Archive for the ‘Maine’ Tag
Heartwood by Amity Gaige was just the kind of book I’d been looking for: one I couldn’t put down. Gaige’s writing hooked me from the very first paragraph. Consider: “You could read the weather like a poem.” This is written by Valerie Gillis, also known by her Appalachian Trail name “Sparrow,” in a letter to her mother.
Valerie has been hiking the AT for the past three months and is now lost in Maine’s North Woods. Rather than simply chronicling what’s happening in a journal, Valerie addresses her entries as letters to her mom. This helps sustain her; it’s evident through her writing, that Valerie has deeper bond with her mother than with anyone else.
Lt. Bev Miller is the Game Warden who oversees the search, formally known as the Incident Management Team, for Valerie that spans a 12-day period. Throughout a stellar career, Bev has worked her way up the ladder to her current position, something fraught with sexism.
The letters/Valerie and Bev’s perspectives are told through first person voices. A third, critical character is Lena, a resident in a senior care facility in Connecticut. The story alternates among these three. What they initially have in common is determination in their quest for Valerie’s survival. Through their backstories, mother/daughter relationships are revealed as another similarity, which vary among them.
The three women are distinct, representing different phases of life and experiences. A handful of other interesting characters populate the novel. Gaige imbues the story with humor, tension and intrigue.
Heartwood
Four-and-a-half Bookmarks
Simon & Schuster, 2025
309 pages
Set in the small town of Crosby, Maine, many of Elizabeth Strout’s previous (and distinctly different) characters populate the town and novel.
Bob Burgess, a semi-retired lawyer, takes on a case involving a lonely, isolated man accused of murdering his mother.
Bob has a long-standing relationship with Lucy Barton and reluctantly finds himself falling in love with her, despite being married. Lucy is divorced, but lives with her ex-husband William. Still, Lucy and Bob regularly walk together talking about the many aspects of their lives. There are many things they reveal only to each other.
Olive Kitteridge is another familiar character known for her cantankerous, usually, insensitive, dealings with others. Olive lives in a retirement home; she and Lucy often spend time together sharing stories about people they’ve known or situations they’ve experienced. The women attempt to give these stories meanings, but often they are simply glimpses of life’s ups, downs and unknowns.
Strout imbues the novel with empathy and intrigue. There are Bob’s emotions, not just his love for Lucy, but the emptiness he feels following his sister-in-law’s death and concern for his client charged with murder. Interestingly, even Olive has more empathy than disdain for those around her (although in limited doses). Lucy is in more of a recipient; her feelings for Bob are never fully disclosed, although suggestions are inferred.
Descriptions of small-town life, changes in seasons and day-to-day routines of the characters are, in Strout’s hands, much more interesting than they might otherwise be.
Tell Me Everything
Four Bookmarks
Random House, 2024
326 pages
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon is part mystery and historical fiction inspired by the experiences and diary of Martha Ballard, the novel’s narrator, who relates her story as the town midwife and life in rural late-1700s Maine.
When a body is found and recovered from the frozen Kennebec River, Martha is immediately suspicious of the cause of death. The victim is one of two men accused of committing rape; the other is a judge and respected citizen.
Despite numerous obstacles, including being a woman whose opinions are quickly dismissed by the men who oversee the social norms of the day, Martha is determined to fight for the preacher’s wife who was raped.
Martha is happily married and a mother, most of her children are in their teens and early 20s. She takes her role, as not just a midwife but medical care provider for the town and surrounding area, seriously and professionally – even after a Harvard-educated physician arrives and questions her knowledge and abilities.
The harsh elements of the wintry landscape and the hardscrabble life the townspeople endure are vividly described. Martha’s efforts to prove the rape victim told the truth while also trying to determine how one of the accused died results in an engaging work.
This is a portrayal of a strong, intelligent woman ahead of her time in her recognition of the sexism women faced. Martha’s story is one of life in a rural community impacted by the season, gossip and mores of the times.
The Frozen River
Four Bookmarks
Doubleday 2023
432 pages, includes author’s notes and acknowledgements
I’ve never reviewed a hotel, inn, Airbnb or other away-from-home accommodation, but The Lincolnville Motel in Maine warrants mention.
Lincolnville is barely a distraction on U.S. Highway 1 and we almost missed the driveways into the motel. I’m glad we didn’t (even though we had reservations).
We were greeted by Alice, the owner, and Lucy, her affectionate Golden Retriever. Along with keys to our retro motel cabin, we received an envelope with house rules and suggestions for nearby attractions, and two sets of earplugs. Alice pointed out the pool, now closed for the season, and led us to the large sitting area lined with shelves of books, board games and record albums.
Our room featured a queen bed, small table with a record player, a globe, small refrigerator and an expansive view across a field leading to the ocean. Unfortunately, the road to the water leads to private property, but the view is public!
Maine in early October gets chilly and our room certainly was. The small wall heater took some time getting up to speed. Due to the chill in the air, we felt like we were camping in a large, exceptionally comfortable tent.
It’s been years since I’ve listened to albums, so it was fun going through the large selection in the common room and taking a few back to our room.
I eventually figured out that the earplugs were provided because of the proximity to the highway. Yet, they weren’t needed. The night’s sleep was certainly peaceful.
Lincolnville Motel
4 Sea View Dr. (aka U.S. Highway 1)
Lincolnville, ME 04849
Part of the fun of traveling is enjoying cuisine specific to the area visited. So, when in Maine that means fresh seafood.
We had some excellent meals and others best be described as meh; nothing special. I’ll focus on the former.
To say Red’s Eats in Wiscasset draws a crowd is an understatement. The line to order wrapped around the block and movement was negligible. Sprague’s Lobster, across the street, overlooking the Sheepscot River had plenty of full picnic tables, but the line was only a few people deep. There we ordered a lobster roll with drawn butter on the side and fries. The toasted hot dog bun was hidden beneath large pieces of fresh, sweet and slightly briny lobster. It was a great start to our vacation.
If ever on U.S. Highway 1, which closely follows the coast (although it’s mostly hidden by dense woods), fresh-baked goods are worth a stop at Dot’s Market in Lincolnville.
A full lobster dinner at West Street Café in Bar Harbor was just what I’d been anticipating. Unlike many restaurants, market prices were provided without having to ask. My “Downeast Special” included clam chowder, a 1-1/4 pound lobster, slaw and blueberry pie.
The Colonel’s Restaurant and Bakery in Northeast Harbor had another of my favorites: scallop and lobster bake. Not particularly beautifully plated, this was a combo of 1/3 lobster pieces and too many rich, creamy scallops to count cooked in butter and topped with cracker crumbs. Mixed together it created a sweet/savory gravy.
The Blue Page Special 