Maine Books

"T2 Rising Storm" is the second book in S.M. Stirling three book series set after Terminator 2, as with the first book, Mr.Stirling does a great job in letting the reader get a clear metal image of the action taking place in the book. The pace of the book is great and able to hold the reader's attention. Overall, this is a follow-up the first book and should not be missed by any fan of the Terminator Series.

This book is extremely easy to get into as it picks up where the last book left off. You already know most of the characters and begin with a wetted appetite for more terminators! This book is just like the first--REALLY AWESOME! I must admit that I'm an avid T fan. If you are, then read the first, and then read this one!

Much as I said about T2: Infiltrator, T2: Rising Storm is a well-written sequel #2 to the second Terminator movie--Terminator 2: Judgment Day. In fact, Infiltrator and Rising Storm, written by veteran SciFi writer, S.M. Stirling, are a much better sequels to Terminator 2 than is the third movie in the series.

I had hoped, in vain as it turns out, that the next movie (Terminator 3) would follow Stirling's series. Stirling is a powerful fiction writer and his understanding of combative behavior is refreshing. (See some of his other works such as Drakon and Island In The Sea Of Time.)

This one is a good read.

I really can't recomend this even to people who loved Infiltrator. Which I did. I figured out how it would end less than halfway through. But then, there's the obligatory love interest, the disaproving mother, escapes that are too convenient, and the last one is by far the worst. A needless death of a loved one to turn a character from a sympathetic hero, to a hardened warrior. What a let-down. I could almost have enjoyed the book but for that last one.

This was a really bad book. I kept looking back at the cover to see if I could find (in small print) a co-author who had actually written it. It's hard to believe that Stirling would want to take "credit" for this turkey by himself, particularly after the Infiltrator gem. I fully concur with scifigaltx's review. It has the feel of multiple screenwriters - not necessarily authors - who have communicated their portions by email among themselves.

Has the economy sunk so deeply that the publisher has laid off all of the editors who would normally be paid to point out inconsistent points of view and motivations? Where is the reality and believability that Stirling brings to his writing? Can someone tell the real author that action sequences are most effective when they are forced upon the protagonists? Action in this nonsense is always the result of stupidity on the parts of all concerned, and is never a surprise.

The real surprise is the first awful book from S. M. Stirling. It happens to all authors, I suppose, but it's disappointing just the same.

The book Canoe Trip by Dave Curran is an adventure book about his trips to the Maine wilderness. He is a psychologist in Massachusetts and loves to take canoes into deep, isolated rivers in northwest Maine. The book gives a very good description about how rugged and wild the woods pf Maine, just about 100 miles north of Boston, can be. It shows how different the woods of Maine are compared to the woods that people are used in more populated states like Massachusetts, and people might be surprised how rugged and wild Maine can be.

The book is more descriptive than exciting, but there are many moments of adventure to enjoy and keep you reading. There isn't a real plot of the book because Curran talks about his many adventures in Maine, and is mainly for people who are fond of the outdoors. There are many close escapes from danger, and the accurate description of the Maine wildlife and deep, dark woods of Maine, is why people should try reading this book.

This book is great for the type of reader who likes to heat first hand, some stories about traveling through Maine on a Canoo. You'll here about some of the wildlife in Maine (and what will happen when you intimidate them.) You'll even hear about what kind of weather might come your way while you're out in the woods. This story will explain how an inexperienced person will be forced to become experienced through trial and error; because of going through some of the harsh realities of Maine's outdoors.

Overall the Book Canoe Trip was a very well written detailed book. The book was about David Curran's solo canoeing trip through the back woods of maine. Dr. Curran wrote with great detail in this book. He tells you about great adventures through maine. Many people think he's taking to big of a risk going alone to Maine by himself, yet he proceeds with the trip every year anyway. He even ties in a little bit of humor through out the many interesting events in the story. I recomend this book for anyone who likes a good adventure in the woods, or anyone who likes to get away from civilization, then you'll find many things in common with Dr. Curran and enjoy the book very much so.

The book, Canoe Trip, by David Curren, is a book about one man's quest to brave the wilderness. This is an awesome book for those of you who love the outdoors. if you are one who has been on solo missions or even adventures with your friends and want to gain more info on survival, than pickup a copy of this book. Mr. Curren, who works in a public school, is the type of guy, nobdy would expect to travel to Maine and brave the whitewater rapids of a river.

