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M*A*S*H #2
M*A*S*H Goes to Maine
First there was MASH the book, which has sold over one million copies - then there was MASH the movie, which took America by storm and won an Oscar.
Now the four irrepressible surgeons who brought brilliant medicine and lunacy to the troops in Korea deliver both the specialties to the natives of Maine. There the four MD's - Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke and Spearchucker - set up The Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market.
The trouble they get into is brought about by their own irreverent view of the world and by the crusty residents of Maine, where the physicians meet such exemplary characters.
Now the four irrepressible surgeons who brought brilliant medicine and lunacy to the troops in Korea deliver both the specialties to the natives of Maine. There the four MD's - Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke and Spearchucker - set up The Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market.
The trouble they get into is brought about by their own irreverent view of the world and by the crusty residents of Maine, where the physicians meet such exemplary characters.
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
11 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hooker
118 books71 followersRichard Hooker is the pseudonym of Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. who was born February 1, 1924 and died November 4, 1997. He was an American writer and surgeon. His most famous work was his novel MASH (1968). The novel was based on his own personal experiences during the Korean War at the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It was written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. The novel took 11 years to write. In 1970, and then again from 1972-1983 it was used as the basis for a critically and commercially successful movie and television series of the same name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Richard^Hooker
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Richard^Hooker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
May 3, 2018
The real shame of this book is that the author didn’t have an editor with vision. I can see the problem. I imagine that the opportunity to capitalize on the success of the movie and the TV series prompted Richard Hooker’s publishing house to come up with a sequel. Having exhausted the story of The Swampmen in Korea, Hooker has to come up with a plausible way to continue on with the same characters. The result is a hackneyed and disjointed (though humorous) installment in what was to become a lengthy literary series.
What would’ve made this book and the subsequent series better? If Richard Hooker (real name, Hornberger) had just been allowed to “write what he knows”- which was the lives of Coastal Mainers, and center the novel on one character, his alter ego Hawkeye. This is where this novel shines, and belies a real potential for what could’ve been a great folksy novel about a combat surgeon’s return to civilian life.
Instead, Hooker has to shoehorn in most of the principal characters from the original novel (Hawkeye convinces The Swampmen to move to Maine), which has a very contrived feel. Hooker probably didn’t like that he had to do it, as evinced by an exchange between Hawkeye and Duke which was something to the effect of (I don’t have the book handy), “Why’d you pack up and move up here so suddenly, Duke?” “I don’t really know!” End of contrived plot point. (The only character whose appearance in Crabapple Cove that doesn’t seem too forced is Trapper, a fellow New Englander.)
Hooker/Hornberger loved Coastal Maine, and it shows. He paints a number of funny and poignant episodes in the lives of the quirky and eccentric people in Hawkeye’s hometown. Hooker also has an amusing and biting way of writing about the politics of practicing medicine in a relatively rural area. Had Hooker been allowed not to bring The Swampmen to Maine it would’ve been a superior and more plausible novel. Hooker was sold short as a writer and could’ve, if given the opportunity, rivaled any other regional humorist.
If you enjoyed the first novel, this’ll be fun. If you haven’t read the first novel, and are only familiar with the show, be warned that there is some very politically incorrect, racist language here, which is only balanced by the fact that Hooker gives an African-American character a large, dignified, non-stereotypical, non-pandering role in the book (despite the character's racist nickname). This is commendable considering that the era was more known for its exploitative representations of African-Americans.
If you're new to MASH, I’d start with the first novel anyways. If you’re only familiar with the TV show, bear in mind that the literary Hawkeye has virtually nothing in common with Alan Alda’s interpretation.
Missed opportunity here, but if the first novel left you wanting more, this’ll help fill that void.
What would’ve made this book and the subsequent series better? If Richard Hooker (real name, Hornberger) had just been allowed to “write what he knows”- which was the lives of Coastal Mainers, and center the novel on one character, his alter ego Hawkeye. This is where this novel shines, and belies a real potential for what could’ve been a great folksy novel about a combat surgeon’s return to civilian life.
Instead, Hooker has to shoehorn in most of the principal characters from the original novel (Hawkeye convinces The Swampmen to move to Maine), which has a very contrived feel. Hooker probably didn’t like that he had to do it, as evinced by an exchange between Hawkeye and Duke which was something to the effect of (I don’t have the book handy), “Why’d you pack up and move up here so suddenly, Duke?” “I don’t really know!” End of contrived plot point. (The only character whose appearance in Crabapple Cove that doesn’t seem too forced is Trapper, a fellow New Englander.)
