Finding Annie Farrell: A Family Memoir

I am not sure when was the last time I read a book with which I felt such a connection. The author's quest to understand her mother, who grew up in rural inland Maine in the 1930s, and who wound up a very depressed housewife in New York City, would be a compelling tale even in less able hands, but the wonderful writing here makes this an amazing book. I grew up in Maine, but in coastal Maine, and I think reading this book was one of the first times I truly understood the vast difference between coastal Maine and inland Maine, even after reading and re-reading the wonderful We Took to the Woods, written about the same time period as Harpaz's mother's childhood. Annie Farrell's sisters are both well drawn individuals and also so much like so many women I knew in Maine, especially during the times I spent in Aroostook County as a young adult. The gradual unfolding of family secrets, and the realization that some stories can never really be confirmed or disputed is something most of us have found in learning about family history, but few can tell it as well as this book does. If you love family memoirs, geneology, Maine, New York City, World War II stories, or in fact just good reads in general, I highly recommend this book!