Maine Books

I picked this book up at a local bookstore. It was on the bum rack, so I assumed I'd purchase it because it was cheap, and hoped that it would turn out to be a good book.
After finishing this book, I am glad to say that i bought it. The writing style is fresh, and the overall content of the book was excellent. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

Let me warn you first, I'm going to tell you what happens in this book. And, I'm going to tell you why, so that you have plenty of time to skip this review, and go read the book and be surprised by the story. But don't worry, I'm not going to tell you how the book ends because, as it turns out, it ends in a kind of special and unusual way that depends on you having read the whole book to begin with.

Okay is that enough to warn you? And still enable you to skip this review without "ruining" the book? Meritocracy carries the root idea that the person who should have been president of the United States today was killed in Vietnam, and more generally the reason our leadership is so mediocre is because so many of our potential leaders were killed there too. It is so well written and with the life breathed into it, with such a voice and a such a view, that it cannot possibly be ruined by your knowing what happens; If this were true about any book, then no book would be worth reading more than once, and Meritocracy is eminently re-readable. I'd read it again tomorrow if I had time, just to enjoy the way it is written, but there has to be balance in life.

Harry Nolan's story is told by his friend and college roommate. It is also the story of the friend, what he saw and thought and felt and heard and smelled and remembered too. Most of Meritocracy's characters were at yale together, at the same time as George W Bush, and so the question of whether George knew Harry or had heard of him at yale comes up naturally in the course of the story. The author handles this juxtaposition of time effortlessly, and limns a Bush who might have been an okay guy. He captures Bush in just a few sentences, and saying he never knew the man, lets him off easy. In a way. After all, he has Harry Nolan enlist in the army, report for duty, and never return from Vietnam and the central moral debate in Harry's life as it emerges during the story is this: did he enlist because it was the right thing to do, or did he enlist for the reason that in order to run for office he would have to have served? It's a doubt, a self-doubt. A lack of certainty. He's the son of a U.S. senator, so the question is a real one. The question is real, and for Harry the answer has to be true.

Lewis has them all do everything, the six friends. These kids in the sixties, just after college, they do everything right; they do it the way I did it, or heard it, or saw it being done. Their back and forth, their banter, the coarse and happy language talking and messing around. Their fears. The time when boys were sent away to school and in college girls were forbidden to stay the night at a men's college and how they got around it. How they reacted to Timothy Leary and his mad ideas before anyone knew who he was or what he was doing. The importance of authenticity, how you would experience someone or something before anyone knew who they were or what it was. Lewis captures an age, a time of life, the way kids think the way they act the way they are adults and the way they are with each other. How they love, how they see incredible beauty, treasure it and how they act when it is destroyed. How they handle grief. And how they see what does NOT happen. The many scenes that did not take place, the things that were not said, what no one ever said, on the way to not living happily ever after.

They all go to the Maine woods, to a family's camp, for a farewell weekend to Harry who is reporting for duty at Ft Ord in California. He, his roommates, his beautiful wife Sascha, a unique and beautiful intellect who inhabits her world in the secure and natural way only a goddess can do; without effort. They take a skiff to a rocky island, they get lost in the fog on the way back, they run aground, they find their way, they cavort on the massive harbor bell itself a beacon in the fog. All true, so true it must have truly happened just that way. They go, they drink, they stay out late, they argue about enlisting in the army, Harry talks about not going. On the drive back, the sober one among them drives them off the road and Sascha's injured in the head, a head injury. A better future First Lady you could not possibly have imagined. Could you imagine loving her? You could. You would.

Harry doesn't talk anymore about not going into the army. He writes letters back from Ft Ord, saying what he, and we, somehow know all along. Don't go into the army, and she loved you, too, I'm promoted to sergeant, photos of some of his 60 men, well written letters, the thoughts of a moral self-doubting man, a man who could recover from a numbing personal tragedy and lead, if not survive.

What's lasting about a story is sometimes not just the story itself, but also the way it is told. This story is well told, moving, and true. To find out how it ends, though, you'll have to read the whole book.

This book is well-written, tells an interesting story and ultimately reads very quickly. It seems that Lewis set out to write the great American novel, and he comes close to succeeding. Lewis falters only slightly when it comes to the character development. He attempts to paint vividly 6 characters in a mere 163 pages, and I couldn't help but feel that each was just a little incomplete. The back of the book indicates that this is the first volume of a quartet. Perhaps those novels can fill in the missing pieces.

