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The Last Days of Dogtown: A Novel
Set on Cape Ann in the early 1800s, The Last Days of Dogtown is peopled by widows, orphans, spinsters, scoundrels, whores, free Africans, and "witches". Nearly a decade ago, Diamant found an account of an abandoned rural backwater near the Massachusetts coastline at the turn of the nineteenth century. That pamphlet inspired a stunning novel about a small group of eccentrics and misfits, struggling in a harsh, isolated landscape only fifty miles north of Boston, yet a world away. Among the inhabitants of Dogtown are Black Ruth, an African woman who dresses as a man and works as a stone mason; Mrs. Stanley, an imperious madam whose grandson, Sammy, comes of age in her rural brothel; Oliver Younger, who survives a miserable childhood at the hands of a very strange aunt; and Cornelius Finson, a freed slave whose race denies him everything. At the center of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent soul, deeply lonely, who nonetheless builds a life for herself and inspires those around her to become more generous and tolerant themselves.
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First published January 1, 2005
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About the author
Anita Diamant
30 books4,811 followersAnita Diamant is the author of thirteen books -- including THE RED TENT. Based on the biblical story of Dinah, THE RED TENT became a word-of-mouth bestseller in the US and around the world, where it has been published in more than 25 countries.
Her new book, a work of nonfiction. PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. A NEW CHAPTER IN THE FIGHT FOR MENSTRUAL JUSTICE will be published in May 2021., As different as they are, this book returns to some of the themes of THE RED TENT -- including the meaning and experience of menstruation.
Anita has written four other novels: GOOD HARBOR, THE LAST DAYS OF DOGTOWN, DAY AFTER NIGHT, and THE BOSTON GIRL. She is also the author of six non-fiction guides to contemporary Jewish life, which have become classic reference books: THE JEWISH WEDDING NOW, THE JEWISH BABY BOOK, LIVING A JEWISH LIFE, CHOOSING A JEWISH LIFE, HOW TO RAISE A JEWISH CHILD, and SAYING KADDISH..
An award-winning journalist, Diamant's articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, Real Simple, Parenting Magazine, Hadassah, Boston Magazine and Yankee Magazine. PITCHING MY TENT, a collection personal essays, is drawn from twenty years worth of newspaper and magazine columns.
Her new book, a work of nonfiction. PERIOD. END OF SENTENCE. A NEW CHAPTER IN THE FIGHT FOR MENSTRUAL JUSTICE will be published in May 2021., As different as they are, this book returns to some of the themes of THE RED TENT -- including the meaning and experience of menstruation.
Anita has written four other novels: GOOD HARBOR, THE LAST DAYS OF DOGTOWN, DAY AFTER NIGHT, and THE BOSTON GIRL. She is also the author of six non-fiction guides to contemporary Jewish life, which have become classic reference books: THE JEWISH WEDDING NOW, THE JEWISH BABY BOOK, LIVING A JEWISH LIFE, CHOOSING A JEWISH LIFE, HOW TO RAISE A JEWISH CHILD, and SAYING KADDISH..
An award-winning journalist, Diamant's articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, Real Simple, Parenting Magazine, Hadassah, Boston Magazine and Yankee Magazine. PITCHING MY TENT, a collection personal essays, is drawn from twenty years worth of newspaper and magazine columns.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,481 reviews
September 1, 2008
After reading The Red Tent, I was eager to read more by this author. The blurb about this book stated ".....Dogtown is peopled by widow, orphans, spinsters, scoundrels, whores, free Africans and 'witches.'" Hmmmmm - sounds interesting. The blurb went on to talk about Ruth who dresses as a man and works as a stone mason (this is set in the early 1800's), Sammy who has a miserable childhood being raised in a brothel, Oliver Younger who is being raised by a wicked aunt, and Cornelius who is a freed slave. All of these characters descriptions intrigued me and so I began to read the book. Could have been a wonderful story, but it kind of rambled on at the beginning and was hard to get into it. I stuck with it though, and in the end, I was interested enough in each characters life to wish them happiness and a better life. The book takes place over many decades and you learn about the characters at different points in their lives. Good enough, but not like The Red Tent.
March 7, 2008
Anita Diamant's characters from this book stayed with me for months after I turned the last page. While I was reading the book, I found it lacking in details and context. Yet, once I was done, I decided that I had just enough information to make all of the characters extremely real to me.
