Cusk was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is where my favorite book in September, Bird’s Eye View by Elinor Florence, starts out, just as WWII is beginning. Heroine Rose falls in love not just with one but two pilots, with some intriguing war work in between. A new paperback edition is coming out in November.
Cusk now lives in Paris and probably wants people associate her with France rather than her worthy (but not glamorous) home province, which is known for its sweeping prairies. A prairie well known to most readers is Little House on the Prairie (1935), third in the series – did you know that book is set in Kansas? It follows the family's journey by covered wagon to the Kansas prairie. The Ingalls settled on land that was still legally Osage Nation Indian Territory.
The Ingalls ultimately have to leave Kansas when the U.S. government orders settlers to vacate their lands (Pa’s luck is always bad – don’t get me started on the grasshoppers)(the current government would not have returned it to the Native Americans but probably would have given it to their rich friends for data centers). Another popular series set in Kansas, some 40 years later, begins with Those Miller Girls by Alberta Miller Constant (1965), in which Lou Emma and Maddy’s escapades involve the forgetfulness of their professor father and their desire to have a mother.
In Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1985), set in the late 19th century, Anna and her younger brother, Caleb, are also looking for a new mother for their widowed father. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton from Maine responds to their advertisement for a mail-order bride and comes to stay on their farm in the Midwest but misses the ocean. Will she stay to become part of their family? This book won the Newbery Medal in 1986 but I always wish it were longer.
Another book that features Maine is The Road to Dalton by Shannon Bowring (2023). This is the first book in a trilogy that I found so compelling I chose it for my book group this month. I hope they like it – there is nothing worse than the moment in one’s book group discussion when someone says accusingly, “Who chose this book?” On the other hand, some of our best discussions take place when there are different points of view on a book.
Dalton is not just a fictional town in Maine but also an author. The Night of Fear by Moray Dalton (1931) is one of the lesser-known Golden Age of Mysteries reprinted by Dean Street. It is set at a holiday house party in the country where – surprise – one of the guests is murdered . . . .
Next month (November 7, 2026), Kate says start with a novella that’s on our reading list. Not sure I have any novellas on my TBR - any suggestions?
13 comments:
I enjoyed the Little House books as a child but haven't read anything else from your chain. I like your final link - I read one of Moray Dalton's other books last year and want to read more.
The Little House books are not to be sniffed at in my opinion. People look at me like I'm mad when I tell them the best depiction of a terrible US winter is LIW's The Long Winter. And I'll never forget her description of the long march as they all file past the house in absolute silence. And then Laura and her sister getting lost in the long grass on the prairie, I was terrified!
I never read the Little House books, but the TV series was kind of nice... the new one. I never watched the old ones.
It's always a great pleasure to read this newsletter and thank you so much for recommending my wartime novel, Bird's Eye View!
Great chain! I love vintage mysteries, so I need to check your last title.
Mine: https://wordsandpeace.com/2026/10/03/six-degrees-of-separation-life-of/
(the current government would not have returned it to the Native Americans but probably would have given it to their rich friends for data centers). AMEN!!!!!!!! I love in Ohio and the data centeres are out-of-control. And don't get me started on the LYING GOP political ads. I loved Sarah Plain and Tall--the movie is great,too. Bird's Evy View sounds good!!
Wel worth reading in spite of flaws. They "grow up" as Laura grows up. There is a good novel, A Wilder Rose by Susan Wittig Albert that tells of Rose "editing" the books https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2017/10/30/reviews-two-books-that-revisit-the-little-house-of-laura-ingalls-wilder/
I enjoyed your focus on places within the stories or relevant to the author. I did not know that Cusk was from Saskatchewan, so thank you for being one of the new things I learn every day :-)
Let's hope voters turn out in November!
I read that her parents were British but living in Canada when she was born so I suppose she is technically British but it fit my narrative!
I remember we both read him for Dean Street December! I will probably read more but not right away.
I hope your book group likes the Dalton book. Fingers crossed. You made a good spin from the Cusk book. After reading Cusk's first book I think I quickly abandoned her others ... that autofiction is not usually my thing. What did Portman think?
Interesting chain, Constance. I even read two of your books, Little House and Sarah, Plain ... My chain concentrates on the word "Life".
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2026/10/six-degrees-of-separation-life-of-m.html
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