Stephen King's Maine: A History & Guide

by Sharon Kitchens

Much of Western Maine reads like a Stephen King novel. The dense dark woods and backcountry ponds. The century-old houses with gravel driveways and immense flower gardens, acres of farmland miles from a highway. Serpentine country roads dotted with farmstands, and picturesque main streets lined with battered pickups. Places where-especially during the dark and rainy days of October and November--things can get downright spooky. Author Sharon Kitchens identifies the locations that serve as the basis for King's fictional towns of Castle Rock, Jerusalem's Lot, Derry, and Haven. Drawing on historical materials and conversations with locals and people who know King, the author sheds light on daily life in places that would become the settings for Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone, Cujo , IT , and 11/22/63 .

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2024

Reviews

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is how a book about this topic should be written. By engaging with the people who live in the area and work in the towns and small cities, we gain insights into Stephen King's fiction. The book goes beyond the usual and expected, delivering a serious and entertaining read.

[Jeffrey S. Kuehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice well researched book of various towns, locations, and people of the world of Stephen King books.

[Kenneth Winfield Emerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I spotted this book on the shelf at Bookstacks, Bucksport, Maine's local bookstore, I grabbed it. There was very little decision. The title grabbed me, and this book was going home with me.

Part Stephen King history, part Maine history (and Stephen King's history in relation with Maine History), it's a very quick read.

I've been reading Stephen King for over a decade, and I'm an avid Maine history buff, so I honestly wasn't expecting to learn any new information (just expecting to enjoy reading the book), so I was pleasantly surprised that I did in fact learn quite a bit from this book.

Whether you're a Stephen King fan, a Maine history fan, or both, I highly recommend reading this book!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a Stephen King fan forever, I liked this book. It was a bit dry, but it explained the relationship between the actual places in Maine and how they pertained to the Stephen King fictional areas.

[Michal Wojtowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Książka sięga do rzeczywistych i potencjalnych inspiracji Stephena Kinga. Traktuje o ludziach i miejscach, które wpłynęły na kształt i treść prozy Mistrza Horroru. Nie żałuję, że ją przeczytałem i polecam każdemu kto ma w planach odwiedzenie miejsc z których King czerpał pełnymi garściami. Stan Maine - to coś więcej niż zwykły stan...

[Jennifer Madigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up in suburban Maryland, I first picked up a Stephen King book in Jr. High school - 1982 or so. I think it was The Dead Zone or Firestarter. I'm not sure which of my parents brought them home. They weren't library books, I still have them. Thus started my fascination with King's works, and that far away place; Maine.

Fast forward to 1994 and - by pure coincidence - I not only find myself living in Maine, but right in the heart of King Country. First Durham, now Lisbon. Most of the time, working in Lewiston.

While I've played about with the "where is this, really?" when reading King's works (especially 11/22/63), Kitchens has pursued and compiled an impressive portrait-infused road map of the geography. Teasing out the small details and influences that underpin both the man and his richly detailed fictional worlds.Truth really is stranger than fiction.

The personal interviews really add a degree of intimacy. You can feel the weight of time passing and pressing on these small towns coping with progress and what it can leave behind in its wake. ("Beware the under toad." with respects to John Irving.)

But it's not all about King. While his life and stories have led us to these locales, each one has a life of its own, well worth exploring. Rather than leaving you wondering what to do with your new-found knowledge, Kitchens provides easy to follow, short road-trip itineraries, including tons of food recommendations and a variety of activities, that will bring you closer to these places.

Reading this book makes me want to venture out and explore more of King's works (I've fallen a bit behind) and my adopted home state.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little book, especially for those of us who have read basically all of Uncle Stevie's books and have pretty good pictures of Castle Rock and Derry in our minds. I knew that Derry was Bangor, that's pretty obvious to anyone who has read IT and spent any time in Bangor. I knew where in Maine approximately Castle Rock was supposed to be, but I wasn't aware that Lisbon Falls is basically Castle Rock (just placed a little further east in the state than the fictional town). Kitchens makes a pretty good case for it though. I have spent quite a bit of time in Lisbon Falls for the Moxie Festival, and now that I have it in my head, my mental map of Castle Rock is matching up pretty well.
It was funny reading this though, because it seems like Kitchens's whole plan was to go to the Lisbon area, find people who grew up there around the same time as King, and then let them just talk for a while. Lots of random stories about the guy with the lazy eye who used to work at the Sunoco and was pretty intimidating but actually not a bad fella, or the train tracks that go past an old mill and might be the train tracks from Stand By Me, or the diner with good pie that could be the diner from such and such a book. Or how LaVerdiere's Drug Store in one story might be based on this one other drug store (wouldn't it be based on actual LaVerdiere's?).
So because of all these little chats, the book feels kind of rambling. But I liked it. Lots of good pictures too. I like being reminded that the Kings are still basically just regular Mainers that go get sausages at the Fryeburg Fair. Not too proud for the rest of us.

