The Last Days of Dogtown

The Last Days of Dogtown

by Anita Diamant (Author)

Synopsis

The tiny rural backwater of Dogtown, nestled on Cape Ann and hugging the Massachusetts coast line, is a place that is reputedly dying, but its few remaining inhabitants show an enduring spirit that keeps a small flame of life alight. For here, in this forgotten hamlet, lives a cast of dignified, yet utterly eccentric characters. Black Ruth is one of only two Africans still living in the area; she dresses as a man, speaks to no-one, and continues her craft as the local stonemason, casting love and care over the stones she hews. Mrs Stanley is blousey, blonde and the local madam; a woman of total self-absorption, who cares nothing for her young grandson, coming of age amid the sights and sounds of a wretched rural brothel. Oliver Younger, a man with ambition, overcomes a cruel and miserable childhood to marry the woman of his dreams and create a family infused with love. At the centre of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent woman, generous and wise, but also heartbroken and lonely, whose taboo love for Cornelius, a former slave, burns at the core of her soul. Loosely based on the true story of a community, "The Last Days of Dogtown" is a rich, compassionate and compelling novel which illuminates a small, but vivid, chapter of nineteenth century America.

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More Information

Format: Unabridged
Pages: 384
Edition: Main Market
Publisher: Pan
Published: 04 Aug 2006

ISBN 10: 0330491679
ISBN 13: 9780330491679

Author Bio
Anita Diamant is a prize-winning journalist whose work has appeared regularly in the Boston Globe magazine and Parenting magazine. She is the author of the international bestseller The Red Tent, Good Harbor, and a non-fiction anthology of memoirs Pitching My Tent. She has also written six books about contemporary Jewish practice. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and daughter.