Rating: 
Summary: Tears flowed and belly jiggled with laughter
Review: In reading "The Funeral Makers", the authoress drew out a wide set of emotions from one end of the spectrum to the other with melancholy leading to laughter and curiousity leading to self-made conclusions unraveling as the plot carried me through a winding road of unexpected twists and turns. This book was a page turner if ever there was one. I could scarcely put it down. The characters seemed to call out to me to "unearth" the secrets contained in this treasure of a book! You will enjoy each character's depth and will discover what makes them tick. Ms. Pelletier delves into the psyches of the characaters to provide each with a multidimensional image. Once you have finished reading "The Funeral Makers", you will be moved to pick up another of Cathie Pelletier's writing masterpieces. Enjoy!!
Rating: 
Summary: Patheticly Boring
Review: It's hard to find a book this sappy and sloppy. I hated the characters. The errors are as plentiful as the stilted dialogue. Kennedy ran for president in '60, not '59. Tamarack trees have NEEDLES instead of leaves. UNREADABLE.
Rating:
Summary: A comic, yet tragic introduction to Pelletier's Mattagash...
Review: Let's make no bones about it. Maine native Cathie Pelletier
is easily the most talented writer out there on the Maine
fiction landscape, bar none. With "The Funeral Makers", Pelletier introduces us to the isolated and tiny Mattagash, Maine, nestled beside
the St. John River at the Canadian border. Though loosely
inspired by the politics in her hometown (Allagash, Maine),
this wonderful hoot of a novel created a bit of a stir back
home nonetheless. "The Funeral Makers" follows the ongoing
feud between the two most visible families in Mattagash:
the self-designated monarchic clan of the community, the MacKinnons; and
the Giffords, the rowdy, irreverant and always-procreating
scapegoats. Not since Carolyn Chute's "The Beans of Egypt, Maine" have we met so
troubled, or so human a brood. As you loathe the behavior,
you can't help but admire the spirit which keeps them going.
The story of the quintessential dysfunctional family gathered
for the impending death of one of their own, this novel seamlessly
weaves plot after complex subplot in a disturbing and often
hilarious crazy quilt of small-town angst. The character
of Amy Joy Lawler, who returns in "The Funeral Maker"'s two sequels ("Once Upon a Time On the Banks", "The Weight of Winter"),
emerges as the bubblegum-snapping, too-wise-for-her-years
heroine who challenges the world order in Mattagash and becomes the launchpad for her older lover's bedhopping through
the generations of her family. Reading Cathie Pelletier is
a pleasure so rich, so fulfilling, that you hate to leave Mattagash behind, though at the same time it's a place most of us would never
wish to visit.
Rating:
Summary: If It's Not Black Humor It's At Least Dark Gray
Review: The family gathers for the pending death of Marge. Sisters Pearl and Sicily get along well with each other, but the positive feelings end there. Sicily's daughter is 13 and has a crush on a 32-year-old low life thief. Her husband is an alcoholic. Pearl's husband and son are undertakers-whoops, I mean funeral directors--, and her wimpy daughter has a son who might be a good candidate for an exorcism. This family has a series of misadventures throughout the book: their car ends up in a river with them in it; a rape takes place; a car is stolen; little son of satan demolishes a hotel room. And it's all quite hilarious. This is Sinclair Lewis's Main Street gone seriously bad. CP's characters are well developed, despite the dark humor. The author has much affection for them despite her tendency to stick pins in their suffering bodies. The humor finally subsides later in the book, as Ms Pelletier shows us people who do and some who do not struggle on after seeing the failure of their lives' ambitions. These are imperfect people living in a far from perfect world. Ultimately this is a very serious book, and unless you share my love of black humor, you might be a bit perplexed by the whole thing. Cathie Pelletier is a very talented writer.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Maker
Review: This a great read - with a mix of humor and pathos that flow smoothly between one another. Memorable characters and an eye for the land and the seasons, put Pelletier in league with some of the great American writers.
Rating:
Summary: Emotional...
Review: This book will play with all possible emotions. It
is very funny and sad at the same time. The caracters
are everyday people trying to cope with the ups and
downs of life. The author Cathy Pelletier is new to me
but I will surely read every book she puts out. Get this
book and enjoy. A refreshing read.
Rating:
Summary: A Fellow Northern-Mainer
Review: Throughout the years, I have not read such an honest piece of literary work. Born and raised in Fort Kent, Maine, I have had the opportunity to view the world that Cathie Pelletier writes about. This book sheds light on the trials and tribulations of what small town life is like, and how people can sometimes distance themselves from more highly populated areas. The author's use of words allows the reader to get a clear picture of the setting that she is depicting, and is an excellent read for anyone wanting to experience what life is like in a different kind of society. Cathie Pelletier is successful in transforming you, and offers a creative edge to it. This book is definitely worth your time.
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