Maine Books

This book gives wonderfully vivd descriptions of life in rural Maine during the Second World War. It conjures up memories of events during that time and takes one inside the lives of the Hodgkins family.

Anne Wilson's SOLEA is filled with passion and verve. Wilson is a master poet, and she leads us in an exciting and beautiful poetic dance in this fine collection.

What a surprise and pleasure to encounter an author with such sensitive and accurate insight into character of pre-Yuppy Maine Jews. The author's curiosity and aggressiveness are remarkable and commendable, since there are few printed resources for her to exploit; and since early Maine Jews deviated considerably from American Jewish stereotypes. Risen delves into personalities and localities previously ignored and captures the special character of these people, especially those in small towns, in a creditable, valuable, and artistic fashion. I doubt that much of this would have been saved without her wonderful effort. She stands with Judith Goldstein and Benjamin Band as the only reliable preservers of the spirit and dynamic Maine's pioneer Jews. She provides what cannot be intuited from censuses, directories, a few self-adulatory autobiographies and interviews, and organizational hype literature. Few of the Jews who were still strongly connected to their tradition, yet enamored of the wonder of Maine, are still alive and articulate. I hope that Risen goes on to snag and provide all their wonderful stories.

It amazes me that Elisabeth Ogilvie's books are not more popular from coast to coast. Surely I'm not the only person in this particular region of Florida who enjoys a good read which takes place in Maine. Strawberries in the Sea takes us into Jamie Sorensen's adult life as Rosa Fleming moves onto Bennett's Island after taking off with her ex-husband's lobster boat to set up traps of her own. For those of you who know Joanna Bennett Sorensen, you recognize a woman who Joanna would find admirable and brave. As Rosa runs away from the demons of her first marriage, she faces them at the same time, dealing with issues of her weight, her tendency to love too much, and her success at lobstering. I love Bennett's Island and re-visit it often by reading these books again and again even when I have a new release by a current author sitting prettily on my bookcase. Elisabeth Ogilvie brings us into the world of her characters and lets us know them as well as she does. If you've never heard of the Bennetts and the Sorensens; if you've missed the early years of their lives and never imagined meeting Owen and Mark and Stevie Bennett or having a mug-up with one of them on a stormy afternoon, then it's time to change all that.

I have read all of Elisabeth Ogilvie's books over and over. They are wonderful, believeable stories of the Bennett family and others living on Bennett's Island from the 1940's to the present day. I've enjoyed these books for many years and have just finished re-reading the entire series again (maybe for the 3rd time?). I feel like I have known these people for years and am planning a trip to Maine someday to go to Criehaven (the island that Bennett's was modeled after). It will be like going home! This second-to-last book of the series (the last is The Day Before Winter) is one of her less believeable, but still fun to read.

This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read. It was a wonderful blend of adventure and fantasy. It was the first book I ever read that I sincerely enjoyed.

Fourteen-year-old Kieran Ash lives with her mother, Melanie, and her ten-year-old brother Sean. And that's about the most stable that things have ever been. Their father, Luke, died when Sean was just a baby; Kieran barely remembers him. Melanie is a nurse, but with two kids she can only work days, so they keep moving around to whatever hospital can pay her the most at the time. Kieran's lost count of how many schools she's been to.

When Sean discovers some old books of their dad's, brother and sister come up with a plan to solve all of their problems.

Their plan succeeds. Far beyond Kieran's expectations. Not only does Melanie get a permanent job offer that's perfectly suited to her, it comes just in time, and includes a home and relatives that Kieran and Sean don't even know. Kieran isn't exactly thrilled about moving from Chicago to Rowan Tree Island off the coast of Maine, but she doesn't have much of a choice. Especially since she did the spell that started it all.

On the island, Kieran quickly learns that family can be a whole lot more than it's cracked up to be. Apparently her dad wasn't the only witch in the family. Kieran hasn't decided if it's even possible that he was. So, when it's suggested that she might have inherited the ability, Kieran's pretty much convinced that everyone on the island is nuts.

When strange information, or lack of it, surfaces about her dad's death, and even stranger things start to happen, Kieran's belief in herself and everyone else will be put to the test.

