Books set in Maine

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September 27, 2022
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Books set in Maine

Every state has its hallmark writers. Mississippi has William Faulkner and his incomparable (fictional) Yoknapatawpha County and Missouri can lay claim to Mark Twain. The state of Maine is gifted with Pulitzer winner Richard Russo and horror icon Stephen King. Rural Pennsylvania is the playground of the much-heralded (and occasionally maligned) John Updike, and when many bibliophiles think of New Jersey, they also think of Richard Ford's series of novels featuring recurring Everyman character Frank Bascombe. Illinois can lay claim to William Maxwell, Sandra Cisneros, and Adam Langer, among numerous others. And what reader can think of Washington State without contending with the sparkle-vampire yarns of Stephanie Meyer?

What makes authors like these inextricably associated with a particular state is not simply the matter of their having been born there or choosing to live there. The connection, from a writerly standpoint, is deeper than that—their work, nearly all of it, is set in "their" state.

Of course, there are certainly exceptions. Whether a writer sets a tale in the town where they went to college or spent part of their childhood—like Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" and its New England arts school setting and the almost-factual small town of Jo Ann Beard's "In Zanesville," respectively—or crafts a story that follows a social or political theme to a location they know little about but lay narrative claim to anyway, the world is rife with books known, loved, and respected that also capture the essence of place—books where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.

Stacker compiled a list of books set in Maine from Goodreads. Whether you're looking for a good read set in the state you call home, or you're looking to expand your curiosity with a writer you're already familiar with, we've got you covered.

Carrie

- Rating: 3.98 (625,623 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1974
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy
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The Cider House Rules

- Rating: 4.15 (174,376 ratings)
- Author: John Irving
- Published: May 10, 1985
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Literature
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'Salem's Lot

- Rating: 4.05 (395,626 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: October 17, 1975
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Vampires, Fantasy
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The Country of the Pointed Firs

- Rating: 3.78 (3,581 ratings)
- Author: Sarah Orne Jewett
- Published: January 1, 1896
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Short Stories, 19th Century
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Empire Falls

- Rating: 3.93 (118,287 ratings)
- Author: Richard Russo
- Published: May 8, 2001
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Literature
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Pet Sematary

- Rating: 4.04 (512,143 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: November 14, 1983
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy
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It

- Rating: 4.25 (973,545 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1986
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy
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Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1)

- Rating: 3.84 (212,791 ratings)
- Author: Elizabeth Strout
- Published: March 25, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

- Rating: 4.33 (260,548 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Memoir, Biography
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The Beans of Egypt, Maine

- Rating: 3.58 (3,419 ratings)
- Author: Carolyn Chute
- Published: October 1, 1985
- Genres: Fiction, Poverty, Literature, Adult Fiction
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Silent Spring

- Rating: 4.01 (42,797 ratings)
- Author: Rachel Carson
- Published: September 27, 1962
- Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Environment, Classics
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Dolores Claiborne

- Rating: 3.90 (139,999 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: November 1, 1992
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
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One Morning in Maine

- Rating: 4.37 (12,909 ratings)
- Author: Robert McCloskey
- Published: January 1, 1952
- Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Classics
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Different Seasons

- Rating: 4.34 (193,310 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1982
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Thriller
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Cujo

- Rating: 3.76 (258,435 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1981
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
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The Maine Woods

- Rating: 3.87 (1,250 ratings)
- Author: Henry David Thoreau
- Published: January 1, 1864
- Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Classics, Philosophy
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23337

- Rating: 4.32 (485,512 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: November 8, 2011
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Time Travel
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Blueberries for Sal

- Rating: 4.20 (71,419 ratings)
- Author: Robert McCloskey
- Published: September 17, 1948
- Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Classics, Fiction
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The Poacher's Son (Mike Bowditch, #1)

- Rating: 3.83 (9,438 ratings)
- Author: Paul Doiron
- Published: May 6, 2010
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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Delirium (Delirium, #1)

- Rating: 3.96 (451,783 ratings)
- Author: Lauren Oliver
- Published: February 3, 2011
- Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance, Science Fiction
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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

- Rating: 3.62 (148,190 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1999
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
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Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, #1)

- Rating: 3.94 (660,925 ratings)
- Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
- Published: October 13, 2009
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
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The Tenth Circle