For those of you who dream of making a name for yourself, but don't quite know what to do, read an adventure book such as this and get inspired. Moose, cold, and an unforgiving river, could not stop this man Don't let skeptisizm stop you. If adventure and excitement are what you're into, read this book, reject fear as he did. It is an excellent piece. For those of you who have read it, you know what I mean.

Canoe Trip by David Curran is an interesting feat of adventure discovered in the Maine wilderness. A one man adventure that is full of surprises along the way. The book shows real life problems that would occur during a canoe trip in the Maine wilderness. These problems would occur only once in a life time, but for this adventurer these problems are common every day problems.

This is an amazing book and would recommend it to anybody who likes adventure stories. The text is so detailed it felt like you were on the trip
yourself. This book will give you the most detailed story of life in the maine wilderness.

This is a very good book. I'm almost done reading it, and I'm enjoying the sister's interaction, and the surprises along the way. I'd recommend it.

As daughters, we tend to forget that our parents, mother in this case, was young once and had passionate feelings just like us. Three daughters are brought together, by their mother, to learn about her youth and lost love. Also, once the secret is brought into the light, their childhood makes much more sense. They had felt their mother was cold to them and their father. They didn't know how marriages were handled when her parents were young and what was expected of young women in a different time. All in all, a good read. I enjoyed it very much.

Barbara Delinsky knows women. She is one of the best modern writers for revealing the emotions involved in relationships. The women in this story could be your mother and sisters. They display the underside of sibling rivalry and the misunderstanding of mothers. The layers of the family are peeled away like an onion. The surprises in the plot are page-turners. This is Delinsky at her best.

These three daughters spend much of this novel complaining about their Mother. This story is very similar to "Bridges of Madison County" but with 3 spoiled and whining daughters who have no business interrogating their 70-year-old mother about her life before they were even born.

What business is it of theirs what "Ginny" the mother did before the daughters were around? Delinsky is very repetitive here, constantly reminding the reader that mother "Ginny" was emotionally unavailable, (cry me a river) yet the St. Clair sisters never wanted for material goods and grew up quite wealthy. We are supposed to feel sorry for these spoiled kids?

There are some very poignant chapters, here, though, as Delinsky writes about Ginny's (the 70-year-old mothers) death. There's very little about the daughters mourning their mother's death, though. How typical of these 3 Ingrates. Delinsky does add variety to her writing by switching from 1st and 3rd person in some of the chapters.

There's also a couple of "inter-chapters" about some of the old townsfolk sitting on their porch reminiscing about the way the small town in Maine, where the three daughters reunite.....used to be. These are interspersed with the story chapters. These "interchapters" don't seem to have any connection to the story at hand, though. I was confused about who these old townspeople were and how they were related to the daughters and their dying mother.

I'm taking one star off for this confusion, and one star off for the insufferable grown children who have a major chip on their shoulders.

Many readers who are familiar with Delinsky know that her characters have "mother" problems and the charcters always call their mothers by the mother's first name. But, usually there is some major reason or gripe for the mother-daughter conflict in a Barbara Delinsky novel.

I just don't see it, here, in this novel.

I just don't see what the conflict was, here, though. The daughters all grew up to be very accomplished and well-off. So what was all the complaining and squabbling about?

This book by Barbara Delinsky is a moving, charming fast read about the coming together of three daughters under false pretenses.
The Mother they all thought had treated them poorly redeems herself in a very interesting and thoughtful way.
There is so much that anyone reading this can relate to.
Ms Delinsky writes very well and is a wonderful story teller.
I recommend this book.

Complete escapeism at it's finest. Nothing like engaging in a little bit of romance and adventure to fill a rainy saturday afternoon. This was a fun read. Very entertaining.

I have read all three books in this series, and they pretty much repeat them selves. A group of Scottish warriors from the 12th century get pulled forward in time by a wizard. They all meet (in the 3 books) 21st century woman and fall in love. The characters have no depth, the storyline just doesn't hold together. To many events are always happening together to try to make the story interesting, but they don't. They just seem haphazard, and all this action takes away from the characters. Instead of giving them a personality so the reader can understand their actions, Chapman throws them into strange adventures, and you don't understand why they act the way they do.
Not the best, just superficial. Try instead a Julie Garwood book, or any Christina Dodd.