This is a great story! Kieran is a great heroine. I love how she's not always happy and not perfect. Her disbelief and justification are completely understandable and believable. In fact, all of the characters are very well fleshed out and believable. The plot itself is great! The eventual resolution might be a bit predictable, but the path there really isn't. The witchcraft in the story is closer to true Wicca than a lot of what's out there, which I appreciated.

At it's most base description, this is a book about finding your place in the world, but there's much more to it than that. I can't seem to completely define why, but I just loved this book! I hope there are more coming!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

I enjoyed this story about the characters at sunset island. It was very interesting about who she thought were parents who hated each other and didn't care about her turned out to love each other and pay more attention to her.The only problem was some inacurracies about God. other than that I LOVED the book and suggest it ot anyone and everyone

Gail Gibbons, popular author of a plethora of books for young readers from "Apples" to "Wolves" is a favorite of both parents and children. He simultaneously educates and entertains as he involves readers in the lives of animals, seasons of the year, holidays, and our solar system.

With "Surrounded By Sea" we're transported to a New England fishing village as spring, a new season begins. Fishermen are busily scraping and cleaning the bottoms of their boats, and lobster men prepare to set their traps. Each lobster man or lobster woman paints his or her buoys a particular color for easy identification.

The general store is open and ready for business, and islanders are planting flower and vegetable gardens while others hunt for mussels during low tide. Ferries arrive daily bringing summer people and supplies.

This is the season when the island really comes alive with the Fourth of July lobsterbake and the Farmer's Market filled with produce, baked goods and handicrafts.

Gibbons closes with vivid paintings of the island in winter when many have sought warmth on the mainland and only a hardy few remain.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

Susan Garrett's story of a year in the life of rural (York, Maine) hospital, sets the daily crises, personality quirks and policy dilemmas against her own evolving quest for the hospital's ultimate survival - a matter of dollars, quality and image.

Administrator of the non-profit hospital for six years, Garrett's approach is philosophical and humane, as into any discussion of cost/benefit come the patients, the doctors, the government, like a wrench into smooth working machinery.

So, when the brilliant surgeon throws a temper tantrum in the operating room (after the operation) because two of his instruments were missing, and then insists the hospital hire a technician responsible solely for his instruments, hire the technician they do. Otherwise the brilliant surgeon will leave, diminishing quality. The fact that the nurse supervisor quit on the spot, caught between two grandstanding doctors, is accorded little more than a shrug.

If Miss Jannsen, not quite "one of our own," stays in the hospital longer than the 11 days Medicare will pay for, the hospital will lose money. If she dies there, having refused treatment for cancer, hers will be cited as an "avoidable" death, harming the hospital's overall rating.

Without resolving this dilemma, Garrett shifts to the genial give and take of the lunchroom where informal advice and consultation among doctors is frequent. She leads the reader with assurance into board meetings where future needs clash with present restraints and individual demands, then pushes on into housekeeping, physical therapy, the emergency room.

Each place gives rise to anecdotes which illuminate the personalities - many heroic - of the people who keep the hospital going. Bev Tracey, the tireless nurse who crops up everywhere. It was she who discovered why Miss Jannsen refused surgery. Or Dr. Talley whose diagnostic ability is uncanny but whose penchant for drug abuse makes him a serious risk.

Garrett progresses through the seasons from Maine's nonexistent (in her opinion) spring, through the overcrowded summer and the long days of winter when quiet may erupt into disaster with a storm.

Forays into history offer just enough to help the reader share the tug-of-war between quality and cost. Garrett outlines the politics of medicaid, medicare, building grants and insurance contracts. The wrangling over new building, cost shifting to fit government requirements, more cost shifting onto the backs of the self-insured, the constant worry over litigation.

One complaint - no index.

But through all the stories - the proud pillar of the community who is forced to sell her house and her china collection to finance her cardiac care; the dirt-poor family who cannot or will not help themselves, the arrogance and uncertainties of doctors - run Garrett's own ruminations on care. What should a small hospital be? What can it be? Does it have a future?

Vivid, thought-provoking, informative, often riveting, Garrett coaxes compassion from her readers, buffeted as we are by strident, one-sided health-care arguments.

--York County Coast Star