Set on Cape Ann in the early 1800s. The Last Days of Dogtown is peopled by widows, orphans, spinsteres, scoundrels, whores , free Africans. and "witches". 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, who nonetheless builds a life for herself and inspires those around her to become more generous and tolerant themselves. ( )

Got a gift certificate for the Friends of the Library bookstore as a gift for National Library Week (or something ... ), and this was one of my purchases. I'd really enjoyed Diamant's The Red Tent, so was ready to try something else by her. This was airport reading enroute to visit family in Portland; got through my airport books fast due to lengthy weather delays in Dallas: much much reading time. Set in early 1800s Massachusetts, and inspired by the settlement of Dogtown, Diamant reimagines the community of castoffs—widows, prostitutes, orphans, African-Americans and ne'er-do-wells—all eking out a harsh living in the barren terrain of Cape Ann. It's a fascinating story without a lot of drama, but nonetheless compelling for that. Great characterizations, wonderful period details., flowing language, so many individuals' stories interwoven. ( )

Anita Diamant, the author of the captivating novel, The Red Tent weaves together another remarkable tale with The Last Days of Dogtown.

Diamant introduces the reader to the variety of characters that populate the dismal and scorned hamlet of Dogtown in the first chapter when people gather at Easter Carter's home to wait for the deceased Abraham Wharf's relations to pick up his body. At first I was a little overwhelmed at being introduced to so many characters in such a short span of time; however, in subsequent chapters Diamant focuses in on the characters and the reader is able to get to know them at a slower pace.

The story begins in the Winter of 1814 and spans decades as the reader follows the characters' struggles and triumphs. Diamant's skillfully drawn cast of eccentrics and misfits take the reader on an emotional journey as we witness their perseverance and their salvation in one another.

I was excited to read that Diamant is publishing another novel, Day After Night, in September 2009. ( )

Lives wax and wane, building and diminishing like the moon and the tides. But eventually, unlike the ceaseless rhythms of the tide, life ends, and sometimes there is not a cycle but a period. The story of the last days of Dogtown got me thinking about the ghost towns I've visited, and the abandoned homesteads I've vacated. Where are their stories kept, I wonder. Do they represent stopping points along a long path, or end points?

The Last Days of Dogtown is filled with characters that I am glad to have known, for a bit. Some painted surly, others compassionate or witty; all of them familar. ( )

This book was very unique in its structure. In the first chapter, we meet all the inhabitants of Dogtown as they come together to look over the dead body of Abraham Wharf. Meeting so many characters at once was a little overwhelming, I worried that I would not remember everyone. However, each subsequent chapter tells a story about one of the characters that we meet in the beginning. Through each of these stories, we learn more and more about the individuals who make Dogtown their home. Around half way through the novel, I realized that I cared what happened to some of these characters, I didn't want Oliver to get into trouble and ruin his future and I wanted Judy to find love. Overall, a beautifully written book about a difficult time in early American history, ripe with interesting and entertaining characters.
To read the entire review go to: http://barneysbookblog.blogspot.com/2... ( )