In the second book in Janet Chapman's Highland Trilogy, we get to learn more about Morgan MacKeage, brother of Grey (hero of CHARMING THE HIGHLANDER).

It has now been six years since that fateful day when a wizard propelled Morgan and nine other Highlanders from 12th century Scotland to 21st century Maine. Although he and his kinsmen have learned to survive in this strange world, Morgan remains lonely much to the wizard's worry. One day when Morgan finds some ribbon marker around the MacKeage land, the wizard knew that evil surrounds the area; however, he also knew that those ribbons will lead Morgan to the woman who will finally give meaning to the lonely warrior's life. And what an exciting first meeting it would be for Morgan and the "ribbon lady"!

While surveying the valley, Sadie Quill stumbles upon a very naked Morgan. Fascinated, she ends up taking photos of him but it wasn't long before Morgan realizes what she was doing. Shocked at being found, she runs, but Morgan quickly catches up and Sadie thinks him a maniac. When he finally lets her go, Sadie runs faster than the speed of light, but only to realize shortly that the blind date that's been set up by her mother would be with "Mr Nude (but oh so sexy) Maniac" himself. And so the battle of wills begins...

LOVING THE HIGHLANDER is an enjoyable follow up to the first book. Morgan is an alpha-male just like his older brother and delightfully cheeky and irresistible. I loved how he unnerves Sadie and tries to rile her up. But what I liked the most was how he ultimately convinces her of her beauty despite her physical scars. Those provide some truly tender moments that are the best parts of the story.

Fun and entertaining, it was also enjoyable to read how the old wizard Daar plays his magic again to ensure that Morgan and Sadie will see that they belong together, just as he has done with the first book's main characters.

There is gold to be found in the mountains of Maine and Mercedes "Sadie" Quill is going to find it and fulfill her late father's dream. Hired by a consortium of local businessmen to map out the surrounding wilderness for a future nature park, Sadie is also determined to fulfill her father's quest and find a long rumored source of gold in the area. Physically scarred and emotionally wounded by the fire that had killed her younger sister and hastened her father's death, Sadie shies away from men and prefers the solitude of working in the mountains. That all changes one morning when Sadie inadvertently stumbles across a man swimming in a lake. A very naked and gorgeous man. What does a red-blooded young woman do when confronted by such a sight? She watches...and takes pictures.

Morgan MacKeage is a man who has traveled a long way. 800 years to be exact. Plucked by a wizard with an agenda out of the 12th century along with his brother and several other highlanders, Morgan has had to learn to survive and live in the modern age. When the wizard Daar warns him of evil forces in the area, Morgan believes it may have something to do with the ribbon markers he has been finding all over the valley. Resolved to protect and keep hidden the secrets of his valley, Morgan is determined to drive those responsible away. That all changes one morning when Morgan, out for a swim in the lake, realizes he is being watched. What does a red-blooded, naked young man to do when confronted with such a realization? He chases down the Peeping Thomas -- or Thomasina, in this case -- ties her up and kisses her. Yes, perhaps living in the 21st century isn't so bad after all.

Shaken, bewildered and more than a tad turned on by her encounter with the gorgeous, nude maniac, Sadie is fairly sure she'll never see him again. Going home to visit her mother, she's in for more shocks. There's a tall, naked stranger in the kitchen and her mother tells her she's pregnant. Humoring her mother, Sadie agrees to go on a double date with her mother's lover and his cousin only to find out that her date is none other than her own Naked Wild Man.

Thus begins a most diverting tale of the clash of the sexes. Sadie is a strong, independent heroine who hides a heart filled with guilt and sorrow. Morgan is your typical warrior male who has found himself in a more peaceful time. Seeking a new challenge, Morgan finds it in Sadie and their encounters are raucous, uninhibited and sexy. Those following the series will be delighted to see the meddling wizard Daar still at it, as well as catch up with the other time traveling highlanders.

TheSchemer

In 1200 AD during a clan battle in the Scottish Highlands, the Druid wizard Father Daar casts a spell that accidentally sends several MacBain and MacKeage warriors into the twenty-first century to include the MacKeage brothers Greylen and Morgan. During the chaos of time transformation, Daar lost his magical staff in a Maine pond. Since arriving and settling in their new century, Greylen, now known as Michael, has married his modern day lover (see CHARMING THE HIGHLANDER).

