So far I am at pg 28 and getting some real pleasure from it. I love some pictures of the old timey fun...like a church social on a raft!! and oddball phrases, like a fellow in the potato brokerage business! I can't follow the numbered lots, as in who bought which lot...doesn't seem to correspond with the maps so far. That's for the natives and historians among the readership. The design is gorgeous, and I truly appreciate the folding jacket leaf to keep the pond map handy. I also appreciated the mention of the Civil War Vets. I am aware of "The Men of Maine" who saved the Union in the Battle of Little Round Top at Gettysburg. It sounds like an Edwards was in the group. Mentioning the Aroostook war was intriguing, I wanted to know more, but that's not the real subject of the book. I keep wondering how anybody was able to support themselves up there, aside from logging. Isn't the soil rather stony? You mention some fellow "who lived off the land" - my urban mind reels! The descriptions of the school - sleigh riding to and fro...what a different world! OK real life demands my attention. More reviewing as I progress. Best, Charlie Reisen 

Life and Times on Pleasant Pond, is a celebration of Aroostook county and Island Falls as well as the pond where Sandra Newman spent every summer growing up. Her comprehensive love letter to this corner of Maine is both a memoir for natives and an invitation to readers who have never been there. Replete with photographs from many local family albums and from Newman's own cameras, as well as from the Island Falls Historical Society, the slick publication spans 150 years of local history, beginning with the first settlements through the Civil war and the days when Theodore Roosevelt found solace and friendship in his visits with William Sewall of Island Falls. Fishing stories and loving recollections of people are prominent in the material Newman collected in dozens of interviews, which culminate in 40 pages of "Your Stories and Memories" - her gift to the people of her home community.

Life and Times on Pleasant Pond paints a Technicolor Cheshire grin on every reader’s face. Readers in northern Maine and those who believe in the myth of a Utopia, will find this be a delightful read. This book chronicles the lives of families who settled in Maine’s northern most county, Aroostook, and developed one of the area’s most treasured bodies of water, Pleasant Pond, in Island Falls. The author’s unique talent of weaving memories with amusing stories, written by people who live and play on “the Pond”, acquaint the reader to the pond’s magnetism.
This beautiful book of stories and photographs, both recent and nostalgic, captures not only the experience of life on “the pond”, but the imagination of an idyllic life. Every page is enlightenment to the author’s passion for the people of Island Falls and those of “the Pond.” Historical maps, and brochures, spanning more than 150 years, tell the story of Pleasant Pond’s tremendous natural beauty and its warm-hearted people. Life and Times on Pleasant Pond is a celebration of Pleasant Pond, Island Falls, Aroostook County, Maine, where the author summers.
This is Sandra Newman’s love letter to her corner of Maine. A must read for those with memories of the area and a picturesque invitation to those readers who have never visited, but so desire. This is also a tribute to everyone who has memories of life from their own special corner of the world. This is a book to be treasured by generations, not just by those families and friends who have already experienced their own piece of the "dream life" in Island Falls, but also to the broader audience.
Life and Times on Pleasant Pond provides a wonderful historical narrative that outlines the connection between the land and the first families who settled the area and the connections between the families themselves. It is no wonder that Old Joe's middle name is Walker! How the Lanes, Edwards, Walkers and Powers settled and remained in the area is a testament to the goodness that is found here.
This book is something more than a history book, because it reads like a romantic memoir as well. Theodore Roosevelt discovered Island Falls in 1878 and enjoyed three visits to the home and hunting camp of his lifelong friend, William Sewall, one of the town’s original settlers. Through the joint efforts of President Teddy Roosevelt and Maine's former Governor Llewellyn Powers, the woodlands around this area of Aroostook County are protected from development. Time itself can seem irrelevant here.
For those who have yet to partake of the pond's shimmering lake or glorious, star-filled skies, the book becomes a "Walden Pond" of sorts, creating within the mind's eye, the ideal place to be, whether young or old. In short, whether the reader has firsthand experience with the pond or not, the book tells the story of where one would rather be. Life and Times on Pleasant Pond is a wonderful read for those, both young and old, who have memories, stories and history to share. This book is a true tribute to a very special corner of the world, Pleasant Pond, Island Falls, Maine. Enjoy!