This is a book about a dying shore town whose industry had all moved elsewhere. There are some women who live alone -- either never married or widowed -- in this old town. They subsist off of the land and some small, odd jobs. But mainly they are just biding their time and surviving until they, too, will die.
The whole portrait of this dying town, and the ways that life still goes on in a dying town, fascinated me. I would have liked for this book to be 4 times as long so I could have had more detail about each character and day-to-day life in Dogtown.
This is a book about a dying shore town whose industry had all moved elsewhere. There are some women who live alone -- either never married or widowed -- in this old town. They subsist off of the land and some small, odd jobs. But mainly they are just biding their time and surviving until they, too, will die.
The whole portrait of this dying town, and the ways that life still goes on in a dying town, fascinated me. I would have liked for this book to be 4 times as long so I could have had more detail about each character and day-to-day life in Dogtown.
April 3, 2008
Here is the conversation I had with my husband the other night when I was on my way out the door to book club:
HUSBAND: What book are you doing?
ME: Last Days of Dogtown.
HUSBAND: Cool… I still want to see the movie.
ME: I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been made into a movie (trying to picture how a modern day director might handle such scenes as public urination and “pipe playing”).
HUSBAND: Yeah, you remember… I think Heath Ledger was in it.
ME: Oh, LORDS of Dogtown (relieved to finally be understanding).
HUSBAND: Right, that’s not what you’re reading?
ME: Not even close.
Given the choice, I’d pick this character-driven story over the history of skateboarding any day. It was a smooth read, and not as depressing as I had assumed once a few of the characters found their way out of misery and into the warm (if brief) light of genuine happiness. It reminded me of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row in the way I found myself rooting for some of the inhabitants of Dogtown. I found it to be a light touch on the subject of race, but what there was on that topic was thoughtfully rendered. Overall a good read, good enough to rob me of my well-earned sleep a few nights in a row.
HUSBAND: What book are you doing?
ME: Last Days of Dogtown.
HUSBAND: Cool… I still want to see the movie.
ME: I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been made into a movie (trying to picture how a modern day director might handle such scenes as public urination and “pipe playing”).
HUSBAND: Yeah, you remember… I think Heath Ledger was in it.
ME: Oh, LORDS of Dogtown (relieved to finally be understanding).
HUSBAND: Right, that’s not what you’re reading?
ME: Not even close.
Given the choice, I’d pick this character-driven story over the history of skateboarding any day. It was a smooth read, and not as depressing as I had assumed once a few of the characters found their way out of misery and into the warm (if brief) light of genuine happiness. It reminded me of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row in the way I found myself rooting for some of the inhabitants of Dogtown. I found it to be a light touch on the subject of race, but what there was on that topic was thoughtfully rendered. Overall a good read, good enough to rob me of my well-earned sleep a few nights in a row.
December 13, 2021
Immediately I finished this book, I began to look into the true history of Dogtown and was fascinated to find that the characters and events portrayed by Diamant are based in fact. I found repeated references to these characters (whose real names Diamant has preserved in her novel) and indications that many of the novel's plot points are inspired by legends which surround the real Dogtown. I was even able to discover current maps and photos of the area which is now a park that can be visited for hiking and picnics.
All the historical facts aside, this is a good novel. The prose is sparse in keeping with the subject matter and perfectly suited to the story at hand. It is rather like a sketch made with a very few strokes of the pencil, spare and powerful.
Because Dogtown is becoming a ghost town, the characters have a rather haunting, or perhaps haunted, quality. As one by one, their neighbors move away, as the houses are one by one abandoned, those who remain live alongside the ghosts of the past and seem to become increasingly transparent themselves.
And haunted is how I felt when I was reading. It isn't an altogether pleasant feeling but it seems appropriate in this case.
More recommendations from me at www.jenniferfrostwrites.com
All the historical facts aside, this is a good novel. The prose is sparse in keeping with the subject matter and perfectly suited to the story at hand. It is rather like a sketch made with a very few strokes of the pencil, spare and powerful.
Because Dogtown is becoming a ghost town, the characters have a rather haunting, or perhaps haunted, quality. As one by one, their neighbors move away, as the houses are one by one abandoned, those who remain live alongside the ghosts of the past and seem to become increasingly transparent themselves.
And haunted is how I felt when I was reading. It isn't an altogether pleasant feeling but it seems appropriate in this case.
