FlumeAward – The Dust of 100 Dogs Discussion page for The Dust of 100 Dogs
I love the concept of the plot, but there was too much choppiness, too many disturbing violent scenes, including some sexual violence that was fairly graphic, and many inconsistencies. With that said, I have fewer than 100 pages to go, and I can’t wait to continue reading! Ultimately, I do care about what happens, and I’m hoping that the bad guys get what they deserve…and more! We have Emer Morrissey, our heroine, who we follow in the 1700’s in Ireland. Her last breath of air was filled with, literally, the dust of 100 dogs when she is cursed. We then cut to the 1970s where she has finally been reborn as a human after having spent the interim years as 100 dogs. She has complete memories of her life in Ireland, as well as the lives of the dogs she lived. I wish maybe Kristin Cashore, a much better plot-planner, had written the book. The separate story lines will, apparently, merge beautifully at the end, but as I mentioned, it just doesn’t flow. Emer suffers much abuse in life, and she ends up meting out even more than she suffered when she becomes a pirate, but her character just doesn’t ring true for me. With that said, nearly all 167 or so reviews I scanned which were written by teens LOVED the book. Only a few lowered their rating to 2 or 3 stars. Could be one for the list because of its originality, but keep in mind that it’s geared very much toward Juniors and Seniors who can handle a good deal of adult content. More after I finish it.
I now, with distance, think it could be a title worthy of the top 13. It’s vastly different and original from other works considered here…
Lisa Houde Rye Public Library