The Nix family has arrived.
And Latchahie County will never be the same.
In an effort at improving his family's lot, the Nixes ha... read full description
And Latchahie County will never be the same.
In an effort at improving his family's lot, the Nixes ha... read full description
reviews
Jan 01, 2008
Debbie
rated it: 
This is a multi-layered book. At first glance, this is a fascinating story told from the point of view of a young boy about a family who opens a tourist attraction in Florida in the 1950s. There is interesting commentary on race relations and other political aspects of the deep South of that time. If you are a student of folklore, fable and myth, however, the book becomes more. Gods and holy figures of various traditions make cameo (and not so cameo) appearances throughout, some more obvious tha
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Dec 16, 2009
Hokuto
rated it:
I told you I was a sucker for the "spot the historical/mythological reference" game. :D And this book delivers in spades! Plus it is full of lovely dogs and general Good Times, and is very enjoyable indeed. (And I'm a cat person, so when I say they're lovely dogs, I mean it!)
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May 13, 2009
Garrett
rated it: 
This book was nothing like I expected, yet I still kept reading. I got it as a free e-book from Tor.
I was never really sure what genre this was in. It read like a sort of memoir, but there were hints of magic realism or fantasy here and there that kept throwing me off, making me expect something that never materialized. The beginning and ending didn't match up for me either. Finally, I was often thrown out of the story by the narrator's precise recollections from when he was a four y More...
I was never really sure what genre this was in. It read like a sort of memoir, but there were hints of magic realism or fantasy here and there that kept throwing me off, making me expect something that never materialized. The beginning and ending didn't match up for me either. Finally, I was often thrown out of the story by the narrator's precise recollections from when he was a four y More...
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Dec 19, 2010
R. Michael
rated it:
I usually avoid stories set in the racist south, they make me so angry, disgusted, sad, and upset it is not worth it. But there are some things you'd miss if you eschew it completely; to kill a mockingbird, life on the Mississippi, Faulkner, etc.
This is a compelling magical realist memoir of life in Florida in the early 60s. I really connected to the childhood that shetterly describes, it rang very true & real. The magical realism was more realist than magical, gods & wierds showing u More...
This is a compelling magical realist memoir of life in Florida in the early 60s. I really connected to the childhood that shetterly describes, it rang very true & real. The magical realism was more realist than magical, gods & wierds showing u More...
Jan 26, 2012
Mary Alice
rated it:
I wasn't sure what to think about this book. It's another that is a bit outside my usual fare, and there were times in the early going that I wasn't even sure about finishing it. I'm glad I did. It was a fascinating read, with very subtle undercurrents that take time to sink in.
The story is about the Nix family who move to to rural Florida in the late 1950's. Luke Nix has a dream to open Dogland, a sort of canine zoo and tourist attraction, with a diner and gift shop. The story is told More...
The story is about the Nix family who move to to rural Florida in the late 1950's. Luke Nix has a dream to open Dogland, a sort of canine zoo and tourist attraction, with a diner and gift shop. The story is told More...
May 27, 2008
Pamela
rated it: 
This novel hit just the right notes time and time again. Dogland, the attraction, is so quintessentially American that just about anyone who has ever taken a road trip in America will respond to it. (I have to admit that the time and place were particularly poignant for me, because of the many road trips my family took to Florida, starting just a few years after 1959, the year the novel is set.) Luke Nix's wild stories reminded me very much of my own father, who loved to tell tall tales to his c
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Apr 08, 2009
John
rated it:
Lots of really good ideas with many, many different threads weaving their way through the story. Unfortunately, the book ends with far too many questions unanswered, several of which are integral to the story, leaving me dissatisfied.
The more interesting thing to me is that Tor made this available as a free electronic download from their web site and as an introduction to Will Shetterly, whom I really like a lot, this is a poor one.
The more interesting thing to me is that Tor made this available as a free electronic download from their web site and as an introduction to Will Shetterly, whom I really like a lot, this is a poor one.
Jul 19, 2007
Isaac
rated it:
Fantastic. Subtle magic, interesting characters, and well written. I found it to be a bit slow paced, but the laid back tone and speed of the novel reflect on its setting, and I felt the story benefits from the approach.
If I had a criticism, there are events in the book which feel entirely unexplained. I don't mind having a few mysteries left to my imagination, which is all I thought was happening here at first. At first, I just thought those scenes could have been a bit better exec More...
If I had a criticism, there are events in the book which feel entirely unexplained. I don't mind having a few mysteries left to my imagination, which is all I thought was happening here at first. At first, I just thought those scenes could have been a bit better exec More...
Jun 14, 2009
Jeffrey
rated it: 
Not sure why this was given out as a Tor book since there were no scifi or fantasy elements. It isn't a bad novel, it just wasn't great and I have decided to be much more strict with myself and only finish books that are actually good, rather than slogging through to the end just because it isn't bad.
Sep 13, 2011
Jack
rated it:
Beautiful description of life as a young boy in the Southern USA circa 1960. Explores the difficulty of doing the right thing in the face of the prevailing racial attitudes of the time.
Oct 10, 2008
B. Zedan
rated it:
It's like Harper Lee and Isabel Allende got together to write something—one building the myth-touched world the other's adult-omniscient, nostalgia narrates.
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Jan 19, 2008
Kathleen
rated it:
At first could not get story but then could not put it down- small boy and family in south Florida with a attraction showcasing dogs from around the world.
Dec 16, 2009
corinne
rated it:
Good book to pass the time with. Easy reading and realistic. Until you get to the magical part.
Jan 10, 2008
April
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