Land’s End by Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Michael Cunningham, is a quick read (172 pages) that was written a decade ago about Provincetown, MA.
Cunningham literally dissects the town into geographies with chapters like the West End and East End. Individual chapters describe the town and some of the more unique aspects of Provincetown like the dunes and wilderness. Through out the book he shares a loving (almost reverent) perspective of Ptown; talking about specific residents, locations and the many unique attributes of the city and the city’s history. For those familiar with Provincetown, you will find yourself nodding and smiling. And as was my case, often times thinking “next year I need to check that out.”
For those who have never been to this special place at the tip of the Cape, its still worth the read. Cunningham’s profound love for this place is obvious and will be endearing for you to read.
I love how Cunningham describes Provincetown near the start of the book: Provincetown stands on a finger of land at the tip of Cape Cod, the barb at the hook’s end, a fragile and low-lying geological assertion that was once knitted together by the roots of trees.
