The Winter House

The Winter House November 26

Although it is a novel, The Winter House may hold a key to Maine’s aging population that chooses to overwinter at home in Maine. The author, Dr. Joan MacCracken, is a retired pediatrician who specialized in endocrinology in Bangor for twenty-three years. Her community involvement with the At Home Downeast project stimulated her to think about the folks who prefer to remain in their homes, “aging in place,” and for the past six years she has been able to follow her passion for writing. Her debut novel, The Winter House, was released in June 2013. MacCracken will present the story behind the book at the Camden Public Library on Tuesday, November 26, at 7:00 pm.

What does an older woman do when she finds herself alone in her later years? Will she live by herself for the rest of her life? Will she look for another husband or partner, or move in with her children? Now alone after the sudden death of her husband, Elizabeth Sloan in The Winter House decides to fulfill her dream of living year round in a small, coastal town in Maine. After considering the long, dark, winter nights and the inefficiency of heating her large home for just one person, she hatches a plan: she will invite three other older women to move in with her for the winter. The Winter House:  A Season of Sharing transports the reader into the living quarters where four new housemates grow in friendship, sharing intimate and sometimes difficult conversations — as only women can. Elizabeth learns how a community can come together to support and appreciate one another.

Her first book, The Sun, the Rain and the Insulin: Growing Up with Diabetes, published in 1996, described a special family camp which operated for thirteen years. In 2005 she adapted a Nicaraguan folktale, creating the book Trisba and Sula, which was awarded Best Bilingual Children’s Book of 2006 by Skipping Stone Magazine. MacCracken also edited and published Cracked Marbles, a collection of Maine stories by the late Dr. Tom Palmer of Bangor. She has two children and three grandchildren. Along with her husband and their dog she lives on the Maine coast.

I ABSOLUTELY loved the book. What I particularly loved was the way the author constructed it, through conversation. I feel I know these women and was a part of their conversation. MacCracken hit so many issues that women talk about — issues that have affected us all, in one way or another. I found they touched me to the core.

-- Leslie McIntyre Thomas, RLA, ASLA Colorado Springs, Colorado

The Winter House is a work of genius for our time. Four older women in a rural community in Maine come to believe that living alone through the winter is a waste of their most precious resources. This book explores the best idea yet for the future of our communities.

-- Susan Barrett Merrill, Author of Zati The Art of Weaving a Life Brooksville, Maine

A heartwarming, carefully crafted novel about four women who prove that human relationships have the power of emotional renewal, and that successful aging should be a team sport. The story puts its arm around the reader and asks single women of every age, “Why the hell should we live alone when we could live with a houseful of great women? . . . Should my wife survive me, I hope she finds just such a group of great friends with whom to share life, laughter, and the rent.

-- Erik Steele, D.O. Columnist for the Bangor Daily News

From Bangor Daily Sept 10: CONVERSATIONS WITH MAINE:

Robin Clifford Wood reports in the Bangor Daily, “There’s something both heartwarming and invigorating about MacCracken . . . her personality shines through — that contagious zest for tackling challenges, an instantly caring demeanor, and a crinkly-eyed smile that’s always ready for fun. It’s no wonder that she loved being a pediatric endocrinologist for 23 years, caring for children and their families. It’s also no wonder that her boundless drive to be doing, nurturing and creating has not let up since she retired. And perhaps it should come as no surprise that Joan found her heart’s home here in Maine.

“Despite some of her readers’ speculations, Joan is not a character in her book. Her husband, Bob Holmberg, is alive and well, and she has no plans to move in with her women friends (at least not for now). But there are bits of Joan throughout the story — in the retired doctor still inclined to care for people, the dog lover, the practitioners of yoga, the loving grandmother and the women who love to have someone else do the cooking (Bob is the cook in Joan’s house). There is even a cherished old mahogany lamp, which came from Joan’s real life. The other very real part of the book is a love of Maine that calls people to stay right here.”