At other times, we would spend an entire chapter on a single afternoon.
• surprising grief. Again, I don't mind when a story makes me cry, but being surprised by a loss, and then sitting in it for a long time is really not my cup of tea.

This book is a work of art, and there's no doubt many will love it. I caution the lover of "Edgar Sawtelle" to approach "Familiaris" with an open mind, and to expect a different book with the same beautiful writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy; all opinions are my own.