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A review by mimi_me
The State We're In: Maine Stories by Ann Beattie
2.0
The subtitle here is superfluous. These stories could have taken place anywhere--there is nothing about the descriptions of place or the characters themselves that make these Maine stories. There is the occasional insertion of the name of a local York establishment, such as The Stage Neck Inn or the Dockside, but then nothing to distinguish that place from a restaurant or hotel in Ames, Iowa or Cleveland. She does manage to avoid the faux pas of others who have tried to write about Maine without really understanding it (rabbits on Cape Neddick? Not for years. Tarter sauce for a lobster roll--never!)
None of that, however, has to do with the rating. That is due to the utter lack of resolution, of interesting dilemma or characters in most of these inter-woven stories. There is absolutely no reason to read these stories.
None of that, however, has to do with the rating. That is due to the utter lack of resolution, of interesting dilemma or characters in most of these inter-woven stories. There is absolutely no reason to read these stories.