Hooker/Hornberger loved Coastal Maine, and it shows. He paints a number of funny and poignant episodes in the lives of the quirky and eccentric people in Hawkeye’s hometown. Hooker also has an amusing and biting way of writing about the politics of practicing medicine in a relatively rural area. Had Hooker been allowed not to bring The Swampmen to Maine it would’ve been a superior and more plausible novel. Hooker was sold short as a writer and could’ve, if given the opportunity, rivaled any other regional humorist.
If you enjoyed the first novel, this’ll be fun. If you haven’t read the first novel, and are only familiar with the show, be warned that there is some very politically incorrect, racist language here, which is only balanced by the fact that Hooker gives an African-American character a large, dignified, non-stereotypical, non-pandering role in the book (despite the character's racist nickname). This is commendable considering that the era was more known for its exploitative representations of African-Americans.
If you're new to MASH, I’d start with the first novel anyways. If you’re only familiar with the TV show, bear in mind that the literary Hawkeye has virtually nothing in common with Alan Alda’s interpretation.
Missed opportunity here, but if the first novel left you wanting more, this’ll help fill that void.
July 15, 2014
"M*A*S*H Goes to the Maine" is the first sequel to the novel, "M*A*S*H". It is also the first of the 13 "M*A*S*H Goes to" books and the only one Richard Hooker (Dr. Richard Hornberger) actually had a hand in writing. (The next twelve books would be written by William E. Butterworth, though Hooker would get a writing credit.) That it is the only book in the "Goes to" series Hooker worked on makes it unique, but it's not the only thing that makes it unique. The first book, "M*A*S*H" wasn't so much a novel, as it was a collection of incidents, sketches. It was episodic in nature. "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine", however, is a novel. Or at least it starts out as one.
The first half of "Maine" concerns Hawkeye Pierce becoming board certified to be a chest surgeon and then gathering together his former colleagues from MASH 4077th. This part of the book is fairly interesting. However, once Hawkeye has gotten Duke, Spearchucker and Trapper to join him in Maine and the Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market is opened, the book then becomes episodic; primarily a series of sketches. Which isn't bad in and of itself. It worked well for "M*A*S*H". But it does make "Maine" uneven. It's almost as if Hooker was unable to write a complete novel for a 192 pages.
The first half of "Maine" concerns Hawkeye Pierce becoming board certified to be a chest surgeon and then gathering together his former colleagues from MASH 4077th. This part of the book is fairly interesting. However, once Hawkeye has gotten Duke, Spearchucker and Trapper to join him in Maine and the Finestkind Clinic and Fish Market is opened, the book then becomes episodic; primarily a series of sketches. Which isn't bad in and of itself. It worked well for "M*A*S*H". But it does make "Maine" uneven. It's almost as if Hooker was unable to write a complete novel for a 192 pages.
August 10, 2009
Finest kind! I think that many parts of this book surpass the original. A great book.
December 28, 2012
Laughed hysterically through the whole thing ;0)
August 21, 2018
It's a good read, but MASH it isn't. Well, that's unfair. It 'is' MASH, because this is the follow up novel by the original author. But everyone's mind is polluted with memories of the TV show, so the product feels off, even though it isn't. Just as before Hawkeye is the ringleader and focal point, and all the other characters - particularly Duke and Spearchucker - fall by the wayside for long stretches. Just as in the original, the novel reads more like a collection of short stories than as a cohesive tale. Unlike before, two of the new secondary characters are so well drawn that in their stand-out chapters they can move the reader to tears (That would be Dr. Doggie and Moose for those in the know).
Read it for what it is, enjoy it for what is isn't, and wonder about the 'could have been' where Hooker becomes Garrison Keillor before Keillor does.
Read it for what it is, enjoy it for what is isn't, and wonder about the 'could have been' where Hooker becomes Garrison Keillor before Keillor does.
October 23, 2025
After binging the early seasons of the series this month, I recalled that Hooker wrote some sequels to his hit novel and that I probably still had a few of them somewhere in the tottering stacks of ancient acquisitions that long years have crafted into labyrinths of musty paperbacks in every closet of my house (take a breath). So that’s how I came to be reading this forgotten series of cash-ins. When I was fourteen, the M*A*S*H novels (there are FIFTEEN of them) really tickled my funny bone. Older and wiser, I can shake my head at the follies of youth. Based on the movie version of these characters and NOT the tamer TV version, the action is crude and dappled with a “well-intentioned” sort of racism (not to mention a few other -isms for effect) that doesn’t hold up well. Example: one of the characters is called “Spearchucker” and is not bothered in the least. Or hadn’t you seen the movie and approximately three episodes of the first season?