In the tradition of Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, and The Great Gatsby, this beautifully crafted novel stays in the imagination long after you've turned the last page. The novel has the quality and vitality of memoir -- you feel what it was like to be young back in the 60's, with the Vietnam war just beginning to stir in the country's collective conscience (a subject even more topical now, what with John Kerry and the Swift Boat controversy in all the headlines.) The characters are so vivid you feel you know them.

But there is also something more important at work here. Lewis is not the first writer to contrast the idealism and best hopes of youth with the nightmare of the years to come, although he may be one of the most skillful. But he is the first to do so so effectively with our generation, which has produced Bush and Kerry (and so many of us now pushing middle age).

Every generation produces its own Fitzgerald. Mr. Lewis is ours.

MOON HANDBOOKS COASTAL MAINE is yet another great book about the Maine Coast, with plenty of information about great shopping, dining, and recreational activities to help you look great for your significant other and/or your favorite celebrity. However, there is a flaw- the failure in the section on the Portland area to mention either any independent music stores (Bull Moose Music) or the Maine Mall. Overall, however, this is a wonderful book that anyone with geographical interests will love.

Don't even think about planning a trip to Maine without first reading the Moon's Handbook Coastal Maine. It is the best travel guide. The author offers lots of great information.

The Monn Handbook Coastal Maine was invaluable in planning and during our Sept. trip to ME. We used the info to make reservations at motels and restaurants and we were never dissapointed. It also included excellent craft shop recommendations and places to see that were really off the beaten path. I would recommend this guide book for anyone planning a trip to ME.

After spending last summer in southern Maine, I was delighted to see this book. It provides information such as travel strategies and touring itineraries. The author lives on the mid-coast, but grew up around Portland.
You know the format for these handbooks means you get solid information on an area. I'm looking forward to another summer in Maine where I'll see so much more with this handbook to guide me.

The book is very informative and great for anyone who wants to mountain bike or is already into mountain biking. It also has great pictures, especially page 202.

This is the finest mountain biking guide I've ever read. It gives great information about trails of all abilities, plus tips on local attractions. This type of information is good to all types of mountain bikers, from rabid racers to families on day trips. Along with some of the premier trails in Maine and New Hampshire, such as in Acadia National Park, it gives descriptions of trails off the beaten path, such as that through Jefferson Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mr. Fitzhenry also provides local histories of the areas visited (which could be a book in itself) as well as great directions and trail descriptions. This book is good for local New Englanders and those from "away", because Bob did such a good job of finding trails throughout the two states. I highly recommend it.

Excellent! Great selection of trails with a variety of terrain. This guide book provides more pertinent trail information than any other I've read. Particularly helpful is the trail contour plots as well as overlaying trail lines onto accurate topo-maps. The authors writing style is unique causing me to actually read the book cover to cover.

This book has a lot of great info for both seasoned riders and the beginner. The maps, trail directions and descriptions of the rides are just the start. I have rolled over the MT. Agamenticus (Mount A) Pg. 236 trails for years and the author really hits the mark. I can't wait to hit the rest of the trails.

I had lunch with Van Reid in August of 2001. He was as fun to talk to as his books are to read! I love the humor, the insight, the intrigue and the adventures of the Moosepath League! I agree that this installment is not as "heavy" as Daniel Plainway (at least to all but Ephram, Eagleton,and Thump!) but all the other elements are present. I laughed out loud several times while flying, which caused my fellow passengers to wonder about me, I am sure. Moxie!

How could I have missed this series? I enjoy stories set in this period because my own father was born in 1890; in Kentucky. He was a small-town boy, following the work to Ohio where he and several of his brothers settled.

I can picture him being a member of such a club as the Moosepath League and having small adventures such as author Reid depicts in this series of books. My father was not bumbling like most of these characters, but he was witty and funny and would no doubt have led them on even more exciting adventures.

Reid paints a vivid picture of a small town of the late 80s ... filled with characters who would make entertaining neighbors. They'd certainly liven up any neighborhood with their quaint, old-fashioned, yet quirky fun.

It's obvious this is a satire, and I love satire myself. (I discovered these books because on Amazon.com they were placed beside one of the books I wrote: THE TOONIES INVADE SILICON VALLEY. While the TOONIES does not disparage our lovely Valley in anyway, I certainly delighted in poking a bit of fun at our techie culture ... tongue-in-cheek humor, of course ... as Mr. Reid does in these books.)

Fun reads! Enjoy all four.

