Dan's Papers - June 20, 2008 - Janet Berg's Glitz of the Hamptons Gives Dog's Eye View

There's glitz in the Hamptons, that famous combination of fancy cars, sprawling estates and countless see-and-be-seen events. And then there's Glitz of the Hamptons by Janet Berg, a charming, touching tale that presents the South Fork as most visitors have never seen it: through the wise eyes of an aging golden retriever.

Glitz knows the Hamptons. He loves going to the beach and watching crabs scuffle across the sand, ambling through town and seeing happy children eating ice cream cones, and catching a quick nap in the shade of an old windmill. Everything in the Hamptons is pleasantly familiar. What Glitz doesn't know, though, is why. He's not a puppy anymore, and as he wanders across the South Fork, from East Hampton to Westhampton, with aching legs and blurry vision, he can't quite recall the many previous summers he's spent there, and why he responds more to certain spots and sights. Not helping matters is that he's accidentally separated from his family, and struggling to make sense of things and find his way all alone.

Readers of all ages will enjoy this sweet story of coming home in the Hamptons, and visitors and residents will appreciate the book's references to popular area landmarks, like the Parrish Art Museum, Ponquogue Bridge and Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center, and the detailed illustrations that bring these spots to life.

You might think you've seen all there is to see in the Hamptons - but you definitely haven't seen it through Glitz's eyes.

Berg has been a contributing writer for Dan's Papers for over 10 years, and is currently a student in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton. She will be signing copies of Glitz of the Hamptons at Duck Walk Vineyards in Water Mill on Saturday, June 28 at 3:30 p.m. Call 631-726-7555 for more information.