Tag Archives: Anita Diamant

LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Finale

Posted on May 15, 2009 by susan

It’s hard to say why this book went from great to mediocre for me but I know that as I neared the ending I lost interest even in the characters that I felt Diamant had built up so well in … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Telling Feelings

Posted on May 14, 2009 by susan

Not what I’d expect to find in a bestseller: Easter saw a fellow across the table roll his eyes and realized that she was making a fool of herself. She rushed off to get his tea, redfaced and flustered.  (p. … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Motif

Posted on May 14, 2009 by susan

While it would seem that the pack of wild dogs that wander in and out of the story would be one of the obvious motifs in this story of Dogtown, I’d have to say that while Diamant has brought them … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Style

Posted on May 14, 2009 by susan

Whether it’s the difference between reading with a pounding headache and reading with a clear head or some other quirk of time and space, I’m finding the writing quality of this novel going steadily downhill towards the end. It feels … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Philosophy

Posted on May 12, 2009 by susan

Not thrilled with the writing style the book has taken; it appears to be a lot of telling to inform the reader of the past and to make some progress in the timeline for the characters. There is little of … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Narrative Structure and Plot

Posted on May 10, 2009 by susan

It’s a strange setup here where we had a central event in the opening of the narrative that introduced most of the characters and skillfully revealed their relationships and a bit of background as they gathered at Easter Carter’s to … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Typos and Alliteration

Posted on May 9, 2009 by susan

Not really a typo but a switch from “his roost in the golden beech tree” to “Sammy’s autumn-gilded birch” that comes about a page later. Diamant has placed eleven year-old Sammy Stanley up in a tree, fingering five dimes in … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Transitioning

Posted on May 9, 2009 by susan

Diamant doesn’t do as smooth a job of transitioning at this point of the story, where we are about to learn something about the mysterious Black Ruth. A strange man appears on Easter’s doorstep seeking the Wharfs, and when she … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown – Setting through Imagery

Posted on May 8, 2009 by susan

And, I suppose, imagery through language choice, or diction. Diamant seems to use a blend of plain talk with some lovely description: When she first arrived in Gloucester, Ruth had asked a boy how to get to Brimfield farm. Following … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: The Last Days of Dogtown

Posted on May 7, 2009 by susan

Sailing right along in this engrossing story of a desolate town and its people. Very character-driven, and we are given good insight into them by their interaction with each other. It is a rough life, all on about the same … Continue reading →

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LITERATURE: Up Next: The Last Days of Dogtown

Posted on May 2, 2009 by susan

I usually put an image here of the current book I’ll be reading, taken from Amazon and linking back there for more information and possible purchases. However, since Amazon has thrown a monkey wrench into the process, they ain’t gonna … Continue reading →

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