For excellent quality, humor, detailed plots, and kind, likeable characters, you can't beat Van Reid's "Moosepath League" novels. The latest, "Mrs. Roberto", seems to me to be a little lighter in tone than "Molly Peer" or "Daniel Plainway", but is still immensely involving and entertaining. This kind of writing just cannot be found anywhere else today. If you are fond of the classics or nineteenth century American literature, you will love Van Reid.

The willing adventurers of the Moosepath League of Victorian Portland, Maine, have lost none of their good-natured innocence in this fourth adventure, despite entanglements with tavern keepers, loose women, pickpockets, hoboes and worse. Indeed, Van Reid's droll storytelling depends upon it.

Misdirection and misunderstanding form the strong foundation of the meandering and digressive missions of the League's six members, who gather at the Shipswood Restaurant in the spring of 1897 for one of their regular dinners. They raise their water glasses (prohibition has been in effect in Maine for 46 years) to their only female member, Miss Phileda McCannon, who's making a journey to settle her deceased aunt's affairs. Mr. Tobias Walton, their chairman and the oldest at 48, is a bit subdued on this occasion as Phileda has not given an answer to his proposal of marriage.

Joseph Thump, Christopher Eagleton and Matthew Ephram are still in a small state of excitement after nearly running down a tavern keeper named Sparks who could have been Thump's double, but for his workingman's clothing and his high-pitched voice. The youngest member, Walton's faithful assistant Sundry Moss, 23, is the only one who dares to hazard that the crowd of ruffians backing away from the near-accident were pursuing Sparks rather than attempting his rescue.

The trio of Thump, Eagleton and Ephram have not seen the last of Sparks. Walking home through an unfamiliar and doubtful part of town, Thump happens to save a policeman from certain death-by-falling-piano, thereby incurring Mrs. Sparks' heartfelt gratitude for preserving her cousin, the perpetrator, from a murder charge.

This might again have been the end of it, but the trio, inspired by an incident in a play, determine that the lovely balloon ascensionist, Mrs. Roberto, must be in need of rescuing. Their mission leads them to a house of ill-repute (not that they ever realize where they are) and a run-in with the gang that's after Sparks, from which they escape thanks to Sparks' youngest son and his urchin friend who lead them over Portland's slippery rooftops. Sparks' network of less-than-respectable relatives continues to aid the trio as they seek Mrs. Roberto from Bangor to Dresden Mills, taking up with a large party of hoboes along the way.

Meanwhile, Moss, attempting to distract his employer, has taken Walton to visit his uncle in Norridgewock, though they never make it quite that far. The train is delayed in Bowdoinham where Walton is pressed to come to the aid of a glum prize pig. Perplexed by the locals' assumption of his expertise in porcine matters (the reader has been let-in on the misunderstanding), but as willing and easy-going as ever, Walton embarks on a visit to the Ferns, unhappy owners of the depressed pig, where Moss, a farmer's son and a bit more worldly than his fellow Moosepathians, soon susses the problem.

With digressions for the furtherance of romance and good acquaintance, Reid piles misunderstandings upon misunderstandings, constructing a hilarious journey through the towns and by-ways of Maine and the social strata of its best inhabitants. It all culminates in a spectacular and chaotic natural disaster, reuniting the League and necessitating numerous rescues and confusion and some wonderfully vivid writing.

Lots of local color and history round out the adventure. Reid's prose is playful, witty and dry, as well as eloquent and visual. The contrast between the transparent innocence of the steadfastly clueless trio and the sharp wits of Sundry Moss (think young George Burns and Gracie Allen) is a pleasure, further enhanced by the ready-for-anything calm of Toby Walton. Reid (whose Maine roots go back more than two centuries) leaves us with a tantalizing hint of the next to come in the League's adventures. These books are for anyone who enjoys wit and good-natured storytelling in the Dickensian tradition.

I've read it twice now and loved it each time. Agree with the opinions above. People who enjoy this may be interested in "We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich, also entertaining humerous look at life in Maine.

I often don't get a chance for much pleasure reading so many books that I start never get finished. This book, however, grabbed me in from the start and like the other reviewer said, I could not put it down. It truly transported me to Maine, a state that I love to visit. However, even if you aren't a Maine fanatic, I think you will enjoy the book and it's ability to take you away from your everyday life. In addition, the strong, independent women who play the lead roles in the book are truly inspirational, especially considering the time period in which they were asserting this independent spirit. Seeing their willingness to jump in to a business that they knew little about and to set it up successfully in a short period of time has really awakened in me the belief that anything is possible -- you just have to be bold enough to go after it. This book is a wonderful read and one that I will surely pick up time after time. I highly recommend it.