More recommendations from me at www.jenniferfrostwrites.com
December 12, 2008
This has just become one of my favorite books... I can't imagine anyone could read this and not fall in love with Dogtown and its people. The characters are so well developed; some funny and quirky, others horrid and unloveable, and, of course, some honest and flawless. The description of the town and the going-ons around the town are captivating.
May 31, 2019
Despite the fact that I'm already reading several other books, those books seem to be lingering in the "OK, but not so compelling" category so I decided to pick this one up. Pretty pungent opening scene.
Moving along ... as one G'reads reviewer complained, this is NOT a happy tale. It's about throwaway people in the early-mid 19th century. Not as long ago as people like to think. My paternal grandmother was born in 1886 and I knew her about as well as a little kid and teenager can know an old person. She must have had the same relationship as a kid to people from that pre-Civil War era. The town I live in, Phippsburg, Maine, once had its own Dogtown. It was on a small island just yards away from the mainland called Malaga. The settlers there were very poor, multi-racial, and lived hand-to-mouth into the early 20th century. They were forcibly removed and scattered to make way for a resort development that never happened. Some wound up in the State Home for the Feeble Minded, where they died out. There's an excellent Y/A award-winning novel that deals with the events called "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy." One occasionally sees feature articles about this in the local papers. "A shameful chapter in Maine's history" is usually the theme of those articles. Indeed ...
- A quibble - the author finds it necessary to include some technical/intimate details about the lovemaking history of two of the characters. This seems out of place in a book set in the early 19th century. She could have said all of what "needed" to be said in general terms more appropriate to the setting.
This book is a portrait of a time and place and as such has almost no plot. Still, it's pretty well done. NOT great literature, but compelling enough to read.
Well, I need to finish ONE of the too many books I'm supposedly reading right now and it looks like it'll be this one. Pretty good so far as the author shuffles along, moving from character to character and building her snapshot of Dogtown in the early 19th century. One does wonder if the sort of modern-ish way these lives are presented(i.e. they look, act and talk a lot like us) is creating an accurate picture of life and lives almost 200 years ago. As Vicki Lawrence(Momma on the The Carol Burnett Show) once famously declared: "How the hell should I know?!"
Finished last night with this enjoyable slice-of-life "story" about the lives of a bunch of folks on the underside of life in early 19th c. coastal Massachusetts. It reminded me of "The Meadow," another wandering tale focused on the people who inhabit a particular patch of territory over the years. I'd love to give it a 4* rating, and if G'reads gave us six stars to work with that would make it easy. But ... we only get five and 4* is a bit too many.
- Not sure if it was a typo or intentional, but we say "pollock," not "pollack" 'round these parts. It's a type of fish ...
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*
- BTW, Dogtown(in Gloucester) can be visited. Not much there these days.
Moving along ... as one G'reads reviewer complained, this is NOT a happy tale. It's about throwaway people in the early-mid 19th century. Not as long ago as people like to think. My paternal grandmother was born in 1886 and I knew her about as well as a little kid and teenager can know an old person. She must have had the same relationship as a kid to people from that pre-Civil War era. The town I live in, Phippsburg, Maine, once had its own Dogtown. It was on a small island just yards away from the mainland called Malaga. The settlers there were very poor, multi-racial, and lived hand-to-mouth into the early 20th century. They were forcibly removed and scattered to make way for a resort development that never happened. Some wound up in the State Home for the Feeble Minded, where they died out. There's an excellent Y/A award-winning novel that deals with the events called "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy." One occasionally sees feature articles about this in the local papers. "A shameful chapter in Maine's history" is usually the theme of those articles. Indeed ...
- A quibble - the author finds it necessary to include some technical/intimate details about the lovemaking history of two of the characters. This seems out of place in a book set in the early 19th century. She could have said all of what "needed" to be said in general terms more appropriate to the setting.
This book is a portrait of a time and place and as such has almost no plot. Still, it's pretty well done. NOT great literature, but compelling enough to read.
Well, I need to finish ONE of the too many books I'm supposedly reading right now and it looks like it'll be this one. Pretty good so far as the author shuffles along, moving from character to character and building her snapshot of Dogtown in the early 19th century. One does wonder if the sort of modern-ish way these lives are presented(i.e. they look, act and talk a lot like us) is creating an accurate picture of life and lives almost 200 years ago. As Vicki Lawrence(Momma on the The Carol Burnett Show) once famously declared: "How the hell should I know?!"
