My Love Affair With the State of Maine

by Scotty Mackenzie

Take two energetic young professionals fresh from the New York advertising world, drop them into a small Maine town as the new owners of the village store/restaurant/dance hall/soda fountain/guest house/bowling alley, and you are guaranteed some highly entertaining results!

Genres: Book Club, Memoir, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Marta E C R · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story this was, to hear about two young NYC women who decided to buy and run a store in rural Maine in the 1940s. It's so good.

[Grace R S C · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a charming little book about two women from New York running a little Maine store. It was pretty relatable for someone like me who has lived in Maine for much of their life and worked in an industry that relies on the summer people and tourists to get through the winter. I love that the Maine spirit was captured so perfectly by the people, the hard workers who make this great state so special.

[andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't believe I never heard of this gem! Describes the places, the people, the times so well. Am a NY transplant to just south of Gooserocks myself at a MUCH older age though. Have been recommending the book to everyone I encounter up here since reading the very first pages.

[Amy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a WONDERFUL book to read! How I wish I could have been there to witness it all myself! What adventures they had!

[Jeanne Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for everyone--probably too sunny, too innocent for many of today's readers. However: don't let the (poorly chosen, I think) title mislead you. This is a book about work.. It is a true story about two plucky post-war gals whose strong will, strong friendship (the author is almost in awe of her pal Dorothy's gumption and abilities) and truly genuine work ethic enable them to undertake a daunting entrepreneurial project. The actual day-to-day challenges of novices running a small grocery store and dance hall--with all the attendant practical and social challenges--is described in loving detail, from staffing to butchering meat. The New York City girls have to earn the trust of the reserved but good-hearted locals who're mighty skeptical of anyone "from away" (yes, Mainers still say that), while catering to the "summer folk" with their greater resources, leisure time, and sense of privilege. The town kids might get up to mischief. But of course, this is before social media and opioids, and a boy with two nickels feels like a million bucks. Yes, there is of course humor here, an old-fashioned "Turner Classic Movies" (or today, Hallmark Channel) kind of charm. But all romance is off-camera! In fact, it's hard to believe this wasn't made into a movie (optioned for a Broadway show, we're told, but the author didn't like the songs). The climactic ending, which brings their adventure to a close, could not be better scripted if this were fiction. Suggested for anyone who is interested in American small-town life, and the state of Maine--its historic coastal heritage and its evolution into Vacationland.

[Goose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two women who were working in New York City take on the daunting task of running a country store in southern Maine. Dorothy had summered in the area with her family for years but Gertrude, called Scotty, never had. What follows is an excellent memoir of the two women running the store which also included a dance floor and a rooming house. It took Scotty some time to get used to the way Mainers talk and act and how they often have their own time signature. Loved when their friends from New York City would come to visit and they all wanted to help at the store. Funny, poignant, historically interesting and sometimes sad. This is a book that should be read by anyone from the state of Maine, anyone who loves the state of Maine, or anyone who has ever been to an old country store and wondered why there are two cans of peas for sale next to a box of tampons. As with many memoirs, I'm sure some interesting details were left out, but what made it on the page is a delight.

[Dawn]

Good book. I enjoyed enough to read pretty consistently from start to finish. Saw this in a shelf of loaner books while at a B&B in Kennebunkport, ME, but had to leave it behind at the B&B before finishing. Bought my own copy off an online used dealer. A humorous story of the reality of the life of women businesswomen in a previous era in coastal Maine.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a little treasure. I had to put it down for a while and when I picked it up again it was like an old friend.

[Candis Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic memoir of Maine of the mid-twentieth century. I recommend it highly.

[Melissa Coulombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about some of the history of Goose Rocks and the essence of the community. It did drag a bit in the middle with the nuances about the store.

[Erynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on a recent trip to Maine from a used bookstore called Carlson & Turner Antiquarian. Its pages are tattered and the cover is much more charming than the one shown here, with a big red heart and colored drawing of the Maine seaside. I loved it! Two young women move away from the fast-paced life of New York City to open a general store in Goose Rocks, Maine. Mind you that this book was written in the 1950s. I fell deeply in love with the state of Maine and the fierce independent spirit of the narrator. This read was a testament to the beauty of book stores: that they can inspire you to find and read something that was wholly unknown to you before. I am so glad I found this gem.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a love of Maine or Maine history this is a great read. Gertrude "Scotty" Mackenzie and Dorothy Mignault are 25 year old women living and working in New York City. In 1946 they leave their jobs and the city behind to purchase a store in Goose Rocks Beach. The book describes their trials and triumphs of surviving two summer seasons, a Maine winter, and the wildfires of October 1947 that devastated much of the southern part of the state.

[David freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Own Maine Experience

I too go to Maine for renewal
Maine is unique and grows on one like no other places I've lived ( I've lived in South America and Mexico and Texas and the East and California. ). Each summer and two winters Ive traveled to Maine. Summers on an Island on a lake with its own community. Yes people from Maine are unique. I'm married to a Mainer and get to see his family and acquaintances. Always interesting.

[Alli Merritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this at a book sale and thought it looked interesting as I love visiting Maine. It's about two young ladies in the late 1950s who lived in NYC and stop in Maine. They end up buying a store there and running it. The book just never was that interesting. At the end, there were too many characters. I really was disappointed that this book wasn't a more intriguing read for me.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book for people who love Maine. It's dated but entertaining, but accurately captures the charm of Maine.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet book. It's dated but I didn't mind. Writing style similar to Nancy Drew books!

[Ginny Maillet · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this nostalgic book about two single women running a general store for one summer in Maine.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars
Loved it! Loved the people, loved the stories, loved the time period. Want to learn more about the event that happened at the end of the book.

[Melanie Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites. Always a good summer read.

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time!!!!!