In my youth, I often vacationed in Maine and happened to find this book in the local library during one trip. It was truly inspiring for me as a young girl, both to appreciate the great state of Maine and to go on to write memoirs of my own. I would recommend this classic to any would-be memoirist, as a great example of how a well-written life story can transcend time.

This book written about the trials and tribulations of two young girls who quit their jobs in New York and took up running a grocery store in Goose Rocks. Scotty does a fantasitc job at taking the reader to Maine. She captivated me and I truely could not put this book down. I want read it again right away!

Helen Hamlin's shared experiences in the Maine woods brought me back to my childhood. I spent most of my youth in and around the Allagash and St. John Rivers and many summers in the Chamberlin waters; Churchill, Eagle Lake,etc.
Helen's writing is authentic, amusing, and filled with typical Maine philosphy. Loved it!!

I almost hate to share one of the best kept secrets regarding a piece of heaven here on Earth, that being the North Maine Woods. Luckily I have found this place! Many of my friends know that I have enjoyed this amazing spot so for Christmas this past year I received a first edition copy of Nine Mile Bridge. In it, Helen Hamlim writes such a wonderful narrative of her three years living in these woods.

As a reader it was so good to be able to visualize what she wrote about as I have experienced, albeit in a VERY small way, some of it too. Her writing is folksy, campy, but most importantly genuine. What a gutsy woman she must have been!

I know that my next trip into the "woods" will be even more profound having read this novel.

READ IT TOO-- and don't be afraid to visit the "woods". I know you'll feel the same way I do about them-- a piece of heaven here on Earth.

Living in the 'wilderness' early in this century was a daily adventure. Much different from 'backpacking' as we know it. Folks like Helen Hamlin set up camp and lived and worked miles from any sizable town, with only a small number of neighbors, if any. Life was difficult and hard, but never dangerous, if you prepared properly. Ms. Hamlin is a first time author and, as such, is not to be compared with modern, well practiced authors of our time. Still, her story is fascinating reading of a life and times that is part of the wonderful fabric of our country. Highly recommended for those with a bent for real-life perspectives of a different America.

This is a time capsule of life in the Northern Maine woods through the 1920's-30's and into the early 1940's. My grandparents (briefly mentioned in the book) were French Canadian lumber workers who lived and worked the woods in the operations based around Jackman, Maine. (The Jeans and the Veillieuxs, respectively, my grandfather and grandmothers family).

A great read for people curious about the lives of those who worked in the lumber camps of Northern Maine in the early 20th Century. I've heard countless stories my late grandmother told of those days, and this book adds immensely to that rich experience.

This is a part of American History that will never occur again, the way of life in such remote locations, the teamwork, effort and work ethic and fun ethic of these folks was astounding. A true Gem worth buying.

Sometimes a novel has such a dramatic, suspenseful plot that you want to race through it to the end. But reading Preacher's Lake, I found myself taking my time, savoring the delicious descriptions of place and character, losing myself to the vivid fictional world Ms. Vice has so lovingly crafted. I didn't want to race to the end because I didn't want this book to end! I felt as if I had become a part of the lives of these characters - Slim, Janesta, Crystal, Rita - witnessing their quirks, their fears, their struggle to find love, forgiveness, and meaning. Indeed, the characters are so finely drawn that they may very well become as much a part of the fabric of your memory as the real people in your life.

When I began reading Preacher's Lake, I realized I was going to have to stop everything else in my life so that I would have time to sit and read this wonderful book. Within the first few pages, I was totally caught up in the lives of the beautifully drawn characters. I quickly became involved in the stories of the gawky, childlike Slim who runs the town dump and Carol, the artist from New York who is grieving over the senseless death of her lover Annie. I watched as the seemingly disparate lives of these and other people became interwoven, falling into place like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Preacher's Lake is my vote for the best read of 1998.

I knew I was in the hands of a gifted writer when I read Lisa Vice's first novel, Reckless Driver, but with Preacher's Lake she has really outdone herself. The cast of characters ranges from Slim, a truly innocent man who keeps the landfill in a coastal town in rural Maine and learns to love what others leave behind, to Vivian, one of the funniest yet most sympathetic lesbians ever to appear in a novel. The fifteen or so major characters in the story are true to life and utterly engaging. The plot is compelling and one of the delights of the book, as in Maupin's Tales of the City, is when the paths of the characters cross and intertwine. And Lisa Vice is a powerful stylist, too. On every page there are sentences that will take your breath away. Preacher's Lake is a book you should not miss!