Morgan worries about the impact that Daar's lost staff has had on the surrounding flora and fauna. When Mercedes Quill begins hiking and marking the area for a wilderness park set aside, Morgan becomes concerned that the Highlander secrets will be revealed. He plans to stop "Sadie" from succeeding, but is shocked by his attraction to her as much as by her obstinate resolve. For Sadie it is an affectionate legacy honoring her late father though she finds the weird Morgan quite a loving distraction.

The second Highlander time travel romance is a charming tale that readers of medieval warriors displaced will appreciate. The key, as with the first novel, is that the Highlanders have had time to adapt to their new century yet have to courageously confront technological things taken for granted by their beloved ones that seem magical to their psyche. The story line is fun to follow as the living creatures by the magical pond add depth to a delightful "battle" of the sexes. With novels like these two MacBain tales, Janet Chapman shows she is a talent that sub-genre fans value.

Harriet Klausner

This book is indeed the 'complete pet owners manual' written to prepare the reader for what's in store if you follow through on obtaining one of these breathtaking animals. I learned a lot about the history and care of the Maine Coon Cat. I recently lost my American shorthair who managed to live for 19 years and 11 months. Lyon was a great joy to me and took to my retirement very well until she became deaf and blind and could not longer take care of herself. I plane on getting a Maine Coon Cat

as soon as I can find a suitable one.

MY CAT IS A MIX BUT ABOUT 75% MNCOON. THIS BOOK DID EXPLAIN ALOT OF QUIRKS AND BRED IN HABITS I NOW SEE IN MINE. THEY ARE CRAZY CREATURES.
VERY INFORMATIVE AND PICS GALORE,THANKS-LBSMITH

I found this informative and well rounded. Fun, not stuffy--with lots of pictures. For this price, a must-have!

I liked the book. It's a good book for people who don't know a lot about the maine coon cat breed. I found out several things I didn't know. Yes the end is a little generic, but it is only talking about how to take care of a cat, which would be generic. I think it's a good book for first time Maine Coon cat owners, such as myself.

This is a good introduction to Maine Coon cats. Mostly, this is a "care and feeding of" book that could apply to any cat, which is what this book is really for. If you are new to cat ownership and have a Maine Coon, this will get you started.

We have Maine Coon rescue cats and we don't plan to breed any cats (preferring to adopt orphans--there's a glut of cats out there.) But if you were planning to breed Maine Coons, you surely would need a more comprehensive book than this slim volume.

However, if you just want some general background about the history, pictures of coat colors and information about the general qualities of this breed, this book is just fine. The most valuable page is actually in the back, describing various illnesses, with a black and white drawing and description of a cat "not doin' right", which is how a cat subtly tells you it is feeling sick. We caught our cat "not doin' right" and she was actually on the point of being seriously ill. We caught it in time--thanks to that helpful description --cats are sometimes not terribly expressive, purring even in pain and perking up if their beloved owners are around.

This humorous mystery was a delight to read.

Graves does well in the complexity of the plot and hair-raising scenarios. Grusome without going too far. An array of interesting characterters you will care about.

Although I pride myself in figuring out mysteries, I didn't guess the ending in this case.

This book is a BUY.

Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and her friend Ellie stumble across a dazed Faye Ann Carmody covered with blood in her house. Her husband Merle -- the town butcher who was not well liked -- is found in pieces wrapped in his own butcher paper. Faye Ann is charged with his murder but she can't remember a thing and had been drinking. Since it was widely known that Merle was abusive of Faye Ann, everyone believes she finally snapped. The police feel it's an open and shut case. Jake and Ellie don't.

Then there's another death. This one appears to have been a heart attack, but Jake and Ellie feel it was murder and related to Merle's murder. With an attempted murder, things really start heating up.

Christmas is just weeks away. Jake had planned to rehabilitate her old house this winter but now she's on the trail of a killer. There are so many suspects. Ellie and Jake spend their time checking each one out and eventually they end up in danger themselves.

Jake is also a newlywed with a teenage son. Her ex lives in town and keeps coming to her for help with his new relationship. He is a very self-centered man.

This author has created a wonderful town -- Eastport, ME -- with fabulous characters. They are very believable and act just like I would expect people in a small town to act. Her plots are always very well constructed and I have a hard time figuring out who did it and why.

