What is it?
Hooker, Richard. M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1971.
Why should M*A*S*H fans care?
Following the publication of the novel M*A*S*H: A Novel about Three Army Doctors in 1968, M*A*S*H Goes to Maine (1971) and M*A*S*H Mania (1977) are the only sequels to be written solely by Richard Hooker, the pen name of MASH surgeon Dr. H. Richard Hornberger, Jr. The other novels in the series were written by William Edmund Butterworth III, but Hooker is co-credited. In M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, we find out what happened to the surgeons of the 4077th after the war.
As a M*A*S*H fan, what part(s) should I read?
Since this is a novel, I recommend reading it all!
TL;DR Review
If you are a fan of the original M*A*S*H novel, then you will enjoy M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. The book follows Hawkeye Pierce, Trapper John, Duke Forrest, and “Spearchucker” Jones after they return to the United States following their service in the Korean War. Each doctor returns to their respective hometowns, but by the end of the 1950s, they all work together a medical clinic in Maine. I was pleasantly surprised by the novel, and I think it is interesting to see what the original author envisioned for his characters after they returned home from Korea.
Full Review
Have you ever wondered what happened to Hawkeye, Trapper, Duke, and Spearchucker after the Korean War? Following the success of the 1968 M*A*S*H novel and 1970 movie, author Richard Hooker, the pen name of MASH surgeon Dr. H. Richard Hornberger, Jr., published a sequel to the book in 1971. The book was published before the debut of the M*A*S*H television series in September 1972, so we get a glimpse into what Hooker imagined life would be like for his characters after they returned to the United States. There are a series of M*A*S*H books that follow M*A*S*H Goes to Maine, but only M*A*S*H Mania (the final book of the series) was written by Hornberger. M*A*S*H Goes to Maine reads similarly to the original novel, so if you were a fan of it, you will not be disappointed. So what did the surgeons of the 4077th get up to after the war? Let’s find out!
M*A*S*H Goes to Maine begins by following each of the characters as they settle back in at home. Hawkeye returns to his wife and kids in Crabapple Cove, Maine, and he has a job working for the Veterans Administration. In 1954, Hawkeye is laid off from the VA, and the timing works out well because his old war buddy, and partner in crime, Trapper John is discharged from the Army and visits Hawkeye in Maine. Trapper convinces Hawkeye to train as a thoracic surgeon, and he is board certified after two years. Hawkeye and Trapper work together, meanwhile, Duke is back in Georgia, and Hawkeye and Trapper convince him to join them in Maine. By the end of the 1950s, they’ve included Spearchucker and opened the “Finestkind Fishmarket and Clinic” in nearby Spruce Harbor, Maine. Of course, they are all up to their usual hijinks as they operate on patients, and open their own medical practice. A new cast of characters is introduced including Hawkeye’s high school buddy Chip, his uncle Lewis, and a number of other locals.
The M*A*S*H novels are not sanitized like the television series which had to meet network standards, so they are not books I would recommend as family reading. However, I was pleasantly surprised by M*A*S*H Goes to Maine. I am not going to say that it is my favorite book ever written, but it was better than I expected (maybe my expectations weren’t high?). The other books in the series (M*A*S*H Goes to Las Vegas, M*A*S*H Goes to Paris, M*A*S*H Goes to London, etc.) were not penned by Hornberger. Instead, they were written by William E. Butterworth with co-authorship credit (and proceeds) going to Hooker. I own a complete set, but I have not read them. Based on the reviews I have read, the other books in the series aren’t great. The original M*A*S*H novel was good, and it launched a whole M*A*S*H universe. I would argue that M*A*S*H Goes to Maine is worth while as well, but be aware that the M*A*S*H television series and novels are two different worlds. We know what the series planned out for the characters, but if you want to read what the original author planned for his characters, then I recommend picking up a copy of this book. It is no longer in print, but used copies are readily available online.
The M*A*S*H Historian 