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"The Falls", Epilogue

#99: Sept. - Oct. 2011 (Fiction)
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LanDroid

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Re: "The Falls", Epilogue

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Did Dirk Burnaby exist? Seriously, there are many accurate historical facts in the novel such as Hooker Chemical selling the polluted land to the Niagara Falls Board of Education complete with liability disclaimers, etc.... But if you read any histories of Love Canal, the lawsuits start in 1978, the year of the memorial service. So was there an earlier lawsuit in 1962? Is Joyce Carol Oates onto something?

I'm kinda glad Dirk's image was rehabilitated and Stonecrop admitted to how he was murdered. Yes in real life these loose ends are rarely tied up, but that's why we enjoy the omniscience of the novelist, AY?
Last edited by LanDroid on Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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LanDroid

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Re: "The Falls", Epilogue

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I just finished the book and must agree with some others that it was a bit of a chore. I remember stopping at page 150 and wondering if I wanted to continue for 300+ more pages, then again at 300 and wondering about the remaining 180... I think this could have been shortened - to pick one example, is Royall banging the mysterious "lady in black" really necessary, etc. etc....
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Re: "The Falls", Epilogue

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We had an interesting discussion on this Joyce Carol Oates book and I noticed this news item that will ring some bells for those who read "The Falls" ...

ca.news.yahoo.com/maid-mist-future-unce ... 53687.html
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