For those who wondered what became of the gang after the Korean War, this particular volume is the bridge between the source material and the later adventures. No Hot Lips or Radar here…and don’t bother looking for BJ or Col. Potter…when these surgeons aren’t playing golf, guzzling Scotch or indulging in wacky antics, they are founding a clinic in Hawkeye’s hometown of Crabapple Cove, Maine. Is it bad? Not really, aside from the dated attitudes. But it’s a tad humdrum. Hooker has a way of describing the fantastic in a very matter-of-fact way. I recall that things get spicier in later escapades. Characters skipped over in this book are revealed in later outings and the wacky antics get way wackier. Later volumes are co-written with a ghost writer, so the tone is a little less dry than Hooker’s more clinical approach to writing. Or so I remember. Good luck finding copies of these things. I am an inveterate prowler of used book stores and I don’t see them often. And, let’s be honest, you won’t be the poorer for never visiting Crabapple Cove, Maine. Finestkind.
For those who wondered what became of the gang after the Korean War, this particular volume is the bridge between the source material and the later adventures. No Hot Lips or Radar here…and don’t bother looking for BJ or Col. Potter…when these surgeons aren’t playing golf, guzzling Scotch or indulging in wacky antics, they are founding a clinic in Hawkeye’s hometown of Crabapple Cove, Maine. Is it bad? Not really, aside from the dated attitudes. But it’s a tad humdrum. Hooker has a way of describing the fantastic in a very matter-of-fact way. I recall that things get spicier in later escapades. Characters skipped over in this book are revealed in later outings and the wacky antics get way wackier. Later volumes are co-written with a ghost writer, so the tone is a little less dry than Hooker’s more clinical approach to writing. Or so I remember. Good luck finding copies of these things. I am an inveterate prowler of used book stores and I don’t see them often. And, let’s be honest, you won’t be the poorer for never visiting Crabapple Cove, Maine. Finestkind.
July 15, 2007
You have to love MASH to give a fuck about this book, but I do, so I think it's great.
September 24, 2018
This was a bit of a clunker and felt like it was missing a central plot. I loved the original book, the movie and the TV series and hoped this would continue the story well.
July 8, 2017
More of my book reviews can be found on my website: https://theartisanpenguin.com/
You were likely aware that the original M*A*S*H TV series that was on the air for eleven season was based off a movie from the 70's starring Donald Sutherland and Tom Skerritt? But did you know that the movie was based off a book written by Richard Hooker? Well from 1968 to 1977 Richard Hooker wrote Fifteen M*A*S*H books, and only the first one took place during the Korean war.
M*A*S*H Goes to Maine is the second book in this series. If you've never seen the movie and have never read the first M*A*S*H book, you will be quite lost as you read this book. There are characters in these books that never show up in the TV series, or were only in the series for a few episodes. I loved the TV series, I remember watching it as a child, then again in my teens and once more as an adult. It was one of those shoes that you could watch over and over again, and it always seemed to be on TV. I would always skip over the nightmare episode though as I found it quite disturbing as a child and those feelings still linger there as I remember Major Margaret "Hot-Lip" Hoilihan standing there with blood running down the front of her nightgown, shudder, but that's all I remember of that episode. Thankfully the rest of the episode's memories have been lost to time.
Back to M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. The second book is written pretty much the same as the first, a bunch of short stories held together by an overall premise, in this case the opening of the Finestkind Clinic and Fishmarket. This was Maine in the late 50's and medicine back then was very different than what it is now (be glad). The surgeons of the swamp, Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, Duke Forrest, Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones, are all tops of their respective fields and have banded together to provide the residents of Maine the very best or "Finestkind" medical clinic and fishmarket. Get your medical exams and procedures done in the morning and on your way out in the afternoon pick up some fish for dinner.
M*A*S*H Goes to Main is a quick read that I enjoyed, however, If you don't like M*A*S*H or struggle with understanding the time frame something was written, then I don't think you would enjoy this. It's quite disjointed in the way Hooker tells his story, hopping around from one "small town event" to another. There is also quite a lot of crude language, racial slurs and outdated views on women in M*A*S*H Goes to Main. This book was written forty-five years ago, and then also written about a time fifteen years earlier than that. Societal views on language, race and women were very different then than they are now. It made me glad that in many ways society isn't like that any more. We are not perfect, we will likely never be perfect and there is still a long long way to go before everyone feels safe, but it is better than it once was.
Maybe one day I will go on to read more of this series, but for now, I'll take a pass.
