Lorelie L. (artgal36) reviewed Only in Maine: The Second Down East Reader on + 471 more book reviews
In this eminently readable anthology from Down East magazine, proves that the tale may not be as tall as it sounds. The Maine authors here represented do indeed have an unusual gift for writing well. Here are 36 pieces, aptly introduced by well-known author John Gould, that capture this most picturesque of states.
There are the raw odor of burnt grass in the spring, and the smell of sweetgrass, the deep, deep blue of the sky on a clear summer's day and the sound of waves dashing against high cliffs. There are the funny, lovable puffins and the miraculous dog that is an expert lobsterman.
In these stories the people of Maine live and breathe: the trappers and the lumbermen, as well as prominent Mainers and their friends. Christina Olson, so poignantly immortalized by her friend and neighbor Andrew Wyeth, is in these pages. So is Edna St. Vincent Millay, in a piece based on interviews with childhood friends. There are tales of schooners plying the high seas, and memories of life in pioneer days-the old railroads and the country auctions. Between these covers the spirit of Maine has been caught for a moment, guaranteed to delight and enthrall the reader.
There are the raw odor of burnt grass in the spring, and the smell of sweetgrass, the deep, deep blue of the sky on a clear summer's day and the sound of waves dashing against high cliffs. There are the funny, lovable puffins and the miraculous dog that is an expert lobsterman.
In these stories the people of Maine live and breathe: the trappers and the lumbermen, as well as prominent Mainers and their friends. Christina Olson, so poignantly immortalized by her friend and neighbor Andrew Wyeth, is in these pages. So is Edna St. Vincent Millay, in a piece based on interviews with childhood friends. There are tales of schooners plying the high seas, and memories of life in pioneer days-the old railroads and the country auctions. Between these covers the spirit of Maine has been caught for a moment, guaranteed to delight and enthrall the reader.