Finished last night with this enjoyable slice-of-life "story" about the lives of a bunch of folks on the underside of life in early 19th c. coastal Massachusetts. It reminded me of "The Meadow," another wandering tale focused on the people who inhabit a particular patch of territory over the years. I'd love to give it a 4* rating, and if G'reads gave us six stars to work with that would make it easy. But ... we only get five and 4* is a bit too many.
- Not sure if it was a typo or intentional, but we say "pollock," not "pollack" 'round these parts. It's a type of fish ...
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*
- BTW, Dogtown(in Gloucester) can be visited. Not much there these days.
January 20, 2020
After recently finishing (and loving) The Red Tent, I was excited to find another Anita Diamant book seemingly sitting on the shelf just waiting for me to pluck it up and take it home. Now that I've finished it, I have to say I'm disappointed.
TLDOG is about the last citizens of a small town in Massachusetts in the 1800s. They all live hardscrabble lives trying to get by in a town where the resources are dwindling. As the old people die off, there are few young people to replace them. Based on a real town, I understand Diamant's desire to create her own story of what happened to these people, to acknoledge that they lived and breathed and loved once upon a time. And while most of the characters are somewhat interesting, she doesn't light on any one long enough for the reader to really invest in them. Eventually everyone leaves Dogtown in one way or the other, which the reader knew would happen from the beginning. In the end I had just one thought, "who cares?"
TLDOG is about the last citizens of a small town in Massachusetts in the 1800s. They all live hardscrabble lives trying to get by in a town where the resources are dwindling. As the old people die off, there are few young people to replace them. Based on a real town, I understand Diamant's desire to create her own story of what happened to these people, to acknoledge that they lived and breathed and loved once upon a time. And while most of the characters are somewhat interesting, she doesn't light on any one long enough for the reader to really invest in them. Eventually everyone leaves Dogtown in one way or the other, which the reader knew would happen from the beginning. In the end I had just one thought, "who cares?"
March 4, 2010
This is NO "Red Tent". :(
I spent the first half really wanting it to be about someone in particular, and I guess it sort of did come full circle through all the characters in the end, but what it really was about was Dogtown itself. The title says that, but I guess I kept wanting to identify with someone in particular and it never happened. Just about the time I warmed up to one character the story shifted it's focus to someone else. The book was ABOUT Dogtown, but it's voice was through Dogtown's characters and it came across like a series of related vignettes, which I guess is okay, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I guess I really wanted to identify with a particular someone and never really could because the time period and characters shifted constantly.
And goodness gracious! How SAD! This book is full of regrets and missed opportunities and guilt and poor circumstances! :( Definitely not any sort of "fortifying" read at all.
I really looked forward to loving this when I picked it up, but... no.
I spent the first half really wanting it to be about someone in particular, and I guess it sort of did come full circle through all the characters in the end, but what it really was about was Dogtown itself. The title says that, but I guess I kept wanting to identify with someone in particular and it never happened. Just about the time I warmed up to one character the story shifted it's focus to someone else. The book was ABOUT Dogtown, but it's voice was through Dogtown's characters and it came across like a series of related vignettes, which I guess is okay, but it wasn't what I was expecting. I guess I really wanted to identify with a particular someone and never really could because the time period and characters shifted constantly.
And goodness gracious! How SAD! This book is full of regrets and missed opportunities and guilt and poor circumstances! :( Definitely not any sort of "fortifying" read at all.
I really looked forward to loving this when I picked it up, but... no.
September 9, 2022
An excellent book about outcasts and outsiders in early America, although I found the ending a bit flat. However, the ending was entirely appropriate to the theme and the story, so maybe I'm just being unfair or sentimental.
The town does just fizzle out, eventually, so thematically that resonates with the anti-climatic ending.
The writing was very evocative, and left me wanting to know more about some of the characters — but not all can be followed in detail, or a novel would be never-ending!
The town does just fizzle out, eventually, so thematically that resonates with the anti-climatic ending.
The writing was very evocative, and left me wanting to know more about some of the characters — but not all can be followed in detail, or a novel would be never-ending!