You were likely aware that the original M*A*S*H TV series that was on the air for eleven season was based off a movie from the 70's starring Donald Sutherland and Tom Skerritt? But did you know that the movie was based off a book written by Richard Hooker? Well from 1968 to 1977 Richard Hooker wrote Fifteen M*A*S*H books, and only the first one took place during the Korean war.
M*A*S*H Goes to Maine is the second book in this series. If you've never seen the movie and have never read the first M*A*S*H book, you will be quite lost as you read this book. There are characters in these books that never show up in the TV series, or were only in the series for a few episodes. I loved the TV series, I remember watching it as a child, then again in my teens and once more as an adult. It was one of those shoes that you could watch over and over again, and it always seemed to be on TV. I would always skip over the nightmare episode though as I found it quite disturbing as a child and those feelings still linger there as I remember Major Margaret "Hot-Lip" Hoilihan standing there with blood running down the front of her nightgown, shudder, but that's all I remember of that episode. Thankfully the rest of the episode's memories have been lost to time.
Back to M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. The second book is written pretty much the same as the first, a bunch of short stories held together by an overall premise, in this case the opening of the Finestkind Clinic and Fishmarket. This was Maine in the late 50's and medicine back then was very different than what it is now (be glad). The surgeons of the swamp, Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, Duke Forrest, Oliver Harmon "Spearchucker" Jones, are all tops of their respective fields and have banded together to provide the residents of Maine the very best or "Finestkind" medical clinic and fishmarket. Get your medical exams and procedures done in the morning and on your way out in the afternoon pick up some fish for dinner.
M*A*S*H Goes to Main is a quick read that I enjoyed, however, If you don't like M*A*S*H or struggle with understanding the time frame something was written, then I don't think you would enjoy this. It's quite disjointed in the way Hooker tells his story, hopping around from one "small town event" to another. There is also quite a lot of crude language, racial slurs and outdated views on women in M*A*S*H Goes to Main. This book was written forty-five years ago, and then also written about a time fifteen years earlier than that. Societal views on language, race and women were very different then than they are now. It made me glad that in many ways society isn't like that any more. We are not perfect, we will likely never be perfect and there is still a long long way to go before everyone feels safe, but it is better than it once was.
Maybe one day I will go on to read more of this series, but for now, I'll take a pass.
July 9, 2024
Probably would’ve been better if I knew anything about golf or surgery but I still enjoyed it.
December 6, 2020
What a weird little book. Coolest part was the half lobster half woman mascot on the front.
"You still reading that lobster book?"
"Finestkind."
A whole box of mixed feelings I think, but at it's core it's just kind of fun and maybe even a tiny bit nice and good but don't talk about wholesome little Maine towns. Maybe if you take out the extremely shocking and outdated racism chapter, the most bizarrely racist little clusterfuck of a writing piece I've ever seen, but it still has a bit too much drinking and sex.
Another thing I should note was that tacking the word M*A*S*H onto this book didn't add anything except an instance of pleasant alliteration when it goes along with the word Maine in the title. The only thing in common, it seems, with any form of M*A*S*H but also it's own prequel, are the character names. A shot of deja vu it seems, as the original M*A*S*H book has also been described as nothing like the Mash show except the character names.
The setting of course is way different, but the humour and maybe even a bit of the writing style is changed. Most strange of all though was that the personalities seemed to be different, in particular our friend Alt Hawkeye and Duke Forrest, the two main characters of the last book, and Spearchucker, who came along for one chapter only to be be the butt of every racist joke ever. Alt Trapper was his usual Alt Trapper self, though, which was comforting. However, the rest of the characters in Spruce Harbour were definitely the focus and so I can forgive it a little.
So in the big fat M*A*S*H family tree (familial senority and relation based on quality) there reigns Mash the tv show as Big Daddy at the top, next with it's deranged step son M*A*S*H (1970.) Then comes the M*A*S*H book which can be like the first cousin once removed. M*A*SH Goes to Maine would then be considered maybe first cousin thrice removed.
Here's a hint. Listen to Blue Water Line by Brothers Four and imagine it turns to an ear rape version at random intervals for about 7 seconds and then turns back. It's Wrong Way Napolitano's theme song but after listening to it a couple million times while I was finishing up the book I think it's a decent song for the whole thing. Listening to it casually, it doesn't seem that menacing but it's that type of thing where when you pair it up to the book it gets this manic kind of ironic joy-energy that can only be described as, yes, menacing. Just give it a try.