I have read 1 other book in this series. I highly recommend this book and the whole series. This a true cozy series.

I like the friendship between Jake and Ellie that has developed. I hope the relationship of Jake and Wade is more prominent in other books. She spends more time talking to her ex in this book. I'd like to get to know her son Sam better. I think in some of the earlier books he plays a bigger part. One reason she moved to this town was to get him away from his old friends and drugs in the big city.

I liked the characters, but I couldn't believe Jacobia allows her ex-husband to boss her around and to leave his excess junk at her house.

I really disliked the constant interruptions in the telling of the story. Jacobia and her friend Ellie couldn't have a 2-minute conversation without Jacobia going off about her problems with her house. Did I need to know about her possible skunk problems?

What is Jacobia's problem with non-smoking restaurants? I'm not a health Nazi because I don't like people smoking near me.

The last chapter explains all the ins and outs of the murders and their causes. If the book had been better written, I would have realized most of this once the murderer was uncovered.

There are better Christmas mysteries to read.

Like another reviewer, I was terribly distracted by the punctuation, but to me, the offending character was the comma. I complained about this in the Graves' first book, and it was apparently cleaned up until this book.

I read half the book. And was so bored I gave up. Nothing was happening, and the plot and characters were as stark and drab as the Maine late-Fall landscape. I finally decided that life was too short to suffer my way through this book.

Graves tries to coast on her location and witty main character, but it's taken her about as far as she's going to go.

When Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree plans a visit to Faye Anne Carmody's house, she doesn't expect to find it covered in blood. She also doesn't expect to find Faye Anne dazed, yet alive. But she is. All looks fine, until Jake takes a trip to the butcher's shop, and finds a bunch of meat packages wrapped in brown paper in the display case. Realizing that this is unusual, Jake investigates, only to find Faye Anne's husband's, Merle, body wrapped in those little packages. Then another person is found murdered, and Jake immediately decides that it's up to her to solve the crime, instead of spending time with her family and working on rehabilitating her home. Who can get anything done during the holidays, when there's a killer on the loose?

This was the first book I have ever read from "A Home Repair Is Homicide" mystery series, and I found it to be very enjoyable. I hope to read more by this author in the near future.

This is more than a good mystery yarn; it's a well-written novel. It's thoughtful; it has interesting, flawed, mature characters; it's often eloquent. Stoney Calhoun is a keeper. Let's hope for more of him from Tapply.

William G. Tapply's second Stoney Calhoun novel is a well-written (as you'd expect from Tapply) novel that combines two mysteries, romantic intrigue between the main characters, and a whole gang of mutilated bodies. Stoney Calhoun is more 'hardcore' than Tapply's other character, the good-natured Brady Coyne, and far more willing to break necks, faces, and heads in order to save his friends, his dog, and his fragile existence. I especially liked the hints and allusions to Stoney's mysterious past. I hope that Tapply illuminates it more in further books.

Double YUCK. This has to be one of the SLOWEST books I've ever tried to read! NOTHING HAPPENS. I started scanning about about page 10 and FINALLY on page 17 we find a body! I'm sorry I don't care a fig about fishing so probably shouldn't have pick up this POS, but I THOUGHT it was a mystery! I read a bit beyond discovery of the body but it never got better, just more depressing! We find out Stoney is in love with a married woman who's husband is disabled and Stoney has not memory and he loves to fish and...at that point I headed for the bathroom to gargle with razor blades. I also gave up before reading 30 pages. The author can have all the friends he wants review this book with a five star rating - when others start to try and read it - the truth will come out! How on EARTH did this get published??????

First Sentence: The alarm in Stoney Calhoun's head jangled at two fifty-five, five minutes before the redundant wind-up clock beside his bed was scheduled to go off. Calhoun's internal alarm hadn't failed him yet, but he still didn't quite trust it.

Stoney Calhoun remembers nothing prior to seven years ago when he was apparently struck by lightening. However, he is content with his life living in a cabin on a creek in Maine, partners in a fishing shop, in love with his married partner, and conducting fishing trips. Things turn grim when he guides a fishing trip and, when they take a break on an uninhabited island, find the corpse of a man burned beyond recognition. After the man who hired him is found dead on Stoney's porch, he is deputized to help find the killer.

