Return of Old Maine Woman: Tales of Growing Up and Getting Older

by Glenna Johnson Smith

The Old Maine Woman returns with her customary combination of sass, insight, and nostalgia in a host of new essays that shed their own particular light on the quandaries of being female, growing up, getting married, and getting older as a woman in the northern parts of the state. The twinkling eyes of Glenna Johnson Smith don’t miss much, a skill that served her well when she was a 7th and 8th grade teacher, and also allow her to capture the deeper meaning beneath life’s seemingly mundane moments. Filled with grace, humor, and fortitude, Return of Old Maine Woman will captivate the reader with its straightforward observations and heartwarming outlook. For anyone who has longed to hear the insight of a relative that has seen something of this life, Return of Old Maine Woman will fill that role, and more. Join Glenna Johnson Smith in this lovely and engaging book, as she recounts what she has taught and what she has learned during the better part a century well-lived.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 19, 2014

About the author

Glenna Johnson Smith was born in 1920 in Ashville, Maine, in coastal Hancock County. In 1941, she graduated from the University of Maine, married, and moved to a farm in Easton, in Maine's Aroostook County. A teacher for many years, she also was heavily involved in school and community theater productions. Her writing has appeared in Echoes and Yankee magazines and other publications. She now lives in Presque Isle, Maine.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared in The Maine Edge and has been reprinted with permission:

“The Return of Old Maine Woman” ($16.95, Islandport Press) is the second collection of essays by Glenna Johnson Smith, a self-identified old woman from The County.

To say that this is a delightful and insightful collection of essays wouldn’t do it justice. Smith manages to infuse the feeling of sitting around a cozy living room sipping on coffee or tea while you hear about bygone eras of what it was like growing up as a woman in northern Maine. Each chapter is a window into different parts of Smith’s life, filled with goodwill and humor. She doesn’t let little things like remembering everyone’s name get in the way of telling a good story.

And she has so many good stories. They take you back to a time when the dorms at the University of Maine were strictly enforced male and female, and woe betide you if you were a young woman and didn’t have a substantiated excuse for why you didn’t sign in on time.

And yet despite its charm and warmth, Smith doesn’t shy away from big issues, like racism and sexism. Bravely told in a way that shows she realize she may have some linger soul-searching to do, and that working on getting rid of deep seeded prejudice was important and sometimes takes generations.

The sheer scope of how things have changed in the state over a few short years – technologically, ideologically, and culturally is astounding. It’s amazing to be sitting in the middle of 2014 and be transported back easily into the 1930s. And she does it so well you don’t even notice. Smith has a keen mind of observing some things that have changed drastically – and others that have withstood the test of time (school buses, for instance, “If cars had improved through the years at the same rate as school busses, we’d barely be out of the age of the Model T,” she observed in chapter 7.).

Smith does a wonderful job of showing how far we’ve come as a society and how much she has seen as a woman in this state. It’s really a wonderful book and well worth your time.

There is no need to worry if you haven’t read the first collection – though, you may want to run out and find a copy once you crack open the second in the series. For information about the book or the publisher visit www.IslandportPress.com.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's stories are like listening to someone that you know talk about their life experiences and those of their neighbors. Some stories are quirky, but that's life here in Maine, but really any rural area. We learn a lot of what life was like for author was growing up, some of the same stories that we might have heard from our grandparents depending upon your age. This book was a good read and one that was calming, makes your reflect on your own environment and appreciate what is around you.

[Araminta Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

She has a natural way with words, but each chapter is standalone and that makes it a little less engaging than a memoir .

[Susan Emmet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this memoir collection of short pieces perhaps even more than "Old Maine Woman."
It's just a peach.
Glenna's growing up in Easton and memories of her parents and local folk, her marriage and move to Aroostook County where she and her husband raised three sons and worked on and off the potato farm, her years of teaching middle school, and her aging - all are recorded in simple, vivid, lingering, focused detail.
She offers so much to think about in terms of being female, finding her way through life, facing changes and challenges, and knowing how essential it is to take life one day at a time and relish all the moments you can.
The three fictional stories that end this book are treasures, too.
I can see Libby and Larch and all the carpoolers in my mind's eye, clearly as can be.

[JoAnn Plante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author takes the reader through parts of her life and gives us a glimpse into what life was like back in the 30's and 40'. She describes what life was like back then in a whimsical and amusing way. She never really complains about anything. Instead she muses about certain things that were done in a particular way and how time has changed many things. A very good read!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gift from Erin and Chris for Christmas 2016 when I had recently had the stoma operation. I really enjoyed the stories.

[Jennifer Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

True old Maine woman stories. Reminds me of an aunt!

[Kathryn Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful recollections from a proud 'old woman' who lives in Northern Maine. Her stories are told with lighthearted humor and are solidly 'grounded' in the fertile soil of the County.