Received via bookmooch.com. I ordered this after reading about Gloucester, Massachusetts in The Last Fish Tale which also described "Dogtown".

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Set on the high ground at the heart of Cape Ann, the village of Dogtown is peopled by widows, orphans, spinsters, scoundrels, whores, free Africans, and “witches.” Among the inhabitants of this hamlet are Black Ruth, who dresses as a man and works as a stonemason; Mrs. Stanley, an imperious madam whose grandson, Sammy, comes of age in her brothel; Oliver Younger, who survives a miserable childhood at the hands of his aunt; and Cornelius Finson, a freed slave. At the center of it all is Judy Rhines, a fiercely independent soul, deeply lonely, who nonetheless builds a life for herself against all imaginable odds.

Rendered in stunning, haunting detail, with Anita Diamant’s keen ear for language and profound compassion for her characters, The Last Days of Dogtown is an extraordinary retelling of a long-forgotten chapter of early American life.

A few months ago, I read The Last Fish Tale which was a history of Gloucester, Massachusetts and its fishing industry. This nonfiction book also told of the surrounding area including Dogtown which was an abandoned village north of Gloucester. This piqued my interest in Dogtown and subsequently I ordered this book via an online trading site.

This was a fictionalized account of the last residents of Dogtown in the early 19th century as it nears its last day. It tells the story of various people who lived a very hard existence there and tried to eke out a living. This included several women that made their livelihood by doing odd chores, housekeeping, farming, or prostitution. Also included are two African Americans that went to Dogtown to live in peace away from the rest of the world. One of them, Cornelius, has an affair with a single white woman who lives alone, Judy, but because he is afraid of discovery abandons her for his and her safety. He ends up being the last resident of Dogtown and wound up in a poorhouse before he died. And then there is Ruth, a black woman who tries to pass herself off as a man whose mother came from Africa on a slave ship. There are instances of love and caring throughout the novel but also prejudice and coldheartedness by residents of both Dogtown and nearby Gloucester.

Overall, I enjoyed the stories of the Dogtown residents. Maybe someday I will visit the area. I know there are still hiking trails that go through the area and some people think that Dogtown is a haunted ghost town.

Adding to the Paperback Surprise Bookbox Round 10.

Chose from the bookbox.

I enjoyed reading the stories of the fictional last residents of Dogtown.

Added to my "Books I've Read and Journaled Bookbox".

selecting from the Books I've Read and Journaled bookbox