So, the main bag of humor I think would be medical humor, character comedy, and best of all, golf humor. I fucking hate mini golf but have never played real golf, and so did not get many of the jokes but all the characters seemed to get a kick out of it so that was nice for them. Medical humor is also pretty subjective perhaps, and so character comedy, the best point of all though, was left for me to chuckle my head off at.
In particular, I liked:
- Jocko Allcock or whatever his name was, who reminded me of a discount Milo Minderbinder without all the horny energy.
-The lovely Alt Trapper and his lovely wife Lucinda, the two inhabitants of Theif Island, who were weird but also very endearing despite their habits pertaining to a certain cranberry bog.
- The Finch-Browns, who all looked like muskrats or chipmunks depending on age and gender, and of course old Chipmunk Moore who I loved even though he only existed in fond memories.
-Moose, who was chill, but who's chapter was so out of place in the whole mess that I couldn't really appreciate him for the only wholesome character in the only wholesome chapter in all of the 192 pages.
-Wrong Way Napolitano and Tip Toe Tannebaum, two pilots who are the complete opposite of each other yet provide so much air travel and plane humor that it became clear the author had no many good jokes that he had to split them in half and apply them to whichever character seemed better suited to pull it off.
Capers include dropping godly fish on Trapper and Lucinda's wedding and having people pay to see Trapper and Lucinda "reenact ancient Native American fertility rituals" as they flew over Theif Island in a plane.
So a weird little book. Probably wouldn't read it again. Had a few real good parts though, so if you see it around be sure to grab yourself a half lobster half woman.
"You still reading that lobster book?"
"Finestkind."
A whole box of mixed feelings I think, but at it's core it's just kind of fun and maybe even a tiny bit nice and good but don't talk about wholesome little Maine towns. Maybe if you take out the extremely shocking and outdated racism chapter, the most bizarrely racist little clusterfuck of a writing piece I've ever seen, but it still has a bit too much drinking and sex.
Another thing I should note was that tacking the word M*A*S*H onto this book didn't add anything except an instance of pleasant alliteration when it goes along with the word Maine in the title. The only thing in common, it seems, with any form of M*A*S*H but also it's own prequel, are the character names. A shot of deja vu it seems, as the original M*A*S*H book has also been described as nothing like the Mash show except the character names.
The setting of course is way different, but the humour and maybe even a bit of the writing style is changed. Most strange of all though was that the personalities seemed to be different, in particular our friend Alt Hawkeye and Duke Forrest, the two main characters of the last book, and Spearchucker, who came along for one chapter only to be be the butt of every racist joke ever. Alt Trapper was his usual Alt Trapper self, though, which was comforting. However, the rest of the characters in Spruce Harbour were definitely the focus and so I can forgive it a little.
So in the big fat M*A*S*H family tree (familial senority and relation based on quality) there reigns Mash the tv show as Big Daddy at the top, next with it's deranged step son M*A*S*H (1970.) Then comes the M*A*S*H book which can be like the first cousin once removed. M*A*SH Goes to Maine would then be considered maybe first cousin thrice removed.
Here's a hint. Listen to Blue Water Line by Brothers Four and imagine it turns to an ear rape version at random intervals for about 7 seconds and then turns back. It's Wrong Way Napolitano's theme song but after listening to it a couple million times while I was finishing up the book I think it's a decent song for the whole thing. Listening to it casually, it doesn't seem that menacing but it's that type of thing where when you pair it up to the book it gets this manic kind of ironic joy-energy that can only be described as, yes, menacing. Just give it a try.
So, the main bag of humor I think would be medical humor, character comedy, and best of all, golf humor. I fucking hate mini golf but have never played real golf, and so did not get many of the jokes but all the characters seemed to get a kick out of it so that was nice for them. Medical humor is also pretty subjective perhaps, and so character comedy, the best point of all though, was left for me to chuckle my head off at.
In particular, I liked:
- Jocko Allcock or whatever his name was, who reminded me of a discount Milo Minderbinder without all the horny energy.
-The lovely Alt Trapper and his lovely wife Lucinda, the two inhabitants of Theif Island, who were weird but also very endearing despite their habits pertaining to a certain cranberry bog.
- The Finch-Browns, who all looked like muskrats or chipmunks depending on age and gender, and of course old Chipmunk Moore who I loved even though he only existed in fond memories.
-Moose, who was chill, but who's chapter was so out of place in the whole mess that I couldn't really appreciate him for the only wholesome character in the only wholesome chapter in all of the 192 pages.
-Wrong Way Napolitano and Tip Toe Tannebaum, two pilots who are the complete opposite of each other yet provide so much air travel and plane humor that it became clear the author had no many good jokes that he had to split them in half and apply them to whichever character seemed better suited to pull it off.
