Northeaster: A Story of Courage and Survival in the Blizzard of 1952 Hardcover – 2 Mar. 2023

This meticulously-researched book reads like a novel. Fascinating character studies, breath-catching situations. Being from Maine myself and having lived through several notable blizzards, the reality of the descriptions in this book are palpable. Highly recommend.

I felt this book was well written and well researched. It took me back to my earlier years and growing up in Maine. I went through a lot of storms and lots of shoveling as well. It pulls in the average person living in this type of climate and the good and bad that can happen . The sea is rough, the roads can be very harrowing, the ice isn't always safe ,the snow is beautiful but can be deadly , and life goes on. I really loved the history as well and the memories of a wonderful upbringing. I wouldn't change any of it. You won't go wrong reading this book. I promise!!!

I am a native Mainer who lived through the storm in 1952 (Blizzard of '52) when I was 6 1/2 years old with my father, mother, and three younger sisters. We lived in Central Maine on a rural, but main feeder road. Although my memory is fading at age 77 1/2, I do have memories. We were snowed in on our road for more than three days! To top that off, my mother was nine months pregnant at the time, my brother was born three days after we were finally plowed out. When the plow truck finally came through our road there was a crew of men on snowshoes shoveling off the drifts ahead of the plow to help it get through.I am not a book reviewer, in fact I don't read a lot because reading for extended periods hurts my eyes. On the other hand, I say this book by Cathie Pelletier deserves six stars, mainly based on the extensive research she did to uncover the facts. I will call it historical fiction only because she filled in some details based on her research with families who remembered. Otherwise, the book is non-fiction! "Northeaster" certainly is not a novel that Cathie Pelletier is known for, but it is worth owning and reading!!

I think I see what the author was trying to do. I don’t think it worked. It felt like a transcript of small town gossip… disjointed stories that were supposed to be held together by the drama of the storm but there was no drama I could see or feel. There was no one I cared much about because the author gave me no real reason to care. I wanted to love this because I live in Maine. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it at all.

Pelletier paints a powerful, engaging picture of the human aspect of this cataclysmic event. You’ll find yourself connected to each of the characters and hoping, fingers and toes crossed, for their survival - even the four footed ones. A perfect blend of scientific/historical research and meticulously painted human struggle, Northeaster will leave you wanting to learn more (like me, maybe you’ll read the acknowledgements and then Google or Facebook some of the names to explore further). As always, Pelletier has a firm, commanding grasp of the writing: perfectly chosen words; lush, beautiful imagery; and just a touch of magic.