Good NH Historical Fiction Recommendation

CateP · 07-25-2011, 09:11 AM

I am starting my NH fiction library and bought the following books:

Look to the Mountain-Legrand Cannon
Not Without Peril-Nicholas Howe
Tracked in the Whites: A Mystery-Tom Eslick

That should be a good start.

Thanks all for the recommendations so far. VERY HELPFUL thread.

Jmo77011 · 07-25-2011, 09:38 AM

I'm going to go dig out my copy of "Look to the Mountain" this afternoon. I vaguely remember Sandwich being mentioned a bit? Maybe not...it's been a long time!

NickNH · 07-25-2011, 10:15 AM

Look to the Mountain definitely mentiopns Sandwich...alot of it is based in that area.

The following books by Anita Shreve are set in the same house on the NH Coast:

Fortune's Rocks
Seaglass
The Pilot's Wife
Body Surfing

And, her The Weight of Water is an interpretation of the actual murders on Smuttynose way back when....great read also.

ghfromaltonbay · 07-25-2011, 10:30 AM

Although it's not fiction, I would recommend "We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich. She was a school teacher who went to Maine on a vacation and stayed & married a Maine guide back in the 1930's. The location is on the Maine/NH border near Lake Umbagog. This book and its sequel were really riveting. Back then life was a lot more isolated in the winter and she wound up basically delivering her son alone. There are a lot of NH references, and the book really gives insight into life in the Northwoods back in the mid-20th century.

CateP · 07-25-2011, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghfromaltonbay

Although it's not fiction, I would recommend "We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich. She was a school teacher who went to Maine on a vacation and stayed & married a Maine guide back in the 1930's. The location is on the Maine/NH border near Lake Umbagog. This book and its sequel were really riveting. Back then life was a lot more isolated in the winter and she wound up basically delivering her son alone. There are a lot of NH references, and the book really gives insight into life in the Northwoods back in the mid-20th century.

I've had some of my best camping experiences on Lake Umbagog. Thanks for the recommendation.

tis · 07-25-2011, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickNH

Look to the Mountain definitely mentiopns Sandwich...alot of it is based in that area.

The following books by Anita Shreve are set in the same house on the NH Coast:

Fortune's Rocks
Seaglass
The Pilot's Wife
Body Surfing

And, her The Weight of Water is an interpretation of the actual murders on Smuttynose way back when....great read also.

I loved those! I especially remember Pilot's Wife and Fortune's Rocks so I must have really liked those. I don't know if I read Body Surfing. I don't remember that one.

CrawfordCentury · 07-25-2011, 01:32 PM

John Irving's "Prayer for Owen Meany" was set in Exeter. I believe he gave it the fictional name of Gravesend or some such. I was living in the area when I was reading it; used to look up from the page while reading on the bandstand or and see landmarks he was describing.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Great Stone Face" is a nice short story about a boy named Ernest who seeks inspiration from the Old Man of the Mtn.

For non-fiction, I love the writing of Howard Mansfield. He and his nature writer wife Sy Montgomery live in Hancock. Howard writes a lot about New England in popular historical memory. I recommend "Memory House" and "The Same Ax Twice"

NickNH · 07-25-2011, 02:17 PM

Quote:

I loved those! I especially remember Pilot's Wife and Fortune's Rocks so I must have really liked those. I don't know if I read Body Surfing. I don't remember that one.

I think Fortune's Rocks was my favorite of that series......Body Surfing was published in 2007.....

Island Girl · 07-25-2011, 08:12 PM

A book about Rattlesnake Island.... Really terrible... But intriguing bit of reading... Serpents living inside the island and attacking people!

CateP · 07-25-2011, 08:43 PM

Looks to me like the lakes region is in need of some good historical (or not) fiction. Perhaps some of you more prolific writers out there could take this on as a project?? Looks like there is an audience.

I'm thinking of a haunting...a story of an unsolved mystery that happened l-o-n-g ago. Maybe something was discovered under the lake by divers. (or children visiting for the summer). The CLUE!!

07-25-2011, 09:11 AM	#1
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	Three Books I Purchased I am starting my NH fiction library and bought the following books: Look to the Mountain-Legrand Cannon Not Without Peril-Nicholas Howe Tracked in the Whites: A Mystery-Tom Eslick That should be a good start. Thanks all for the recommendations so far. VERY HELPFUL thread.

07-25-2011, 09:38 AM	#2
Jmo77011 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 86 Thanks: 60 Thanked 21 Times in 19 Posts	Inspired me I'm going to go dig out my copy of "Look to the Mountain" this afternoon. I vaguely remember Sandwich being mentioned a bit? Maybe not...it's been a long time!

07-25-2011, 10:30 AM	#4
ghfromaltonbay Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Clifton, NJ, Alton Bay Posts: 850 Thanks: 267 Thanked 237 Times in 137 Posts	We Took to the Woods Although it's not fiction, I would recommend "We Took to the Woods" by Louise Dickinson Rich. She was a school teacher who went to Maine on a vacation and stayed & married a Maine guide back in the 1930's. The location is on the Maine/NH border near Lake Umbagog. This book and its sequel were really riveting. Back then life was a lot more isolated in the winter and she wound up basically delivering her son alone. There are a lot of NH references, and the book really gives insight into life in the Northwoods back in the mid-20th century.

07-25-2011, 01:32 PM	#7
CrawfordCentury Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere betwixt Gonic and Chocorua Posts: 191 Thanks: 13 Thanked 30 Times in 21 Posts	John Irving's "Prayer for Owen Meany" was set in Exeter. I believe he gave it the fictional name of Gravesend or some such. I was living in the area when I was reading it; used to look up from the page while reading on the bandstand or and see landmarks he was describing. Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Great Stone Face" is a nice short story about a boy named Ernest who seeks inspiration from the Old Man of the Mtn. For non-fiction, I love the writing of Howard Mansfield. He and his nature writer wife Sy Montgomery live in Hancock. Howard writes a lot about New England in popular historical memory. I recommend "Memory House" and "The Same Ax Twice" __________________ Plant a garden. Heat with wood. And thank a veteran.

07-25-2011, 08:12 PM	#9
Island Girl Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Central MA Posts: 2,358 Thanks: 18 Thanked 577 Times in 183 Posts	Serpent Island A book about Rattlesnake Island.... Really terrible... But intriguing bit of reading... Serpents living inside the island and attacking people! __________________ Island Girl ....... Make Lemonade

07-25-2011, 10:15 AM	#3
NickNH Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 85 Thanks: 103 Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts	Look to the Mountain definitely mentiopns Sandwich...alot of it is based in that area. The following books by Anita Shreve are set in the same house on the NH Coast: Fortune's Rocks Seaglass The Pilot's Wife Body Surfing And, her The Weight of Water is an interpretation of the actual murders on Smuttynose way back when....great read also.

The Following User Says Thank You to tis For This Useful Post:
NickNH (07-25-2011)

The Following User Says Thank You to CrawfordCentury For This Useful Post:
CateP (07-25-2011)

07-25-2011, 08:43 PM	#10
CateP Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Wolfeboro Posts: 868 Thanks: 584 Thanked 540 Times in 210 Posts	What Lies Under the Lake Looks to me like the lakes region is in need of some good historical (or not) fiction. Perhaps some of you more prolific writers out there could take this on as a project?? Looks like there is an audience. I'm thinking of a haunting...a story of an unsolved mystery that happened l-o-n-g ago. Maybe something was discovered under the lake by divers. (or children visiting for the summer). The CLUE!!

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