Literature of New England and the Maritime Provinces

Booktalked at the July 13, 2004, meeting of the MLS Readers Advisory S.I.G.

Is there a specific tone or feel to the literature of this region?

As we found for Southern fiction, much of this literature was rural or small town, with a feeling of isolation. Many of the books were set on islands or in remote villages in mountainous regions.

Local color, customs and morals were part of the books, but religion was not handled in the same way as in Southern literature. There was little or no Bible quoting. Often Puritan values permeated character's behavior, but actual active discussion of religion was not often evident. There is perhaps more of an emphasis upon education and learning being valued than other regional literatures. One of the standard New England settings is the private prep school.

Where in Southern literature there are class and race differences, the literature of New England has its own class distinctions. In some regions the Portuguese or French Canadians may be looked down upon. There may be differences between the locals and the summer people or the Boston Brahmans or old families and their employees.

The past is the past in New England. Who your family is is important. People know their place in society. The past is not talked about or dwelt on much. Getting on with it without much angst is the way to behave. Where in the South past glories are reveled in, here there was nothing as ostentatious as past glories. If your family has lived in the same community for generations, everyone knows your past; there is no reason to speak about it. Outsiders are outsiders in part because they don't know the past.

Humor is often present in these stories, but a dry or ironic humor more often than broad humor.

Characters interact more with mutual respect than overt affection or sociability.

What we read:
Louis Auchincloss, The Rector of Justin, 1964
Journal entries, letters and interviews trace the life of Dr. Frances Prescott, the revered founder and headmaster of a New England boys' prep school, illuminating his flaws as well as his more noble attributes. Most of the events are told in the journal entries of Brian Aspinwall, a new teacher in awe of the Great Man. Set primarily in the 1940s, this is an old-fashioned, character driven story. For adults.

Lori Coupland and Angela Hunt, A Warmth in Winter, 2001
Heavenly Daze, an island off the coast of Maine, is inhabited by several angels who appear to the residents as regular humans but help out as needed to smooth the path of small town life. This is the fourth book in a series and features lighthouse keeper Salt Gribbon, baker Birdie, and storekeeper Vernie. Salt visits his alcoholic sons home and kidnaps his neglected young children, Bobby and Brittany. Afraid social services won't let them live with him, he keeps the children secret from everyone but Birdie who helps out when needed. Meantime, Vernie keeps getting distracted by phone calls from her long lost husband. A pleasant gentle read, only subtly religious in tone, with realistic characters.
Brenda O'Brien Woodridge Public Library

Barbara Delinsky, For My Daughters, 1994
To the surprise of her daughters, Virginia, a widow, buys a beautiful home in Maine and invites each of the young women to help her settle in. Caroline, Annette, and Leah each hope to spend quality time alone with their rather distant and aloof mother, are dismayed to arrive in Maine to find each other, but no Virginia. Over the next two weeks, the women grow a sisterly bond and also discover what the reader knows from the beginning: that many years ago, Virginia had fallen in love with a gardener at this same Maine house, and gave him up for a life of prestige and social climbing. An emphasis on relationships, both familial and romantic, makes this a satisfying read. For adults and young adults.

Sarah Graves, Unhinged, 2003
Sixth in the Home Repair is Homicide series, set in Eastport, Maine. Jacobia Tiptree, former Manhattanite, is restoring an 1832 house with the help of her new husband Wade, best friend, Ellie, and teen son Sam. Her annoying ex, neurosurgeon Victor, is a recent arrival in Eastport. Ellie and Jake keep finding corpses, but this time all that's found of busybody Harriet is her shoe. While looking into Harriet's disappearance accidents befall Jake's family and Jacobia uncover secrets about her own past. A fine book in a slightly uneven but recommended mystery series.
Brenda O'Brien, Woodridge

Ernest Hebert, The Old American, 2000
Set at the time Europeans were becoming Americans, mid 1700s, the old American of the title is a Native American, also called The Great Stone Face or Caucus-Meteor. In a raid into English territory during the French and Indian War, Caucus-Meteor takes as a slave a young Englishman, Nathan Blake. Blake lives with Caucus-Meteor for many years, eventually taking an Indian wife, before being returned to civilization. The book has a strong feeling for the land and an honest portrayal of the Native Americans. The story is told in a simple style, sometimes poetic. Caucus-Meteor is a wryly humorous old man and Blake is a man conflicted by his fate, since it has allowed him to escape what was a difficult family situation. Hebert also wrote a 5 volume series called the Darby Cycle set in Southern New Hampshire about the new upscale residents from Boston and the poor, hard-scrabble long-time residents. The first was The Dogs of March, 1979, and the last was Live Free or Die, 1990.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie

