The Dogs of Littlefield
Published on 5. December 2013
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-241-14566-1 (ISBN)
Description
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2014
'Both devastating and funny in its well-chosen detail . . . Highly recommended' Daily Mail
'As astute in her observations of contemporary culture as she is in capturing the minutiae of longing, disappointment and loss' Sunday Times
Littlefield, Massachusetts, named one of the Ten Best Places to Live in America, full of psychologists and college professors, is proud of its fine schools, its girls' soccer teams, its leafy streets and quaint village centre.
Yet no sooner has sociologist Dr Clarice Watkins arrived in Littlefield to study the elements of 'good quality of life' than someone begins poisoning the town's dogs. Are the poisonings in protest to an off-leash proposal for Baldwin Park - the subject of much town debate - or the sign of a far deeper disorder?
The Dogs of Littlefield is a wry exploration of the discontent concealed behind the manicured lawns and picket fences of darkest suburbia.
'Berne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic' Sunday Telegraph
'This funny novel explores the flaws of a perfect neighbourhood with a bizarre killer on the loose' Psychologies
Suzanne Berne's first novel, A Crime in the Neighbourhood, won the 1999 Orange Prize. She is also the author of A Perfect Arrangement, The Ghost at the Table and Missing Lucile. Suzanne Berne lives with her husband and two daughters near Boston.
'Both devastating and funny in its well-chosen detail . . . Highly recommended' Daily Mail
'As astute in her observations of contemporary culture as she is in capturing the minutiae of longing, disappointment and loss' Sunday Times
Littlefield, Massachusetts, named one of the Ten Best Places to Live in America, full of psychologists and college professors, is proud of its fine schools, its girls' soccer teams, its leafy streets and quaint village centre.
Yet no sooner has sociologist Dr Clarice Watkins arrived in Littlefield to study the elements of 'good quality of life' than someone begins poisoning the town's dogs. Are the poisonings in protest to an off-leash proposal for Baldwin Park - the subject of much town debate - or the sign of a far deeper disorder?
The Dogs of Littlefield is a wry exploration of the discontent concealed behind the manicured lawns and picket fences of darkest suburbia.
'Berne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic' Sunday Telegraph
'This funny novel explores the flaws of a perfect neighbourhood with a bizarre killer on the loose' Psychologies
Suzanne Berne's first novel, A Crime in the Neighbourhood, won the 1999 Orange Prize. She is also the author of A Perfect Arrangement, The Ghost at the Table and Missing Lucile. Suzanne Berne lives with her husband and two daughters near Boston.
Reviews / Votes
Berne takes the domestic and turns it into the majestic * Sunday Telegraph * A very well-written novel: clean, delicate, both devastating and funny in its well-chosen detail . . . it's insightful, too, with a clearly original mind behind it. Highly recommended * Daily Mail * As astute in her observations of contemporary culture as she is in capturing the minutiae of longing, disappointment and loss * Sunday Times * This funny novels explores the flaws of a perfect neighbourhood with a bizarre killer on the loose * Psychologies * A compelling novel that examines life, love and loss with a cynical but insightful world view. Original and brilliant * Sunday Mirror * A beautifully balanced and accomplished portrayal of the glue that binds families together, despite themselves, as well as the forces that tear them asunder. Superb * Mail on Sunday on The Ghost at the Table * This ambitious account of a sudden coming of age reminded me strongly of To Kill A Mockingbird - and is very bit as moving and satisfying * Daily Telegraph on A Crime in the Neighbourhood * It is impossible not to be completely swept along . . . Berne's vision is gently humorous, ironic, quirky . . . and she writes with such piercing sensitivity . . . a compelling debut novel * The Times on A Crime in the Neighbourhood *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
428 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-14566-1 (9780241145661)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Suzanne Berne's first novel, A Crime in the Neighbourhood, won the 1999 Orange Prize. She is also the author of A Perfect Arrangement, The Ghost at the Table and Missing Lucile. Suzanne Berne lives with her husband and two daughters near Boston.