- Rating: 3.52 (125,589 ratings)
- Author: Jodi Picoult
- Published: March 7, 2006
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction
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Hearts in Atlantis

- Rating: 3.84 (90,004 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: September 14, 1999
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories
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Bag of Bones

- Rating: 3.91 (187,365 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: September 22, 1998
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
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Orphan Train

- Rating: 4.19 (415,934 ratings)
- Author: Christina Baker Kline
- Published: April 2, 2013
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Book Club
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Cordelia Underwood: Or, the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League

- Rating: 3.95 (817 ratings)
- Author: Van Reid
- Published: January 1, 1998
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Historical
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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

- Rating: 3.87 (34,090 ratings)
- Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin
- Published: January 1, 1903
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction
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Dreamcatcher

- Rating: 3.64 (165,330 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 2001
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller
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Massacre Pond (Mike Bowditch, #4)

- Rating: 4.13 (4,132 ratings)
- Author: Paul Doiron
- Published: July 16, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller
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The Keeper and the Rune Stone (The Black Ledge Series, #1)

- Rating: 3.86 (125 ratings)
- Author: Paige W. Pendleton
- Published: January 1, 2012
- Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Fiction
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Miss Portland

- Rating: 4.21 (67 ratings)
- Author: David Ebenbach
- Published: June 5, 2017
- Genres: Fiction
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The Dead Cat Bounce (Home Repair is Homicide, #1)

- Rating: 3.74 (3,966 ratings)
- Author: Sarah Graves
- Published: January 1, 1997
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller
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Need (Need, #1)

- Rating: 3.71 (62,838 ratings)
- Author: Carrie Jones
- Published: December 23, 2008
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
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Harlot's Ghost

- Rating: 3.87 (2,214 ratings)
- Author: Norman Mailer
- Published: October 2, 1991
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Espionage, Literature
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A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

- Rating: 3.94 (7,195 ratings)
- Author: Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
- Published: January 1, 1990
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, American History
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Clammed Up (A Maine Clambake Mystery, #1)

- Rating: 3.93 (4,053 ratings)
- Author: Barbara Ross
- Published: January 1, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary
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Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man

- Rating: 4.10 (780 ratings)
- Author: Robert McCloskey
- Published: January 1, 1963
- Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure
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The Pearl of Orr's Island: A Story of the Coast of Maine

- Rating: 3.75 (209 ratings)
- Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Published: January 1, 1896
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, American, Historical Fiction
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The Body

- Rating: 4.28 (40,137 ratings)
- Author: Robin Waterfield
- Published: January 1, 1982
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Coming Of Age
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Mistletoe Murder (A Lucy Stone Mystery, #1)

- Rating: 3.60 (6,275 ratings)
- Author: Leslie Meier
- Published: January 1, 1991
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Christmas, Fiction
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Bad Little Falls (Mike Bowditch, #3)

- Rating: 3.90 (4,596 ratings)
- Author: Paul Doiron
- Published: August 7, 2012
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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Trespasser (Mike Bowditch, #2)

- Rating: 3.96 (5,739 ratings)
- Author: Paul Doiron
- Published: June 21, 2011
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads

The Maine Mutiny (Murder, She Wrote, #23)

- Rating: 3.89 (981 ratings)
- Author: Jessica Fletcher
- Published: April 5, 2005
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook
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Evvie Drake Starts Over

- Rating: 3.84 (119,057 ratings)
- Author: Linda Holmes
- Published: June 25, 2019
- Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit
- Read more on Goodreads

Margreete's Harbor

- Rating: 3.87 (814 ratings)
- Author: Eleanor Morse
- Published: April 20, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Family
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Wilder Girls

- Rating: 3.48 (69,638 ratings)
- Author: Rory Power
- Published: July 9, 2019
- Genres: Horror, Young Adult, LGBT, Mystery
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Kilt Dead (Liss MacCrimmon Mysteries, #1)

- Rating: 3.58 (1,507 ratings)
- Author: Kaitlyn Dunnett
- Published: August 1, 2007
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller
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A Lifetime of Men

- Rating: 4.49 (45 ratings)
- Author: Ciahnan Darrell
- Published: August 26, 2020
- Genres: Fiction, Historical
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The Funeral Makers (Mattagash, #1)

- Rating: 3.73 (498 ratings)
- Author: Cathie Pelletier
- Published: January 1, 1986
- Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Adult
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