I'll admit I'm a sucker for books set in Maine and I even enjoy the fishing theme. Stoney is an interesting character who is constantly discovering skills he didn't know he had. I do find it hard to believe that someone who'd lost their memory wouldn't want to know about their past.

As a plot device, the memory loss, the relationship with his married partner, and the character's constant use of the word "ain't" could become old if they go on too long. However, Tapply definitely knows how to create characters and sense of place. The story is well plotted and I couldn't anticipate where it was going.

I shall be interested to see where this series is going.

We first met man-of-mystery and Maine fishing guide Stoney Calhoun in [...] CREEK. There we learned that Stoney didn't always live a slow, simple, and rustic life -- but exactly what he'd done before he was zapped by lightning, only the Man in the Suit knows, and he never reveals much during his occasional visits.

A Gray Ghost is a Maine salmon streamer, a fly that Stoney ties in the outdoor gear shop that he and Kate run. But Stoney also sees a few gray ghosts in human-like form in the area around Quarantine Island, where hundreds of people were once burned to death in a terrible hospital fire. When Stoney and one of his customers find a newly-burned body on that outcropping, they report it to Sheriff Dickman. The county sheriff admires Stoney's obvious investigative prowess so much that he offers to deputize the guide; and this time around, Stoney is glad to help. At first. But after that tourist is also murdered, and Stoney and Dickman find out that the first body belonged to a registered sex offender, our favorite fishing guide begins to have second thoughts about his new, albeit non-paying, duties. How are the two deaths related, anyway? And how can you be objective about the murder of somebody who probably deserved what he got?

And while Stoney steadily mulls over the investigation and who the possible suspects might be, he's also dealing with growing tension in his real job. Kate has toned down their personal relationship, and Stoney's finding it difficult to interact with her on a strictly-business basis. Will they ever get back to the way they were?

Told in a style that reflects not only Stoney's leisurely style of thinking, but also the pace of rural life in Maine ("The Way Life Should Be"), GRAY GHOST is an excellent stand-alone follow-up to [...] CREEK. In any event, you gotta admire someone who owns a Brittany spaniel named Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In the sequel to Shadows at the Fair, Lea Wait has picked up where she left off in her first novel. Maggie Summer, part-time antique print dealer and college professor is on vacation and heading up to see her college roommate, who has just moved to Maine. Maggie is worried because Amy - her have it all-together roommate - has asked her to come early, stating that there are problems. Once there, Maggie finds that the Douglas' house seems to be haunted, and it is driving Amy over the edge. With the help of her fellow antique dealer friend Will Brewer, who is from the area and familiar with the house, Maggie is able to crawl her way through the cobwebs, dust, and falling shingles to get to the bottom of the mysteries of the house, and then some. Great series, makes me seriously miss Maine.

Maggie Summer gets an invitation from her former college roommate, Amy Douglas. Amy and Drew have just moved into an eighteenth-century house which they are restoring in tiny Madoc, Maine. They invite Maggie to come up for a few days and ask her to bring some of her antique prints. There is an urgency in Amy's invitation that Maggie cannot ignore.

When she arrives, she finds things are not all they seem. Many unexplained things have begun happening. There are phone calls with no one on the other end and sounds of a crying baby disturbing their sleep. Then when the Douglas' neighbor and teenaged helper turns up dead on their land and Drew has a car accident that is suspicious, Maggie decides she needs to do some investigating. She gets her antiques-hunting friend, Will Brewer, to help her. He knows everyone in town and is related to most of them. Many folks in town have not been very friendly with Amy and Drew since they are outsiders. Maggie knows without someone on the inside, she'll never get any information.

As she digs deeper and deeper, Maggie uncovers secrets that have been hidden for years. Can she figure out who is behind everything without anyone else getting hurt?

I love books set in New England, so this is right up my alley. I love Maggie. She is such a great character, and her antiques print business was something that was new to me. I enjoyed learning more about it.

The descriptions of the area were superb. Made me feel like I was there with Maggie. The plot was well constructed with plenty of red herrings, and the peripheral characters aided the story wonderfully.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more!