Elinor Lipman, The Inn at Lake Devine, 1998
When young Natalie Marx's mother receives a letter in answer to her inquiry about rates and availability for the Inn at Lake Devine, Vermont, that states that our guests who feel most comfortable here. . .are gentiles, Natalie begins a lifelong obsession with the Inn and her own Jewishness. When she later finagles an invitation to the Inn from a gentile summer camp bunkmate, her life becomes entwined with those of the Inn's owners. Comic complications ensue, ending in a satisfying and believable conclusion. Elinor Lipman deftly writes of human foibles in a modern day comedy of manners.
Nancy Bent, La Grange

Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, 1908
One of the classics for girls, Anne tells the story of a red-haired orphan who is adopted by a late middle aged brother and sister in the small town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. Anne is very different from her straight-laced, conservative new neighbors, and with her friendly disposition, active imagination, and high energy she makes an impact on everyone she meets. Readers will feel a strong sense of place as author Montgomery weaves the rugged landscape, trees, and farms of Avonlea into her story.
Nancy Bent, La Grange

Ruth Moore, Spoonhandle, 1946
Ruth Moore is a wonderful author who has disappeared from the reading public radar. Her books all take place in northern New England, usually Maine, and involve the interrelatedness of small town life and the isolation of living in somewhat remote areas. Spoonhandle takes place in the 1940s (when it was written) and revolves around the different outlooks for the future of the Maine island they live on among family members. Do we sell out ancestral land so that well-off summer people can build vacation homes, or do we still try to make a living from farming and fishing? Moore knows her characters intimately (she grew up on a Maine island) and her books resonate with believable plots, realistic conflicts, and a sure ear for dialogue.
Nancy Bent, La Grange

Howard Frank Mosher, Northern Borders, 1994
From the ages of 6 through 18, Austen lives with his grandparents on a farm in north eastern Vermont. His mother had died and his father brings Austen to live with his grandparents. The story centers on Austen and his grandparents, but other relatives and neighbors make appearances. The grandparents are ill matched, and although providing a loving home for Austen, their marriage is known as the Forty-Years War. There is a feeling of isolation on this remote farm in this remote region. The grandmother is in love with natural disasters and ancient Egypt. The grandfather is in love with the great wild of the North in Canada where he spent time as a young man. People interact more with respect than overt affection. Eccentrics are tolerated, but there is a strong sense of the individual over the community. There is a strong tolerance of hardship. Mosher has written 3 other novels set in this region, the last in 1999. He wrote a book in 2003 that was a humorous adventure based on Lewis and Clark, and he has a new book coming out with a baseball theme.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie

Katherine Hall Page, The Body in the Bouillon, 1991
Pastor's wife Faith Fairchild is asked by her aunt to investigate the death of a friend who had been living in an upscale retirement home in Faith's Massachusetts village. Faith, whi is biding her time before opening a catering business, takes a volunteer job in the kitchen at Hubbard House in order to get close to the action. When another elderly resident is found face-down in a bowl of Faith's bouillon, she knows that the previous death was no accident. A cozy, small town atmosphere and gentle humor pervade the story. For adult and young adults.

Van Reid, Cordelia Underwood, or, the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League, 1998
Set in Portland and other areas of Maine in 1896, this is a rambling story with many digressions and a hairy dog story or two. A group of colorful characters are centered around Tobias Walton and his valet Sundry Moss. Along with three early middle-aged innocents, Ephraim, Eagleton, and Thump, they form The Moosepath League. Although naive and not very smart, Ephraim, Eagleton, and Thumb are always courageous and willing to jump into the fray. The books are funny, full of colorful characters and loosely framed around a mystery and adventure. Delightful, but not for anyone who requires a tight plot. This is the first of a series of 5, the latest is Fiddlers Green, 2004.
Debbie Wordinger, Indian Prairie