I took quite a long time slogging through this book. Sometimes, it felt exactly like wading in mud. Other times, I couldn't put it down or couldn't wait to get back to it. I HAD to know how it all came out. I loved Edgar's character, Almondine, the imagery, the back stories, the mystical and the real. I don't even like dogs, yet, it made me want a dog that can do what a Sawtelle dog does. The waterspout story and the old man in Henry's garage could have been left out. I HATED the ending, not because it was sad but, because it wasn't really an ending. A few loose ends are okay with me, however, the reader is left with nothing. I should have spent my time reading something else.