[Don Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't need to be a King authority to enjoy this book. My own knowledge of King's work is limited to his TV and some movie adaptions, which was enough for me to navigate through the book.

Sharon Kitchens really delves into the stories of the towns that King lived in. She gets into the stories of the towns businesses and the people who live/lived there, to the point where the book is not always about King specifically but tells a larger story about Maine and its people. Kitchens' handwritten maps are a real plus, and you will refer to them often. The photos give the reader perfect visuals of place.

The end of the book is a great bonus and wrap up as Kitchens provides suggested itineraries to all of the towns that get covered in the book. She suggests tours, museums, cafe, pubs and restaurants that should make any jaunts very enjoyable (with helpful timelines).

Note: I'm really giving the book 3.75 stars due to some minor edits that need to be done for the next edition. With that being said, I highly recommend this book to not only King fans, but to anyone who his interested in Maine's history and culture.

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this on Audible, looking for some secret Stephen King’s insights on Maine that showed up in his books. I actually thought it was a terribly incorrect book, what with locals think, so and so is fairly certain, so I would listen for a while, then move on.

My interests was this WAS a place that inspired King or this is a place where you can literally visit a scene from the movie. The longer I listened, the more I found places I wanted to visit, including Camp Etna, another spiritualist camp in Eastern USA. I did not associate this with King in any manner, and I honestly only knew it existed, not its name or location. The other area I was interested in, but had yet to seek out was Bucksport, the most haunted town in Maine. Now I have the information and have changed our itinerary to reflect its inclusion.

Although the book seemed at first to lack what I wanted, it had everything, including itineraries with directions. I didn’t purchase the wrong book, I simply wanted the information to spill out in the first page!

[Jan Lynch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun companion for a Stephen King fan's visit to Maine. The slim volume is organized around towns in Maine that have been important in Stephen King's life. Kitchens offers a brief history of the towns, as well as a description of their geography, notable features, and citizens. Interviews with librarians, grave diggers, police detectives, cafe owners--ordinary people like those in Stephen King's stories--are my favorite feature of this book. Sincere and motivated by love of King's writing.

[Caryn Reveling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical facts about Maine, but there was a missed reference to a King story and no mention of the Dysart truck stops which was surprising or the Bangor International airport where they filmed The Langoliers. Maybe not all references were included but I feel there were some main ones that were missed.

The history of Maine itself is interesting and you learn about Maine

[Sarah Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this as a gift from my hubby when he went on a trip to Maine last summer. The author is clearly a fan of Stephen King's work and superfans are going to enjoy the care the author has put into this fact-finding tour that blends King's fiction with the world around him. Will I be inspired to read more Stephen King because of this book and maybe travel to Maine on a King tour? ABSOLUTELY!

[Deena Aglialoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think you can call yourself a Stephen King fan until you’ve consumed the DETAILED amount of information Kitchens provide. This person did WORK to include every bit of information on the places and people that made King KING. I would use this book as my own self-guided roadmap if/when I get to Maine.

[Vanessa]

As a Mainer who has been reading King books since I was in High School, this was a fun read. Wish it had had a map of Derry/Bangor (“bang-GORE” lol) but I can probably find that elsewhere. it is my favorite book of all time. I cried when I read 11/22/63 for the first time and Jake was in Derry and saw Richie and Bev dancing because “seeing” them was like seeing old friends. :)

[Johnnysbookreviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met the author and talked to her about the book. It was fun. 

This book is a history guide. Stephen King even read it! I enjoyed it, and I went to the same high school, King, went too: Lisbon High in Lisbon, Maine. 

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this to diehard Stephen King fans, and anyone interested in learning some Maine history.

[Jo-jean Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this interesting and well researched book. Great to hear about King's inspirations!

[Mary McNamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book really could have used a bit more editing.

[Valerie Connor-Thresher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me want to go back to Maine for adventures!!!!

[Jim Bartlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read for King fans, a lot of speculation but plenty of factual sites and stories.

[Nick Vantangoli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I lost this for a bit, but then I remember why I lost it. Simply put…a money grab. It drew SOME connections to King’s world, but honestly not much more than a cursory glance.

[Kandice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Stephen King fan, and even toured Maine for my 50th birthday to see the places he, Tabby and the boys set their books. I LOVE seeing his settings in real life, so this was very fun to read.

King himself said Kitchens got a lot of it right, and I agree.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The book covers some of the areas in Maine that inspired Stephen Kings novels. A brief review of some of the towns. Minimal information on the towns from the novels except (this is town / area is from x book).