September 10, 2010
I can't say I enjoyed this book. The characters live such difficult lives. I find it hard to read books about the down-trodden, especially if they are abused, physically or emotionally. And emotional and physical abuse, discrimination, and cruelty abound in this book. I just want to bury my head in the sand, and not be reminded that people like John Stanwood are allowed to exist.
I find myself torn between giving this 4 stars, because the author does a good job of portraying their sad lives, or 2 stars, because I really didn't enjoy the book. So I'm settling for 3 stars.
And yet, there are characters to rise above their circumstances to exhibit friendship, caring and bountiful kindness. The relationships of these lonely people, living their hard-scrabble lives in the dying community of Dogtown are encouraging.
Even the strongest characters in the book - Easter Carter, Judy Rhines, Cornelius Finson, Black Ruth, Oliver Younger - face periods of desperation. In this way, the characters are real.
I find myself torn between giving this 4 stars, because the author does a good job of portraying their sad lives, or 2 stars, because I really didn't enjoy the book. So I'm settling for 3 stars.
And yet, there are characters to rise above their circumstances to exhibit friendship, caring and bountiful kindness. The relationships of these lonely people, living their hard-scrabble lives in the dying community of Dogtown are encouraging.
Even the strongest characters in the book - Easter Carter, Judy Rhines, Cornelius Finson, Black Ruth, Oliver Younger - face periods of desperation. In this way, the characters are real.
April 22, 2011
Anita Diamant is on the honour roll for character development! I don't know that I've read a book before that had so many richly developed characters. Each one of the Dogtown residents had multi layers of personality, motives, and viewpoints. Even the dogs and the town were characterized.
Anita Diamant's story was inspired by an article she read about the ghost town in Cape Ann, Massachusetts. I went online to see if there was such a place. There was indeed a town named Dogtown and legends about Judy Rhines, Tammy Younger, and Cornelius "Black Neil".
Each chapter was like a vignette showcasing individual characters and their circumstances. By the end of the book, as the last resident of Dogtown was moved to the workhouse, Diamant had tied them all together as a cohesive story about the trials and tribulations of the town that was known as Dogtown.
This was an audiobook narrated by Kate Mulligan who did a wonderful job in giving a voice to each character.
Anita Diamant's story was inspired by an article she read about the ghost town in Cape Ann, Massachusetts. I went online to see if there was such a place. There was indeed a town named Dogtown and legends about Judy Rhines, Tammy Younger, and Cornelius "Black Neil".
Each chapter was like a vignette showcasing individual characters and their circumstances. By the end of the book, as the last resident of Dogtown was moved to the workhouse, Diamant had tied them all together as a cohesive story about the trials and tribulations of the town that was known as Dogtown.
This was an audiobook narrated by Kate Mulligan who did a wonderful job in giving a voice to each character.
December 22, 2008
Beautiful. Very simply written, but the characters are so richly developed that you fall in love with Dogtown and its residents. I think Anita Diamant is one of the most gifted writers of our times. I wish there were more novels from her to read! Though this story was at times quite depressing, I really treasured reading this. Highly recommended!
November 23, 2008
Dogtown is a community of social outcasts located a few miles from Gloucester on Cape Ann. This novel begins in the winter of 1814 on the day of the death of Abraham Wharf. In the first chapter we are introduced to the residents of Dogtown as they arrive at the home of Easter Carter to pay their last respects. There is a hint of mystery surrounding the death of Mr. Wharf, but the mystery was overridden by the fascinating stories of the Dogtown people in the following chapters.
April 2, 2016
I read this several years ago and recall picking it up because of the setting on Cape Ann. I read Diamant for this reason and wasn't diappointed in this one of hers.
May 22, 2015
When an author writes a wonderful book, you tend to always hope that the next book of hers you read will equal or exceed it. Diamant has never been able to live up to the standard she set in The Red Tent. Perhaps if I had not approached this book with so much hope, I would have liked it better.
With a cast of unique and interesting characters, Dogtown has great potential. At the outset, I think Diamant bounces from one character to another too often and arbitrarily, so that just when I thought I might become involved with them, she moved on to someone new. In the end, however, I did feel somewhat invested in Judy Rhines, who emerges as perhaps the "main" character. I found it quite interesting when I learned that most of these characters actually existed and that the fate of Dogtown is accurately depicted. Perhaps truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
I wanted to love this book. I felt bits and pieces of empathy and understanding for the inhabitants of Dogtown. I felt for the bleakness of life for these last people resigned to live in this area that carried with it so much stigma. I liked the parallel between the people and the dogs themselves, who had given the area its name so many years before. I would not discourage anyone who said they were planning to read this book, but I would also not tell anyone it was a book not to be missed.