Capers include dropping godly fish on Trapper and Lucinda's wedding and having people pay to see Trapper and Lucinda "reenact ancient Native American fertility rituals" as they flew over Theif Island in a plane.
So a weird little book. Probably wouldn't read it again. Had a few real good parts though, so if you see it around be sure to grab yourself a half lobster half woman.
October 18, 2024
I guess enjoyed this more than I expected, for the first half of the novel anyway. Right around half-way through, this novel hits a sudden wall and I found the stories in the latter half boring, overly long, and crude and my enjoyment plummeted. There are "jokes" in this book that were downright shocking (especially for a book published in 1972) which also took me out of the narrative at times.
Like it's predecessor MASH: A Novel about Three Army Doctors, "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine" is essentially a collection of short stories involving the famous Swampmen (though it's mostly just Hawkeye in this novel). The book takes place in the later 50s, after the Korean War has ended and our characters have returned home. Hawkeye schemes to get his war buddies back together to open a new hospital (that also weirdly sells fish) and so he goes one by one to Duke, Spearchucker and Trapper John to convince, bribe or manipulate them to moving to Spruce Harbor, Maine.
Once Duke and Spearchucker arrive in Maine, they are essentially out of the narrative. Trapper has a brief cameo in the first few chapters, but he disappears for a long time before coming in again. This novel is focused on Hawkeye and his friends in Spruce Harbor. The focus on the new characters, to me, was a great let down. Some of them were good and even funny, but often I was wishing there was more involvement from the characters we knew from M*A*S*H. Hawkeye is all over this book, which makes sense since he is based on Richard Hornberger (the author's actual name). The antics are zany, wild and often ridiculous to the point of a hearty eye-roll. The casual racism, sexism and chauvinism would have been out of place in the 70s, let alone today.
If you love the TV series (as I dearly do) you will have no idea what the hell is going on and you likely have to be a MASH sicko to actually want to read this book. I found a copy for $4 at a used book sale and decided to take a chance. I likely won't be reading any of the further novels. If you are interested in them, Dale Sherman did a really great summary of the plots in his book MASH FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Best Care Anywhere which should suffice.
Like it's predecessor MASH: A Novel about Three Army Doctors, "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine" is essentially a collection of short stories involving the famous Swampmen (though it's mostly just Hawkeye in this novel). The book takes place in the later 50s, after the Korean War has ended and our characters have returned home. Hawkeye schemes to get his war buddies back together to open a new hospital (that also weirdly sells fish) and so he goes one by one to Duke, Spearchucker and Trapper John to convince, bribe or manipulate them to moving to Spruce Harbor, Maine.
Once Duke and Spearchucker arrive in Maine, they are essentially out of the narrative. Trapper has a brief cameo in the first few chapters, but he disappears for a long time before coming in again. This novel is focused on Hawkeye and his friends in Spruce Harbor. The focus on the new characters, to me, was a great let down. Some of them were good and even funny, but often I was wishing there was more involvement from the characters we knew from M*A*S*H. Hawkeye is all over this book, which makes sense since he is based on Richard Hornberger (the author's actual name). The antics are zany, wild and often ridiculous to the point of a hearty eye-roll. The casual racism, sexism and chauvinism would have been out of place in the 70s, let alone today.
If you love the TV series (as I dearly do) you will have no idea what the hell is going on and you likely have to be a MASH sicko to actually want to read this book. I found a copy for $4 at a used book sale and decided to take a chance. I likely won't be reading any of the further novels. If you are interested in them, Dale Sherman did a really great summary of the plots in his book MASH FAQ: Everything Left to Know About the Best Care Anywhere which should suffice.
June 26, 2019
Richard Hooker (aka Hiester Hornberger Jr.--no seriously, that's his real name) wrote one of the funniest books about war ever: MASH. Anytime a book is successful, they're going to demand sequels. MASH goes to Maine was Hooker's attempt at a sequel, but it fails to capture the joy and zaniness of the original. When you take away the madness that is war, the antics of Hawkeye and Trapper John in the stateside world just don't really fit in. They still try to rail against oppressive authority, but without the military's super-strict regime, it just doesn't land like it should. Also, it should be noted that Hooker was a surgeon in real life, not a writer. While he writes a competent book, it's just not a 'great' book. It's a fun read, but it doesn't knock it out of the park.