I recently finished this book and want to recommend it to all who enjoy traditional cozy mysteries.
It was great. I liked everything about it. I was a bit leery in the first few pages cause I didn't want a ghost story, but that soon faded and I got engrossed in the plot and characters, etc. I like the old houses - live in one built one that was built in 1863 - so that was a great part of the book for me. And as with Shadows at the Fair, I enjoy the little print descriptions at the top of each chapter.
Maggie goes to ME to visit an old college friend who, with her husband, has abandoned life in NYC for a an old house on the coast of ME. Amy is intrigued by the history of the house they've bought and hopes to have a family there. She's already fixed up a room as a nursery.
Soon Will, an antiqueing friend of Maggie's, meets her. All of his ancestors are from ME and he's there visiting an elderly aunt. Maggie tells him about the weird experiences Amy is having in her old house, a baby crying in the night, minor accidents, etc. Then the young girl, who has been working for Amy, is found dead in a field behind the house and Maggie can't help but think about it, maybe ask a few questions, etc.
Altogether, an excellent read.

This would probably make a good movie but it was slow, slow reading. Didn't need all those facts about prints, hard to get excited about any of it. What a twisted tale of who's sleeping with who and who's the father? My first and last by this author. How one could consider this an excellent story of the Maine coast is beyond me, just another two-timing someone did me wrong story.

The title of this book was well-chosen. Qualifying as a "cozy" mystery, Shadows provides a slow-moving tale of ghosts, accidents, and murder with the potential to become more intriguing than it actually is. The residents of this small town in Maine are depicted as dour and unwelcoming, resentful of outlanders and bound by centuries of inbreeding and tradition. The unwitting city folk who have the audacity to buy a 250-year-old, dilapidated house are almost immediately subjected to anonymous intimidation. Nearly everyone, however, comes across as somewhat wooden, hard for the reader to care much about. And mystery becomes solvable only halfway through the book. Shadows on the Coast of Maine is a quick, effortless read that provides entertainment but not much more.

I have enjoyed many of John McPhee's books. I'm looking forward to reading this one. McPhee almost always presents a movable feast.

Typically, I hate it when people write books about really short trips that aren't very adventurous or eventful.
But this is John McPhee, and he can write about whatever he wants.
This book is about a guy obsessed with building bark canoes like the Indians did, about a camping trip in the Maine woods, and about travelling through the wilderness when the rest of the world's advancing further into civilization.
It's a good book on bark canoes, on canoeing in general, on Maine, on the history of fur trapping, on the idea of wilderness, on obsession, and on Thoreau.
It may make you want to build a canoe, and it will almost certainly make you want to go camping. It's worth it just for that.
The book is written in John McPhee's clear, simplistic prose, and always feels focused and well-paced. It's a good introduction to McPhee, and a good book, period.
You should read it.

A very enjoyable little book by McPhee, especially for those of us who enjoy his work, but can be overwhelmed (bored?) by his frequent choice of geology as his primary subject.
As usual with McPhee we learn a great deal about the technical subject at hand; here the building of authentic birchbark canoes, but even more about the tradecraft and personality of the person and type of person dedicated to the subject.
Like McPhee, I live in New Jersey and have hiked and camped in the Pine Barrens, and fished for and caught shad in the Delaware River, and perhaps understand a little of his wanderlust. McPhee mentions canoes in many of his other works, is clearly fond of and experienced with them, and can barely contain his excitement over getting authentic with a birchbark canoe.
As others have noted, his portrayal of Henri changes a bit as we move from "the yard" to the water. McPhee notes that Henri is an artist in both ability and temperament. This is an academic conclusion that is easy to come by while watching in the yard, but not without a little personal discomfort to realize in the field.
I often tell my kids that one of the most critical rules one must follow to get along with a group while on a team, on a trip, or even on a family vacation is to take care of your own stuff and do a little more than your share of the work.Henri violates this rule and complicates matters further when it is revealed that although he is the self appointed leader, the emperor has no clothes with regard to actually using the canoes.
There is a faint sense of attempting to, but not quite being able to experience that which is desired. Do the canoes actually work as well as imagined? Is the land as beautiful? What of Thoreau and his observations? Have we incrementally embraced technology because it is quicker and easier, or because it is better? It seems to me that McPhee asks this question in many contexts, and slyly shows all sides without taking one, reminding me of the also excellent book by McPhee "Encounters with the Archdruid".
Read the book to see how you answer these questions.