If this review sounds equivocal, it is because I can feel myself with one foot on either side of the fence. If this were my first Diamant, I would not hesitate to read her again, but on the heels of The Red Tent, it cannot help disappointing a bit.
With a cast of unique and interesting characters, Dogtown has great potential. At the outset, I think Diamant bounces from one character to another too often and arbitrarily, so that just when I thought I might become involved with them, she moved on to someone new. In the end, however, I did feel somewhat invested in Judy Rhines, who emerges as perhaps the "main" character. I found it quite interesting when I learned that most of these characters actually existed and that the fate of Dogtown is accurately depicted. Perhaps truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
I wanted to love this book. I felt bits and pieces of empathy and understanding for the inhabitants of Dogtown. I felt for the bleakness of life for these last people resigned to live in this area that carried with it so much stigma. I liked the parallel between the people and the dogs themselves, who had given the area its name so many years before. I would not discourage anyone who said they were planning to read this book, but I would also not tell anyone it was a book not to be missed.
If this review sounds equivocal, it is because I can feel myself with one foot on either side of the fence. If this were my first Diamant, I would not hesitate to read her again, but on the heels of The Red Tent, it cannot help disappointing a bit.
September 8, 2010
I picked this book up because I loved Diamant's The Red Tent. I knew she had written a contemporary novel, which I had not read, but this intrigued me. It's the story of a small group of people - widows, orphans, scoundrels, whores and free Africans - who inhabit the titular Dogtown, a small village on the heights of Cape Ann in Massachusetts. The story starts in 1814 with the death of a prominent citizen and follows the main characters over the next twenty years entwining their stories, flashing back to lost or deliberately mislaid lives as the town gradually dies. There was a real Dogtown, but the characters are all Diamant's. She builds a solid story with interesting characters. I recommend this.
I have an interview with Ms. Diamant on both my website and blog.
From the flap: "Among the inhabitants of Dogtown are Black Ruth, an African woman who dresses as a man and works as a stone mason; Mrs. Stanley, an imperious madam whose grandson, Sammy comes of age in her rural brothel; Oliver Younger, who survives a miserable childhood at the hands of a very strange aunt; and Cornelius Finson, a freed slave whose race denies him everything. At the center of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent soul, deeply lonely, who nonetheless builds a life for herself and inspires those around her to become more generous and tolerant themselves."
I have an interview with Ms. Diamant on both my website and blog.
From the flap: "Among the inhabitants of Dogtown are Black Ruth, an African woman who dresses as a man and works as a stone mason; Mrs. Stanley, an imperious madam whose grandson, Sammy comes of age in her rural brothel; Oliver Younger, who survives a miserable childhood at the hands of a very strange aunt; and Cornelius Finson, a freed slave whose race denies him everything. At the center of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent soul, deeply lonely, who nonetheless builds a life for herself and inspires those around her to become more generous and tolerant themselves."
July 30, 2012
The Last Days of Dogtown is a loosely historical tale of the end of a small village on Cape Ann, Mass.
However, the novel doesn't really focus on the place as much as on a cast of wonderfully idiosyncratic characters. The reader becomes privy to the tightly held secrets of all of the denizens from my favorite, Cornelius...referred to as the freed African...who is a source of love and support for the weaker inhabitants to Easter, a jovial innkeeper who knows everything about everyone, but is quite discrete for all of that. Diamant does an amazing job of portraying each individual replete with strengths and sometimes hideous flaws in a way that made me feel like they could become the inhabitants of any community and find someone there who could care about them. And that probably is what kept me reading steadily and joyfully.
The structure of the book is interesting too in that each chapter really could stand alone as a short story, but the involvement of most of the characters in each story makes that story so much richer.
However, the novel doesn't really focus on the place as much as on a cast of wonderfully idiosyncratic characters. The reader becomes privy to the tightly held secrets of all of the denizens from my favorite, Cornelius...referred to as the freed African...who is a source of love and support for the weaker inhabitants to Easter, a jovial innkeeper who knows everything about everyone, but is quite discrete for all of that. Diamant does an amazing job of portraying each individual replete with strengths and sometimes hideous flaws in a way that made me feel like they could become the inhabitants of any community and find someone there who could care about them. And that probably is what kept me reading steadily and joyfully.