I am glad I read the book, though. It's something I'd been meaning to read for decades. I read the first book when I was in seventh grade. MASH was staple viewing in my house, and to this day if I'm flipping channels and I hit MASH in syndication on the tube, I stop flipping. I often watch episodes on Hulu now. Hands down, I have watching no TV show or movie as much as I have watched MASH (although 'Scrubs' is a close second).
The main thing that came to light during my reading of this sequel is that Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould WERE Hawk and Trapper. Their portrayals of those characters in Altman's film version of the book were much closer to how Hooker wrote the characters than anything Alda and Rogers pulled off. Don't get me wrong, I love Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers, but when you read the dialogue Hooker wrote for this book, it's pretty evident how the characters should function and speak, and Donald Sutherland, in particular, nailed it.
I picked this book up from the local library the other day. When I checked it out, the librarian's eyes got wide. "No one has checked this out since 1993," she said.
I graduated from high school in 1993. Reading this book made me feel old.
I am glad I read the book, though. It's something I'd been meaning to read for decades. I read the first book when I was in seventh grade. MASH was staple viewing in my house, and to this day if I'm flipping channels and I hit MASH in syndication on the tube, I stop flipping. I often watch episodes on Hulu now. Hands down, I have watching no TV show or movie as much as I have watched MASH (although 'Scrubs' is a close second).
The main thing that came to light during my reading of this sequel is that Donald Sutherland and Elliot Gould WERE Hawk and Trapper. Their portrayals of those characters in Altman's film version of the book were much closer to how Hooker wrote the characters than anything Alda and Rogers pulled off. Don't get me wrong, I love Alan Alda and Wayne Rogers, but when you read the dialogue Hooker wrote for this book, it's pretty evident how the characters should function and speak, and Donald Sutherland, in particular, nailed it.
I picked this book up from the local library the other day. When I checked it out, the librarian's eyes got wide. "No one has checked this out since 1993," she said.
I graduated from high school in 1993. Reading this book made me feel old.
November 10, 2020
This is the original sequel to M*A*S*H, written by Richard Hooker, before William E. Butterworth went crazy on the series and created a dozen or so "zany" adventures starring our favorite characters. The story picks up a year or so after Hawkeye has returned to Crabapple Cove and he is working at the VA hospital in Spruce Harbor, Maine for a bunch of fools and other bureaucratic types. He decides he needs to strike out on his own, but first must pass his thoracic surgical boards, so he moves to the big city just long enough to study and master heart and lung operations, then returns and opens up his own hospital and clinic, where he convinces Duke and Trapper and Spearchucker to join him in putting this tiny town on the medical map.
The humorous side of the book deals with broad sketches of the native Maine characters, and giving the medical mal-practitioners their long overdue comeuppance, but there is a more serious side explored when Hooker tells several tales of Hawkeye's surgical adventures, which are probably taken from Hooker's own experiences as a doctor.
Another good, quick read, which may make you crack a smile, let loose a chuckle, or wipe away a tear.
The humorous side of the book deals with broad sketches of the native Maine characters, and giving the medical mal-practitioners their long overdue comeuppance, but there is a more serious side explored when Hooker tells several tales of Hawkeye's surgical adventures, which are probably taken from Hooker's own experiences as a doctor.
Another good, quick read, which may make you crack a smile, let loose a chuckle, or wipe away a tear.
June 24, 2020
The most curious thing about M*A*S*H Goes to Maine is that it’s a novel which has no real plot.
The first quarter or so of the book sees Hawkeye, Trapper, Spearchucker and Duke, each for various reasons, arrive at Crabapple Cove. But the rest is mostly whimsical vignettes of them either helping a patient or gleefully playing a prank on a doctor or tourist.
Not a bad read by any stretch, if you love the first novel’s (or the movie adaptation’s) characters, then you’ll enjoy them mucking about doctoring and drinking.
If you’re looking for the TV show’s more sensible plotting and occasional war-bound seriousness, you won’t find it here.
That’s not to say there’s nothing touching. The story of “The Moose” is a high point and arguably more moving than anything in the original M*A*S*H. But this book is overall, most of a bit of lighthearted fun for fans. Just don’t go in expecting anything more.
The first quarter or so of the book sees Hawkeye, Trapper, Spearchucker and Duke, each for various reasons, arrive at Crabapple Cove. But the rest is mostly whimsical vignettes of them either helping a patient or gleefully playing a prank on a doctor or tourist.
Not a bad read by any stretch, if you love the first novel’s (or the movie adaptation’s) characters, then you’ll enjoy them mucking about doctoring and drinking.
If you’re looking for the TV show’s more sensible plotting and occasional war-bound seriousness, you won’t find it here.
