A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

A Wedding on the Banks by Cathie Pelletier

Amy Joy Lawler is getting married and Mattagash, Maine is abuzz.  Her fiance, Jean Claude Cloutier, speaks French, lives in Frogtown and is Catholic.  Horrors!  Gossip races through the backwoods town, while Amy Joy's mother, Sicily, is dreaming up yet another imaginary illness so she can take to her bed. Once the invitations are mailed, the big city relatives arrive bringing more than what's packed in their suitcases, while the no good local Gifford brothers plot to crash the reception and steal the wedding gifts. The wedding day is set for May 1st. Can a spring snowfall bring the festivities to a screeching halt and are Sicily's wishes finally granted?

I'm a big fan of Cathie Pelletier and the antics in Mattagash.  The Funeral Makers, the first book in this series, is one of my favorites. It introduced me to the residents of Mattagash earlier in their lives. Their antics made me laugh out loud.  Even though they've grown up, their penchant for the absurd hasn't changed.

A Wedding on the Banks has lots of funny and laughable moments but the story just didn't come together for me.  The backstory overwhelmed the present.  Many times I felt like I was reading The Funeral Makers all over again. I understand that as a writer of a series, each book still needs to stand on its own.  In this case, the new story sprinkled itself over the backstory.  A good writer knows it should be the other way around.

Ms. Pelletier's works are funny, lighthearted and border on the ridiculous.  A Wedding on the Banks is sure to take your mind off whatever is ailing you.  The laughs are many.  But some of her other works are more entertaining and worth taking the time to read.  Just remember, this is Maine without the lobster, the way life should be.  Or not.

A Year After Henry by Cathie Pelletier

A Year After Henry by Cathie Pelletier

Jeanie Munroe finally gets up the guts to confront her husband, Henry, about his extra marital affairs, until she finds him dead of a heart attack in the bed beside her.  Henry loved burgers and bacon and much to her dismay, left Jeanie's questions unanswered. 

A Year After Henry his family is grieving and struggling to understand why.  Henry's mother is planning a memorial for her beloved son and mailman.  Henry's brother, Larry who lost his job teaching at the local high school, has taken over Henry's postal route.  He's holed up in his bedroom at his parent's house however, refusing to come out and deliver the mail.  Jeanie is stalking Henry's mistress, Evie who works as a spiritual portraitist and part time bartender.  The anticipation of Henry's memorial service is driving them all to the brink. Or is it forcing them to face their personal shortcomings head on?

I love Cathie Pelletier's quirky characters who find themselves in bizarre situations in small town, Maine.  Her style of writing is straightforward and down to earth.  Just like the Mainers I know.  Although the situations the characters find themselves in at first glance appear unrealistic, the farther into the book you read, the more you will understand why they acted as they did.  And in the end all becomes right in the world. 

A Year After Henry is laugh out loud funny, unusual and heart wrenching all rolled into one.  If you are looking for something to lift your spirits, Cathie Pelletier's work will bring a smile to your face.

The Beans of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn Chute

The Beans of Egypt, Maine by Carolyn Chute

Somewhere, a long time ago, a writing instructor spoke of this book as a lesson in characterization.  It stuck in the back of my mind and was only recently resurrected by my desire to write a great novel and of course my love of Maine.  I must have been missing eating a lobster roll by the waterfall in Camden, Maine when the title came back to me.

The Beans of Egypt, Maine tells the story of a mismatched and dysfunctional family living in rural Maine far from the rocky coast of the state I love.  Reuben is an alcoholic who spends most of his time in jail, Roberta is tall and perpetually pregnant, and Beal is a gentle man with a large beard that seems to have a life all its own.  Beal marries Earlene, the pious neighbor next door.  They manage to have two equally unusual children.

The Beals are poor, yet taking any government assistance would say to the world that they had failed.  How they live is given to the reader in such poignant detail, it's impossible to turn away.  Ms. Chute's use of her toolbox of literary devices is extraordinary.  I became totally immersed in a way of life I do not know, yet I felt each character's view of the world as if I saw it through my own eyes. 

The Beans of Egypt, Maine is sometimes difficult and repulsive to read.  But it's real and it's filled with emotion.  I can't remember the teacher who told me about them, but the Beans will now remain in the back of my mind because the author did a brilliant job of creating them.  And they are from Maine.  A perfect combination.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm just crazy, head over heels in love with the State of Maine.  I've spent the past 2 summers there soaking in the sea and the mountains, the locals and the tourists, the sun and the rain, all of which are gorgeous, peaceful and calm.

A book with the title, Maine should be right up my alley, right?  Wrong.  There was not a single likeable character in this story.  Alice, the matriarch of the Kelleher family, is an outright bitch.  She wanted us to feel sorry for her because her sister, Mary died in a fire many years ago and Alice felt responsible.  I had not one ounce of sympathy for her, she was that mean.  Her daughters and daughter-in-law displayed plenty of shallow and pathetic behavior.  The big family gathering that the reader expects to occur, never does.  Thank goodness.  It probably would have turned into a brawl.

Maine  turned into one long, boring backstory.  No one even appeared in the Maine until more than halfway through the book.  I got lost in the constant flashbacks, excruciatingly long chapters and unlikeable characters.  Once I start reading a book however, I can't stop no matter how painful it is.  As the eternal optimist, I keep hoping to find redemption somewhere even if it's on the very last page.  While looking for the buried gem, I have a tendency to skip pages to speed the process along, which was the case with Maine.

I never found the prize in this novel.  I'm sorry I wasted my time on this book.  This is not the Maine I know and love. 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Last summer I vacationed in Maine.  I'd never been to Maine because it's never on the way to anywhere else.  One look around and I fell in love with the place.  Maine is a treasure with sweeping ocean vistas from high atop the mountains.  Plus it has lobster and lots of it. 