The structure of the book is interesting too in that each chapter really could stand alone as a short story, but the involvement of most of the characters in each story makes that story so much richer.
September 22, 2007
ummm....eh. That is how I would describe this book. Loved the red tent and this cannot even compete. I think I liked it more than Good Harbor, although they are about equal. The characters are interesting but never really made it to a level where I felt like I knew what they were all about. It annoyed me that I never really got a good sense of them before they ended up in Dogtown and quite frankly, it was kind of depressing in many ways, and not in a 'makes you think about life' kind of way- more like a 'damn, is this what most people end up like?' kind of way, if that makes any sense. The description made it sound like Judy was really a main character, but the book is about a host of characters, and Judy gets a little more time than the others, but it seemed to be more about this sort of sad group of people who made do in life & that was it. Not really uplifting or particularly interesting for me. I'm interested to hear what my book group thinks, though!!!
June 1, 2021
Interesantna knjiga, lepo napisana, o poslednjim danima jednog malog seoceta u Masačusetsu, Kerograda smeštenog na visovima u srcu 'rta En, u neposrednoj blizini Glostera i Bostona. Priča Anite Diamant inspirisana je člankom koji je pročitala o gradu duhova kojio se isto zvao Keorgrad (Dogtown), a neki od glavnih likova su stvarno postojali.
Kerograd je zajednica socijalnih izopštenika (udovica, siročadi, nitkova, kurvi i slobodnih Afrikanaca) i čoporui pasa. Roman započinje u zimu 1814 godine na dan smrti Abrahama Vorrfa i prati glavne likove tokom sledećih dvadeset godina ispreplećući njihove priče, vraćajući se izgubljenim ili namerno izgubljenim životima dok Kerograd postepeno umire. U prvom poglavlju upoznajemo se sa stanovnicima Keorgrada dok jedan po jedan stižu u kuću Ister Karter kako bi odali poslednju počast. Postoji nagoveštaj misterioznosti oko smrti gospodina Vorfa, ali tajnu su nadjačale fascinantne priče o stanovnicima Kerograda u narednim poglavljima. Svako poglavlje prikazuje pojedine likove, okolnosti u kojima su došli u Kerograd (ili su tu rođeni), njihove živote i tajne. Glavni lik koji sve povezuje je Džudi Karter, hrabra, odana, pametna žena koja želi da svima pomogne. Ovo je priča-portret o umirućem seocetu i o njegovim žiteljima – uglavnom ženama koje se trude da prežive u surovim klimatskim uslovima i siromaštvu. Fascinirali su me likovi koji su višeslojni i dobro zamišljeni (ustvari rekonstruisani na temelju nađenih podataka), neki tužni, nesrećni i povređeni, drugi užasni, okrutni i neljubazni, neki iskreni, topli i skoro besprekorni, a čak su i psi dobili svoje mesto u priči. A u pozadini svega – jedna čista, stidljiva ljubav koja opstaje uprkos svemu, sve do samog kraja.
Kerograd je zajednica socijalnih izopštenika (udovica, siročadi, nitkova, kurvi i slobodnih Afrikanaca) i čoporui pasa. Roman započinje u zimu 1814 godine na dan smrti Abrahama Vorrfa i prati glavne likove tokom sledećih dvadeset godina ispreplećući njihove priče, vraćajući se izgubljenim ili namerno izgubljenim životima dok Kerograd postepeno umire. U prvom poglavlju upoznajemo se sa stanovnicima Keorgrada dok jedan po jedan stižu u kuću Ister Karter kako bi odali poslednju počast. Postoji nagoveštaj misterioznosti oko smrti gospodina Vorfa, ali tajnu su nadjačale fascinantne priče o stanovnicima Kerograda u narednim poglavljima. Svako poglavlje prikazuje pojedine likove, okolnosti u kojima su došli u Kerograd (ili su tu rođeni), njihove živote i tajne. Glavni lik koji sve povezuje je Džudi Karter, hrabra, odana, pametna žena koja želi da svima pomogne. Ovo je priča-portret o umirućem seocetu i o njegovim žiteljima – uglavnom ženama koje se trude da prežive u surovim klimatskim uslovima i siromaštvu. Fascinirali su me likovi koji su višeslojni i dobro zamišljeni (ustvari rekonstruisani na temelju nađenih podataka), neki tužni, nesrećni i povređeni, drugi užasni, okrutni i neljubazni, neki iskreni, topli i skoro besprekorni, a čak su i psi dobili svoje mesto u priči. A u pozadini svega – jedna čista, stidljiva ljubav koja opstaje uprkos svemu, sve do samog kraja.
