Familiaris by David Wroblewski

How I Came Across It... *When Oprah announced The Story of Edgar Sawtelle as a 2008 book club selection, I read along and enjoyed everything there was in that epic novel. I was excited to learn there was going to be a prequel and that Oprah had chosen it as another book club selection. It took me most of the summer (2024) to read the massive novel, but I did it. What It's About - Five Things You Need to Know... *The story begins in the year 1919 with John Sawtelle.

*He meets Mary and they begin their life together as a family of both humans and dogs.

*As they navigate their life together, they face many hardships which not only fractures what they are attempting to build, but also creates stronger bonds than their ever knew.

*The second portion of the novel centers around the two sons of John and Mary. These boys could not be more different from each other and each take their parents vision and make it their own.

*The special breed of dog they raise, takes this family from modest beginnings to something quite large and special. What I Thought of It - Five Observations/Reflections...

*Because I had enjoyed The Story of Edgar Sawtelle so much, I was quite excited to read the prequel.

*In my opinion, the story started off a bit slow and I realized this novel might not be the same as the first one.

*There were portions of the plot I enjoyed, but overall I found the pacing to be slow, detailed, and didn't hold my attention.

*The writing was incredible and descriptive, but "slogged" along in many places.

*The characters were authentic, thoughtful, and memorable.

Who Should Read It... *If you read Edgar Sawtelle, you might want to try this one. If you follow Oprah's book picks, you might want to try this one. If you are a dog lover, you might want to try this one. While I didn't love the story, I do think it was well written and many readers will enjoy. Happy Reading! Rating...

3 out of 5 stars