On a local news show, I saw an interview with Christina Baker Kline.  I thought this book sounded interesting but I never saw it for sale while in Maine.  Recently Orphan Train showed up as an Amazon deal.  I remembered it from the summer and immediately bought it.

The story starts in 2011 with Molly who is a teenager in the Maine foster system who has been tossed around for as long as she can remember.  When caught stealing a book from the library, she appears to be headed to juvie.  Molly's given community service as punishment for her crime, but it's her last and final chance.  And she knows it.

Vivian is an wealthy, old widow with an attic full of memories, some good, some bad.  The attic needs cleaning out and Molly lands the job for her community service.  The treasures of the attic tell the story of Vivian's life after having been sent to Minnesota on an orphan train.  While looking through each box, Molly and Vivian learn just how much they have in common.

Ms. Kline has done vast research for this story.  The places and people come to life on the page.  I have to say I enjoyed reading this novel as much as I liked learning about this little known slice of American history.  Whether you like Maine or Minnesota, the Great Depression or World War II, or simply want to read a good piece of historical fiction, Orphan Train deserves a place on your book shelf.

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub, Pictures by Melissa Sweet

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and pictures by Melissa Sweet

I have returned from a simply marvelous weekend at the Florida Writers Association's annual conference where I learned about the craft of writing, along with the business of writing.  I met so many wonderful people, all with a story in their heart.   I have found my motivation to write again and am gladly embracing the FWA's philosophy of, "It doesn't get done unless you put your butt in the chair and write!". 

Returning home I found a package on my desk amid the piles of mail waiting for me.  It was from my sister, Martha.  Inside was Little Red Writing along with a note that read,

Dear Linny, Thought this book would teach you everything you ever needed to know about writing.  Love, Martha

Little Red is a charming red pencil who attends pencil school with a birthday pencil, several sports pencils and a state pencil.  Her teacher, Mrs. 2, gives the class an assignment to write a story.  She sends Little Red off with a basket of 15 words to use in case she runs into trouble and the advice to stick to her basic story path so not to get lost.  Hmmm.  Good advice!

Of course, Little Red ran into trouble.  She used her words carefully and saved Principal Granny from the dreaded electric pencil sharpener.  Principal Granny was now much shorter but grateful that Little Red had saved her.  Little Red returned to class with a wonderfully crafted story to share.

Little Red would not have been so successful if not for the adorable pictures that shared in the telling of her story.  Melissa Sweet, who drew them lives in Rockport, Maine.  I spent my summer vacation in Rockport, Maine, a tiny, little, beautiful town on the coast.  I loved the town so much I already have plans to return again next summer.  So guess whose door I will be knocking on while I'm there?  Melissa Sweet's!  I'll be sure to call first but I can't wait for her inspiration and creativity to rub off on me. 

I'm a firm believer that people and things come into my life for a reason.  Little Red Writing broke the task of writing down into very simplistic terms at exactly the time I needed to hear it most.  I don't write children's books but now I know I must visualize my scenes more specifically while I'm writing them.  And I also learned my sister, Martha even though not a writer, wants me to succeed for the pure pleasure of entering a bookstore and purchasing a book written by her sister even though she's already read the autographed copy I sent her.  So that book is in the works and I vow not to stop until it's finished.  No excuses.  With the help of all my new friends at the Florida Writers Association, Little Red and all her pencil friends, and my sister, Martha, I will get it done!

The Ghost Trap by K. Stephens

The Ghost Trap by K. Stephens

I have recently returned from a wonderful vacation in Maine.  Maine had been on my list of places to visit for a very long time.  It's not a place that you can simply pass through on your way to somewhere else.  Maine is kind of the end of the line, so to speak.  But trust me, this state is worth the extra effort it takes to get there.

Maine is gorgeous, full of friendly people with a variety of things to do and explore.  Oh, and did I mention the lobster?   Lobster is on the menu everyday while in Maine.  It's cheap, plentiful and delicious.  Lobster can be served steamed, baked, on a roll, in soup, you name it.  So no lack of culinary choices when it comes to this bright red crustacean. 

My trip had been planned to include the annual Maine Lobster Festival.  While there I met the author of The Ghost Trap, K. Stephens.  We had a lively conversation about writing, which fellow writers always do when together.  I couldn't wait to read this book. 

The Ghost Trap paints a vivid picture of the life of a lobsterman in coastal Maine.  It's a hand to mouth existence dependent on the fruits of the sea.  And it's physically demanding.  The lobsterman has to constantly push the threat of danger out of his mind.  Otherwise it would overwhelm him. 

Jamie Eugley ignored the lobsterman's superstition to never to allow a woman on his boat when it came to Anja, the love of his life.   The pair were joined at the hip, so when Anja wanted to help him pull traps, he was glad for her company.   That decision set him on a collision course with disaster when a trap pulls Anja into the water.  She survives but will never be the same.  The Ghost Trap follows Jamie through his struggle to earn a living, care for Anja, and fall in love again, all while a trap war threatens to destroy his family and their way of life.

 Ms. Stephens has done a wonderful job of setting the scene in Coastal Maine.  I loved reading about all the places I visited during my vacation.  The language of the rough and tumble fisherman is on point.  I became totally immersed in the world of lobster.   I have to admit, in a story about a losterman's life, alot of backstory is necessary to bring these colorful characters to life.  The backstory however, bogged down the novel too much.  It could have been better placed throughout the book, sparingly sprinkled in, not in large chunks that consumed entire chapters. 

The Ghost Trap is a great story about a lifestyle most of us will never know.  And if you are nuts about Maine lobster, like me, you will enjoy The Ghost Trap.