September 7, 2025
I spent some time in Gloucester this summer and was intrigued by the story of a town abandoned in the 1800s that is now protected wilderness. So when I discovered this book set in Dogtown, I had to read it. Although it is described as a sad story, to me it was full of stories of community, of people living on the margins who manage to make a life for themselves. Some of them do come to a sad end, while others leave for a better life in Gloucester and beyond. Each of the many characters is drawn with enough description that they felt very real. Indeed, at least two of them did exist: one, a very unpleasant woman who locals thought of as a witch; another, a black freedman. I hope to do some hiking in Dogtown this fall.
May 2, 2011
I picked up this novel because I remember so loving The Red Tent a few years back. I don't think I enjoyed The Last Days of Dogtown with the same passion that I remember loving the Red Tent, but I found it well written and completed listening to all 9 cds in a relatively short amount of time, so I must have enjoyed it.
I hesitate to give it too many stars however because I don't believe that I would recommend this book to many people. It was an interesting weaving together of the lives and trial and tribulations of many characters--all whom were members of the down trodden. And I enjoy a good historical fiction. I particularly found myself drawn to Judi and Cornelius and Olliver. However, I found that perhaps the novel was too disparate--attempting to focus too much on so many characters' stories so that I didn't find myself captivated and moved so much by any one alone.
I hesitate to give it too many stars however because I don't believe that I would recommend this book to many people. It was an interesting weaving together of the lives and trial and tribulations of many characters--all whom were members of the down trodden. And I enjoy a good historical fiction. I particularly found myself drawn to Judi and Cornelius and Olliver. However, I found that perhaps the novel was too disparate--attempting to focus too much on so many characters' stories so that I didn't find myself captivated and moved so much by any one alone.
February 4, 2008
I adored this book. It was as beautifully written as The Red Tent. The time period and the characters, the affection they felt for each other . .just a tremendous story.
August 14, 2012
It's been a long time since a book has had me sobbing all the way through the back half. Judy Rhines, I will miss you.
March 31, 2015
Beautifully written historical fiction about forgotten outcasts. Very moving conclusion. Dogtown is no more.
November 10, 2021
Meh. Dark and dreary which gives you a good sense of place and time but too thick for me to muddle through
May 27, 2018
Not a perfect book, certainly. Because there are so many characters coming and going, I got lost more than once in trying to figure out the history of the current character being presented. A few of the women blended because there would be lapses between the segments of their stories. And--a common complaint of mine, I'm afraid--there are very few "normal" lives in this book. I know from personal experience that life holds nasty tricks, but do there have to be so many? This is another book club selection, and I can see the appeal of drawing on the lives of a small community, and putting it in an earlier era, but I do believe, outside war and catastrophe, that most lives find more peace than this.
January 6, 2022
I was taken by surprise to have enjoyed this book as much as I did. It’s eloquent writing style, soft and feminine, it’s not normally in my wheelhouse. I developed a genuine affection for the characters and their struggles. I I was rooting for love to win, although the book was set an a time where Interracial relationships could not prosper. Each chapter the POV jumped from character to character, and I found myself wondering what other characters were up to when I was not in there POV. I found myself hoping they were OK, and they would pull out of the situation as they were in. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the slow pace of this historical fiction novel.
February 8, 2019
I read this book 13 years ago- while giving birth to my daughter. I listened to it on audio because Anita Diamant was coming to my library to speak. I loved it as much as I did then! A fabulous story about a community of people living on the edge of society. And the intense relationships that they formed to survive the hard life that they endured.
I am planning on going to visit Dogtown in the spring.
I am planning on going to visit Dogtown in the spring.
April 7, 2018
I just loved this book. It is sweet and sad, uplifting and heartbreaking. I love how the setting stays the same but time passes through the eyes of different characters as the book goes on. I felt like I really knew and believed each of the characters.
September 14, 2017
Really like this book. It wasn't exciting or captivating but it was a very soft and comfortable read about a place and time, long ago. Sweet
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