The Walk Down Main Street (1960) explores what happens when a river town in Maine goes mad over its high school basketball team. Ruth Moore covers basketball thrills, coming of age, and the reality of small town inhabitants along with her usual razor-sharp wit and honest depictions of daily life.
Born and raised in the Maine fishing village of Gotts Island, Ruth Moore (1903–1989) emerged as one of the most important Maine authors of the twentieth century, best known for her authentic portrayals of Maine people and her evocative descriptions of the state. She wrote thirteen novels throughout her lifetime, and was favorably compared to Faulkner, Steinbeck, Caldwell, and O’Connor. Moore and her partner, Eleanor Mayo, traveled extensively, but never again lived outside of Maine.