This book puts you in rural Maine in the 1800s

Deborah Gould has written two books that help us experience life in rural Maine from 1820 to 1920. Published by Maine Authors Publishing, The Eastern, Books One and Two, focus on rural Pittston, Maine and surrounding towns, where farms were plentiful until the 1900s when kids started moving away for better jobs.

Throughout these great books, Deborah gives us real information about things that were happening in those times, along with fictional stories that are very close to real. I was particularly struck by how many children and young adults died from illnesses that are easily treated today.

This was a time when families throughout the town were always available to help each other, from gathering wandering farm animals to dealing with health crises. They worked incredibly hard too.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that captured historic Maine so well and in such wonderful stories.

I intended to read Book One, and save Book Two for later, but I just had to keep reading, so my stack of both books to review and Christmas gift books sat there while I enjoyed Book Two.

You will want to purchase both books and settle in to experience and enjoy historic rural Maine.

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.