Customer Reviews

Dingo

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dingo started out ok; I thought it was going to be the typical deLint, set in a music/bookstore. But once the supposed Australian mythology came in, it just fell to pieces for me. deLint knows enough about Amerind mythology to know that symbols don't transfer neatly from one tribal/ethnic background to another, so why didn't he have an Australian (or an American who has lived more of her life in Australia than in the US, like me) give him some advice. There's a lot that can be made of Australian Indigenous mythology, without stepping on Secret Mens/Women's Business, but just mixing them all up, as he tries to do in Dingo, doesn't work for me.

The two twins can't behave that differently because each was present when the other interacted with Miguel. The dog he described wasn't even a dingo. They're skinny, underfed-looking dogs. They don't "look" powerful, even though they are.

deLint has done so many things so well that I'll read anything he writes, and always come back for more, but what a disappointment this was to me. A little research would have made it much more credible.

Ms Judy

Once again another wonderfully written story by Charles De Lint. I have to say I'm never disappointed when I read any of his books and I've been reading them for years. It doesn't matter if they were written for kids or adults they're all great. I recommend him to everyone, once you start you can't stop. The characters are just wonderful, you fall in love the moment you meet them, the locations are magic. I love how he describes and manages the meld the cross over from fantasy to reality, the blend is perfect, seamless. You don't know where one begins and the other ends. I catch myself wondering more about the things I encounter and can't explain and think, if only... You won't be disappointed with any of his books, you'll enjoy them for a long time.

I am a fan of many of Charles de Lint's books, and when I picked up this one, I was hoping for another good young adult fantasy along the lines of "The Blue Girl". However, "Dingo" fell far short of my expectations.

The writing felt flat to me. I never really got a feel for who the characters were. This could be due to the fact that they all spoke the same way, using the same words, and that the teenagers didn't really speak like teenagers. Without the speech attributions, it would be difficult to tell the difference between Miguel, his father, Lainey, Em, Johnny, or even the villain. A few Aussie slang words did little to help the reader differentiate between the characters; without them, the speech patterns were basically the same.

At times, I even wondered if I was reading a book for much younger readers... but with the addition of a few choice swear words from the book's quasi-villain, Johnny Ward, that theory was soon quashed. Miguel's comment about homeschooling and evolution further showed that de Lint really doesn't know much about today's young people.

There were also a number of editing problems. Just off the top of my head, I can recall inconsistent capitalization, inconsistent names, an extra unnecessary pronoun, and a missing paragraph break. I expect more from the books I read. Sadly, it seems today's publishers do not.

Basically, "Dingo" follows the pattern of many of de Lint's novels: protagonists meet person(s) with strange qualities, get sucked into world of mythical creatures/dreams/spirits, and find their way out again. But "Dingo" didn't seem original or exciting enough to really stand on its own as a good example of de Lint's work. I found the ending to be especially disappointing, as the protagonist didn't really solve anything (that was left to another character).

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, even if they are a de Lint fan. "The Blue Girl" is a much better introduction to de Lint's work, especially for younger readers.

I absolutely LOVE Charle's de Lint's writing so when I saw that he had another new book out I just had to have it! I was expecting a usual de Lint novel, something that touches you with its mystery and beauty so when I opened the book and found that, well, it wasn't really 'up to snuff' I was devastated!
It has the touch of Charles de Lint, but the writing is like someone else's! I felt none of the mystical beauty from his other books, instead I found myself disappointed in this average novel that did absolutely nothing for me! Sure, I like the IDEA, but the execution...well, I just expected better. I suggest that if this is your first time reading de Lint that you find one of his short story anthologies or maybe start with his other two new novels: The Blue Girl and Little Grrl Lost, both amazing. This isn't up to par.

I've been a de Lint fan for years. This book...was just awful. He has written to the young adult audience before, and it wasn't as lousy as this.
Angst-filled "She's my girlfriend!" and "I'm in love!" exclamations - Oh, gag, really? Did de Lint really write this?
Besides being so...juvenile, what was with the ridiculous stereotypes? Does de Lint even KNOW any homeschoolers? "Sitting at the kitchen table all day" - are you kidding me???? And what was with the pointless and unnecessary swipe at Catholicism thrown in there at the end?
As I said, I have been a fan for years, but this is FAR from his best, and I would be embarrassed to even recommend this to anyone who didn't already know his work.

This story was as inspired and uplifting as a bowl of porridge.

It was also about as textured and exciting as a bowl of porridge.

On the plus side, just like a bowl of porridge, it didn't make me want to throw up, so I guess I'll give it 2 stars instead of 1 star. If I were on a delayed flight and had nothing else to eat, I suppose I might eat this instead of the Skymall catalog.

This little book has a beautiful cover, which attracted me at the store. I've read other books by the same author, so I was hoping this would be interesting. I enjoyed the central character (and his relationship with his dad and their store), and de Lint captured his voice well. However, the heroines are just plain annoying, too pretty, not interested enough in the danger they bring others to be convincingly attractive to the hero. The romance is too fast-paced, lacks psychological complexity, and is just plain silly. The climax of the action is just not that exciting. A lot of stuff happens or is suggested and then is just explained away with unconvincing metaphysical explanations. The whole thing feels like it needs to be fleshed out and slowed down. Not recommended.

Charles deLint is one of the few authors whose books I will buy strictly because he wrote them and thus they must be mine. Before reading one of his Newford books, I hadn't realized that this amazing genre of Urban Fantasy existed, let alone that it could be as lyrical as a fairy tale. In Dingo, one of his more recent books set in the Canadian city of Newford, a boy meets a girl and her dog, and another boy meets another girl and her dog... there is magic in those connections, and while it becomes obvious fairly early on that the book can only go one way, the journey is still a satisfying one.

I love de Lint, so I could never truly bad mouth any work of his, but Dingo was a little below my expectations. It seemed juvenille - maybe just aimed at a younger crowd? Typical de Lint style and content, but a little watered down. It was a quick read, though, so if you need a de Lint fix but don't have time for anything a little more far reaching, Dingo would be it.

Done. Fast read - a little more 'high school' drama than most of de Lint's tales. So - not a favorite - but still yards above most writing out there.