In her second novel, Lisa Vice takes us to Preacher's Lake, a small town in Maine. What I like the best about Ms. Vice's writing is her ability to make each scene resemble a photo album. She gently weaves the stories of individuals around the connections between the characters, while taking us back and forth between their lives quickly and easily. About the time I am hooked into one person or family, she jumps to another concurrent story. This works well for Ms. Vice because she never leaves us anywhere long enough to forget about the other characters. I took my time reading this book because the characters became so alive to me, I didn't want the story to end. According to her bio, Ms. Vice lived in Maine working with disadvantaged people at one time. The quirky characters make it obvious that Ms. Vice has personal knowledge about that part of the country. I enjoyed getting to know each person, and laughed and cried with them as their fortunes changed for the better, and sometimes for the worse. Ms. Vice is an up and coming writer with a great deal of talent, and I will be waiting eagerly for her next novel.

I hope everyone reads this book. It is charmingly written and a worthwhile read from the recent former poet laureate of Maine. His story motivates us all with its straighforward nature. Thank you, Baron Wormser and book seller.

Wonderfully crafted language. A polished gem. Resonance.
Few books, in recent years, have made me cry.
This one did.

This is the best memoir America has produced since Walden. It is the honest expression of intelligence, simplicity, humility, and wisdom. These qualities upset the small mind which perceives everything in its own terms of egotism. But they are actually the small and individual facets of anyone who reflects the big mind. Mr. Wormser and his wife are polished mirrors and these essays are small gems of true humanity. While some essays may resonate more in this or that reader, every essay is a living child of the author and lives comfortably in the mind of the reader on its own merits. I'll stop before I say too much.

Wormser is a sage, playful, exacting, pure writer, and this book is an absolute treat. The structure is wonderfully unconventional--his thoughts glide from one focused argument or narrative to the next like a bird moving from branch to branch in the woods. Looking forward to reading more prose (and poetry) from this author.

My favorite photograph in this wonderful book is the very last one - it captures the diversity, the geography, the activities, and the natural beauty of our state. Those of us who are lucky enough to live here in Maine can be proud of Bill Hubbell's appreciation of its beauty and majesty. I might add that the other 139 photos are close runners-up for my favorites!

Jean's captions inform and enhance what the eye may have missed, while the mind is transported to "places you'd rather be". I'm glad I'm not "from away".

Bill Hubbell's work always shines with a superb technical clarity and artistic insight. This book continues his tradition of technical and artistic genius as he covers his favorite subject matter in Maine.

This book brings a breadth and scope of vision to these images of Maine that will inspire you. (...as they have me.)

I have never lived in Maine, but have vacationed there. This book certainly captures the majestic beauty of one America's most breathtaking states. Hubbell's work displays the classic "old New Engalnd" landscape each of his pictures. All of the photos, from the ocean to mountains, are just magnificent. This book makes you want to live there!

If you want to know where to go, and the special places to see in Maine, this book will serve as an inspiration for the unconventional traveller. It captures with its beautiful photography and concise, evocative prose the essence of all that the state has to offer. I have lived in Maine for 12 years and looking through the book reminded me of some of the beautiful places I have been, but it also showed me how many other places are left to explore! Unlike a regular tour guide, these photos bring the places to life and draw you in -- after seeing them I am inspired to make a list of places to go. Some of the photographs are almost painterly in style, there is one of a Native American sitting by the river on a rock at daybreak which is haunting -- mist hovers on the distant bend in the river while the man is gazing in sharp focus at the coming day. This would be a great gift for anyone you know who loves Maine.

My family has read these stories aloud to our children for three generations. Since the 1st edition of these stories is long ago out of print, it was great to see that a new compilation of these stories was published. Now we all can have a copy of these wonderfully funny stories to give to our children, instead of fighting over the scarce old copies!

I had never heard of C. A. Stephens until this book was given to me (thanks, Stuart!). I suspect the book is best consumed as a read-aloud. The book is packed with stories, and much to my surprise, almost every one of them is quite funny! After reading this book, two new entities were permanantly added to our family culture: "Vermifuge" and "Master Lurvey".

I had never heard of C. A. Stephens until this was given to me (thanks, Stuart!). I suspect the book is best consumed as a read-aloud. It is packed with stories, and much to my surprise, almost every one of them is quite funny! After reading this, two new entities were permanantly added to our family culture: "Vermifuge" and "Master Lurvey".

This notable book is a compilation of stories based on the life of an extended family living on a Maine farm in the mid 19th century. It gives a rare glimpse into life at that time. Our family felt that it was in the same league as the Little Britches and Little House series. It's a great book for outloud family reading.