I read this book years ago and have even given a couple of copies away to friends! So I highly recommend this book and many of McPhee's other works. As to Henri Vaillincourt, the hero of the book; he would say don't believe everything you read in the book... He builds canoes still today, and very nice one at that. He even has a website that I will not list here. The true beauty of the book is first it recreates how to build a true Algonquin style canoe. Second it recreates Thoreau's "Maine Woods" trip. Lastly it shows a man, Henri with an interest that has became his passion for the last forty years or his life. If you ever drive up up New Hampshire Route 31 you can see his works of art in progress on the side of the road. I also recommend Thoreau's The Maine Woods as a companion book to this one!

As a canoeist, handyman, and McPhee fan, I enjoyed this little book very much. Like the 5-11-2000 reviewer, I found it to come in two parts. The first part details technical details about birch-bark canoes and how Vaillancourt became a self-taught master of their construction. The second part describes a canoe trip with Vaillancourt and others.

That other reviewer found the second half to be parody of Vaillancourt, but I disagree. As in The Deltoid Pumpkin Seed, real life sometimes takes a turn that a dreamer would not expect. Like his other non-fiction, I felt that McPhee offered real insights to the peoples' character and doesn't hesitate to sing their praises nor describe their shortcomings.

I enjoy the copious background information that McPhee includes in all of his books. Even more than a Tracy Kidder book, you come away feeling like you have some in-depth understanding of the subject.

Reading this books just makes me want to quit my day job, move to Maine and build wooden boats. I have spent some time in my youth working in a Maine boatyard, and this book perfectly captures the character of that experience. But for now I guess I'll just need to be transported through the writing in this wonderful book. I've been a fan of Joel White's designs for years this book has built my appreciation for the man as well.

I read this book while I was vacationing in Maine. It made me have an understanding and appreciation of what goes on in those boat yards along the coast. It also made me wish I knew Joel White and some of the other boatbuilders. I found the end of this book very touching. The author portrays White's illness, but doesn't make it seem maudlin or sentimental. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in boats or the people who live in Maine.

As someone who has spent time scraping and painting the bottom of a large sailing boat, this book brought back all the sights and sounds of a boatyard. I could smell the dust and paint fumes, feel the smoothness of varnished rails, and sense the excitment when each boat was hoisted into the water. This book should interest all aspiring boat builders, and prepare them for the painstaking work of boat design, construction and restoration.

Wynott does a superb job describing the interpersonal dynamics of a boatyard's personnel and the importance of good management. Though I found myself irritated at Steve, Joel White's son, for spending his winter in the Carribean during his father's last year, Steve's management style is instructive for leading a group of talented artisans, be they boat builders, scientific researchers, or writers.

I savored every page of this short book, sometimes reading each section twice as not to miss the rich details. It made me laugh, such as the passage about novice sailors who they ended being towed into port and decided to buy a boat anyway, and cry -- Joel's death. I recommend it highly for all who find satisfaction in "messin' around with boats." This book squarely dispells what every boat owner already knows: Boating only looks romantic!

I read this book while I was vacationing in Maine. It made me have an understanding and appreciation of what goes on in those boat yards along the coast. It also made me wish I knew Joel White and some of the other boatbuilders. I found the end of this book very touching. The author portrays White's illness, but doesn't make it seem maudlin or sentimental. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in boats or the people who live in Maine.

I agree with the reviewer who suggested that this book really needs some illustrations. Whynott's word-pictures just aren't sufficient for those whose knowledge of sailing boats is limited.

As a non-reader of Wooden Boats magazine,the source of much of the info here, I'd love to have seen photos or sketches of the boats mentioned, as well as the boatyard crew.

And for the ocean-loving landlubbers among us, a good glossary would be a godsend. For example, what's deadwood? or a spoon-shaped bow?

It's also a bit of a stretch to say that Whynott wrote this book. Take out the extensive -- and wonderful -- citations from the writings of E.B. White and his son, Joel that Whynott lovingly included, and not much of the writing came from the pen/typewriter/PC of Whynott. What did is quite well written, sometimes really well written, however.

What this book really did is send me searching for my copy of E.B. White's "One Man's Meat." I'm not surprised to see this title in the "others who bought this book" section here on amazon.com.

I'm also gonna check out "The Yard: Building a Destroyer at the Bath Iron Works," by Michael S. Sanders. The Boston Globe review of this book is what interested me in Whynott's book -- which the reviewer liked a lot.