The Maine House: Spend any amount of time in Maine―a weekend, a summer, a lifetime―and its impression lasts forever

by Maura McEvoy, Basha Burwell, Kathleen Hackett

“ The Maine House [is] a visual journey through delightfully ramshackle saltwater farms and fish shacks, to stately stone houses and cozy coastal cottages.” — New York Post

Explore the soul of Maine in some three dozen of its most original, authentic, and evocative houses.

“A dreamy summer read to take to the family cottage.” ― House & Home

For several years, acclaimed photographer Maura McEvoy and art director Basha Burwell traveled the length and breadth of Maine in search of houses that capture the state’s singular character. These are not designer houses; they are homes created by the people who live in them, from artists to writers to fishermen, distinctive for their ingenuity, originality, and fierce individuality. Many are unchanged, inhabited by generations of the same family; some are ingenious conversions.

As Kathleen Hackett observes in her eloquent text, these are homes that have a kind of visual wealth that money can’t buy, homes that define the very spirit of Maine.

Includes color illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Coffee Table Books

296 pages, Hardcover

Published June 22, 2021

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 1 out of 5]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/us...

[Liina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long had a weird fascination with Maine. I don’t know where it comes from. I haven’t read any Stephen King or Elizabeth Strout, I haven’t visited the place but I am under the impression that if I did I would fall in love. I think it is its ruggedness and openness to the elements that make me feel that way.

So naturally, The Maine House instantly caught my eye in the store. It is about quintessential Maine houses. Homes that have been in the same family for generations, that have been bought and saved, restored with respect to the original materials and simple living. Houses that capture the smells, sounds and memories of countless summers. This resonates a lot as I have been summering in the same place for my whole life. In a house that I have tried to keep as it was, the only constant sunshine, always sand on the floor and a pile of books.

I found this book not only a feast for the eyes but also to remind us that things don’t always need to be upgraded and improved. By doing that we might ruin them and lose something invaluable that only time can recreate.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author is a complete fraud—she and her husband are real estate flippers and they did massive environmental damage at their “Maine Home” by purposefully poisoning their elderly, blind’s neighbors trees with pesticide against her wishes, all so that they could have a million dollar view of the water when they sell. Please read the article from the front page of The NY Times from September 14, 2025. She and her husband harassed this poor elderly full time Maine resident neighbor for months, before TWICE drilling holes in two different sets of trees and injecting them with poison. Maine Forest Service, the state board of Pesticide Contol, and the local select board all got involved, as did much of the town. This author has absolutely no interest in “preserving” Maine’s natural charm.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was beautifully photographed, but overwhelmingly pretentious. It read like a love letter to wealthy summer people, not Maine homes and the people who live in them year round. It’s for the New York Times crowd, not people who live and work here.

[Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So lovely. I would uproot my life to move to Maine because of this book. Can’t wait to visit next week!

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very delightful book about rather unique and special Maine houses. All are quite rustic and relatively remote. The photographs are outstanding and the narrative descriptions are highly readable, interesting, informative, and enjoyable. You will often wish to savor a glass of fine wine or cup of tea and just peruse the pictures and dream of halcyon days in Maine. XOXOXOs to Maura McEvoy, Basha Burwell, and Kathleen Hackett for creating this wonderful book:)

[Camille Maio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisitely photographed, this book is an authentic look at housing preservation in Maine. The owners' incorporation of the naturally beautiful landscape was inspiring.

[Ingrid Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful book. The houses, the quality of the light captured in the shots. I read it before going to Maine and it was a great primer, increased anticipation. And when I was in Maine I would think about this book...it really is a slice of a unique and wonderful part of the world

[Ivy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kathleen Hackett is the worst kind of person from away. An absolute fraud who profits off of a lifestyle she actively works to destroy and desecrate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/us...

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was trying to be a love letter to the old-school cottage on the Maine coast, but it didn’t quite inspire love in the unattached reader (me) and it did have a certain anti-change anti-new-buildings glamorizing-the-completely-rundown crankiness about it.

So, the Maine coast looks lovely and apparently old Maine houses have a vibe of their own. I would visit. I myself prefer to live with reliable electricity and running water.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maura McEvoy, Basha Burrell, & Kathleen Hackett’ s The Maine House: Summer and After took me on a loving trip back to Maine where I spent close to 30 summers and Christmasses. Maine is a special place in my heart! Through stunning photographs and clear concise text, I visited homes that are truly Maine homes with sloping wood floors, cast iron stoves (love these), and heart-stopping views. Maine has been a part of all three authors’ lives and their love of all things’ Maine which is clearly portrayed throughout this eye-catching coffee table publication. What a delight! 5 stars.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I am not sure why this, the "only" edition of this book on Goodreads, has a subtitle here that is not anywhere on my library copy.)

This is a coffee table book with two pages of evocative text and generally around six pages of gorgeous photographs each of various Maine homes, generally ones that have been around for decades and even centuries (these are not McMansions or chosen for their up-to-date interior decoration). Lingering through several of the houses is as good as a week-long Maine vacation by the sea and in the woods for me. There is a second edition with a library waiting list.

[Donna Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really attractive coffee -table style book. Often in this kind of book, the emphasis tends to be on the pictures, with just somewhat interesting text. This book, however, had great pictures, and I found the text to be interesting to read, and quite informative. The houses featured in this book were not the big famous historic homes, but rather homes of all kinds. The book was beautifully done, and a good read also.

[Jennifer Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great coffee table book with exquisite photos capturing Maine life at its best. From the water to the woods, from locals to folks from away, from antique and kitschy to modern and minimalist, the designs and stories in this book cover the range of the spirit that is Maine. I loved the narratives and the photographs. A fun book to pick up and look through again and again.

[polyimperfect · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just in case you care where your $ goes...one of the co-authors of this book (Kathleen Hackett) very likely poisoned her 95 year old neighbor's waterfront trees (which are protected in Maine) to improve the view from her house.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/us...

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring! My biggest takeaway was how the owners preserved the charm and the architectural integrity of the homes, and used what they had to perfection.

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heavy book with gorgeous photos, great stories about the houses and their owners, lots of ideas, and joy.

[Cherylm · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely tour of some interesting houses

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the intersection of three of my favorite things —- Maine, art, interior design!

[Christina Karvounis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to wander through!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful!! Now I really want to move there some day :)

[Airynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could crawl inside of this book and live in its pages, that would be a dream. Filled with beautiful homes, history, stories, woods, and the coast.
The wildflowers in a handmade ceramic vase, a simple desk and chair facing the sea, a 200 year old cemetery in the backyard. Amazing!