Category: Book Review

Working Waterfront

‘Till the landslide brought me down

Landslide By Susan Conley Review by Carl Little Early in season one of the FX series Fargo the ex-stripper Gina Hess says of her misbehaving teenage sons, “They’re wolves.” This appraisal came to mind near the beginning of Susan Conley’s fourth novel Landslide when the chief protagonist and narrator, Jillian… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A return to the joy of cooking and eating

Eventide: Recipes for Clambakes, Oysters, Lobster Rolls, and More From a Modern Maine Seafood Shack Arlin Smith, Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley with Sam Hiersteiner Is it because of COVID and quarantining, not dining in restaurants, or cooking special meals to share with family and friends for months now that I… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A well-lived life in Maine boat design

Of Watercraft and Function: A Biography of Naval Architect Geerd N. Hendel By Roger Allen Moody A documented, remembered career is a form of immortality. A career as long and distinguished as that of Geerd Hendel, the German-American naval architect who worked in New York, Boston, Bath, and Camden deserves… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Family ties fray on a Maine island

The Guest Book By Sarah Blake; Flatiron Books, New York Review by Dana Wilde Toward the very end of Sarah Blake’s insightful novel, The Guest Book, one of the principal characters is collecting mussels on the shore of fictional Crockett’s Island, which lies just across a narrows from the real… SEE MORE
Book cover detail

Working Waterfront

Paul Doiron’s game warden heads north

One Last Lie By Paul Doiron, Minotaur Books The title “game warden” conjures images of men and women in forest-green fatigues with a mission to steward natural resources, which in Maine primarily means moose, bear, and deer, along with fish and fowl. Thanks to Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch mystery novel… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

An affectionate history of Maine

However dimmed, deferred, or deleted by the coronavirus, Maine’s bicentennial marches on. The milestone is providing an opportunity to claim pride and/or acknowledge failings in our history, to draw lessons from our past, to highlight the ups and downs and in-betweens. For journalist-historian Earl Brechlin, the 200th birthday is also… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Lives and homes of the artistic and famous

While we wait for Maine’s art venues to re-open—and it will happen soon—museums, community art centers, and galleries are helping to fill the visual void with virtual tours, special talks, and Zoom gatherings. First Fridays are now online as are many openings, art courses, and art camps. In Belfast, Waterfall… SEE MORE