A Place in Mind [Paperback]

Sydney Lea (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first novel by Lea, poet and founder editor of New England Review , declares itself early on: "My real story is of friendship and a place." The place is a rural spot in Maine called MacLean, also the name of the lake, its tributary river and the patronymic of the storyteller's best friend, Louis. The narrative drifts in the time between the '20s, when Brant Healey, the narrator, a young professor of French, first buys his summer cabin there, through more than 50 years' worth of vacations, to his retirement. A picaresque mix of anecdotes and vignettes build the story; fishing and hunting take up a lot of the characters' time and energy. Louis MacLean is messy, drinks, sings impromptu party songs and attracts misfortune. He lives in a shed, having chopped down the main house for firewood. "Directness is hard to come by," writes Brant at one point, and his indirect approach, building up pictures of time, places and events in a seemingly scattered way, is hard to stay with. Although the book is sensitively written, with a lot of heart and warmth, these deliberately low- key tales haven't enough point to hook the reader's interest.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fishing, hunting, and the pleasures of outdoor life bring together a mismatched pair of friends: Brant Healey, a privileged Bostonian, and Louis McLean, a guide in the backwoods of Maine. With no family or close friends in Boston, Healey spends 40 years of vacations in a rustic, idyllic setting, employing McLean as caretaker of his summer cabin. McLean, a perplexing father and husband who is destined to bad luck, becomes the fishing and drinking buddy that many outdoorsmen would like to have. This first novel is a thoughtful, uplifting examination of a lifelong friendship and a tribute to the human spirit. It celebrates the beauty of rivers, lakes, and woods in an era before pollution and ecological disaster.
- Dean Willms, Fort Collins P.L., Col.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Story Line Press (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885266391
• ISBN-13: 978-1885266392
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,528,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sydney Lea is Poet Laureate of Vermont. A recipient of fellowships from the MacArthur, Rockefeller and Fulbright Foundations, Lea founded, and for thirteen years edited, NEW ENGLAND REVIEW. Retired after 43 years of college teaching, he is active in literacy and conservation efforts in northern New England. He has published ten volumes of poetry (most recently SIX SUNDAYS TOWARD A SEVENTH, Wipf & Stock), a novel, and two collections of naturalist essays. A book of memoiristic essays, NOW LOOK, is forthcoming in September 2012 from Skyhorse Publishing, as is A HUNDRED HIMALAYAS,a selection of literary criticism (University of Michigan Press).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tour de force!, December 23, 1998

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[e-mail] Les Edgerton (Fort Wayne, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Place in Mind (Paperback)

If friendships and the outdoor life mean anything to you, you must own this book. If you liked "A River Runs Through It", get this book. The language is spell-binding and the ageless truths that Lea unfolds are worth a thousand times the price of admission to his world.