That’s not to say there’s nothing touching. The story of “The Moose” is a high point and arguably more moving than anything in the original M*A*S*H. But this book is overall, most of a bit of lighthearted fun for fans. Just don’t go in expecting anything more.
March 27, 2018
Finished reading this yesterday, I read it in a day.
Taking Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke and company out of Korea might have been a bad idea.
This book follows Hawkeye a year after his departure from Korea. We're introduced to the residents of Crabapple Cove, I'll admit that most of them are quite interesting characters and I enjoyed learning about them over the course of this book.
Hawk goes through thoracic training and opens up his own clinic off the back of this. It's at this point he decides to get the band back together. One by one, Hawk tracks down his old 4077th buddies, expanding the skills of his own clinic.
It's an odd little read, fairly dry as a first read but I think it'd be a good re-read.
Give it a go if you enjoyed the first book.
Taking Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke and company out of Korea might have been a bad idea.
This book follows Hawkeye a year after his departure from Korea. We're introduced to the residents of Crabapple Cove, I'll admit that most of them are quite interesting characters and I enjoyed learning about them over the course of this book.
Hawk goes through thoracic training and opens up his own clinic off the back of this. It's at this point he decides to get the band back together. One by one, Hawk tracks down his old 4077th buddies, expanding the skills of his own clinic.
It's an odd little read, fairly dry as a first read but I think it'd be a good re-read.
Give it a go if you enjoyed the first book.
December 9, 2020
I doubt that I could recommend this book now, but I enjoyed it at the time. Note please that the MASH books are nothing like the MASH movie by Robert Altman which is nothing like the television series.
Lots of stereotypical local characters, casual sexism, corny jokes - as far as I recall.
I remembered reading this one while I was reading Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins. If I had to choose between those two books only, I'd re-read this one. If I had to choose between MASH the book, MASH the movie, and MASH the television series, I'd take the movie, everytime.
WARNING: Only three of the MASH books are written (with a ghostwriter) by "Richard Hooker". The balance of the series were hastily thrown together pastiches riding on the popularity of the TV series.
Lots of stereotypical local characters, casual sexism, corny jokes - as far as I recall.
I remembered reading this one while I was reading Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins. If I had to choose between those two books only, I'd re-read this one. If I had to choose between MASH the book, MASH the movie, and MASH the television series, I'd take the movie, everytime.
WARNING: Only three of the MASH books are written (with a ghostwriter) by "Richard Hooker". The balance of the series were hastily thrown together pastiches riding on the popularity of the TV series.
March 26, 2024
The second installment goes in-depth with surgery as Hawkeye Pierce opens a hospital in Spruce Harbor (filled with doctors who previously occupied the 4077th). And while bias, this novel isn’t as hilarious as its predecessor. A more serious tone controls the narrative as Pierce reminisces on past surgeries and losses, while dealing with entirely new cases (mostly involving friends). Although, during chapters not surrounding Hawkeye’s grievances, the comedic ways of the original shine through Trapper John and new Spruce Harbor locals.
August 11, 2024
Not as good as the original. It has some funny moments, but the central plot makes no sense. The same four surgeons who spent one tour (or part of a tour) with each other in Korea, reuniting in a tiny Maine town and starting the Finestkind Fishmarket and Clinic is ridiculous. This first of fourteen sequels was published 4 years after the first book, 2 years after the movie was released, and just as the series was about to begin. It feels like a cash grab.
March 31, 2018
My favorite in the series by a decent margin, and an interesting turning point in humor and compassion with racism, sexism, and all manner else in play. The first book - MASH - is somewhat more cleanly written, but this one has a seriously wonderful spirit to it.
February 17, 2021
Bestimmt zum zehnten Mal gelesen und auch wenn es nicht an MASH herankommt, transportiert es dich einiges von der Leichtigkeit. Angenehme Lektüre um auf andere Gedanken zu kommen und an und zu zu schmunzeln.
October 8, 2017
Followup to MASH read in the 70s
November 19, 2017
En la línea del esperpento valleinclanesco
February 17, 2018
Hilarious sequel to M*A*S*H. I love the way the story follows the lives of swamp men after they leave Korea. I wish I could find it in ebook format.
July 8, 2018
Funny and a good follow-up to MASH.
August 27, 2019
Not as good as the first MASH book, but entertaining.
December 13, 2019
Finestkind.
November 22, 2020
Close in tone to the original book, but the use of various pejoratives ruined it for me. Like the original it's sort of plotless.
April 16, 2021
This was an adequate book. It was reasonably entertaining and evenly paced.
September 9, 2022
This novel was all over the place and got my really confused.
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