Many thanks to the author, the publishers Globe Pequot, and NetGalley for the ARC of this wonderful book, which was published on 2 July.

A journalist for over 25 years, Reinstein takes the reader on a tour of each New England state, speaking to people who make the area special or give back to their community in some way. He also shows off lesser-known places of natural beauty. Using this book as a guide, you could make out a wonderful itinerary for a visit; certainly, it made me more determined than ever to visit at some point.

Certain threads reveal themselves throughout the book. Reinstein speaks to people who have done something unique, like the man who founds the Maine Country Music Hall of Fame (apparently, country is big in Maine too), or the man who works to restore old stoves (at the time of Reinstein's visit, he had one that dated back to the early 17th century), or the farmer who continued to work after an accident left him in a wheelchair.

There's a wider theme of community service, though, in many of the people that he meets. Consider the couple who hand-make wooden kayaks - although each takes several months to make, they auction off one each year for charity. There's also a surfer who holds inclusive surfing classes, and. Reinstein speaks to the woman who helped to found the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, an important work of representation in a state where only 2% of the population are Black.

My favourite example of community spirit, however, comes from the city of Providence, Connecticut, where the people have developed the tradition of "Good Night Lights". Each night at 8pm, people use torches or flash their lights on and off to say goodnight to children in the city's children's hospital. It's such a wonderful, simple idea, and it seems to make such a difference to the children. I hope it catches on elsewhere.

The production quality seems to be really high. I was reading the book on my phone, but it's probably best viewed in hardback as there are plenty of photos throughout. The quality of the colour printing shone through even on a small screen, but it must be spectacular in the full-sized print version.

I don't normally buy coffee table books, but I loved this one so much that I'll probably purchase it. If you're at all interested in New England, I would recommend reading this.

It made me wish I could travel and visit the places in this book. An intriguing travelogue and good travel guide
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

We will refer to this book on our future trip to New England. This is both a travelogue and a guide, and is written and organised in an engaging way.

I actually ended up reading the book out of order, treating each separate chapter as a separate little mini-trip for me to take somewhere - much like like the various actual little short travels that I have been taking around New England over the past few years. And like those trips, each book section has simultaneously provided quite a lot for me to learn about (almost surprisingly so at times), all while still feeling oddly familiar to this native New Englander at the same time, no matter where I had been brought to. It's honestly made for a great reading experience. "Travels Through the Heart and Soul of New England" has been a wonderful opportunity to get to know my already-beloved home region on an even deeper level.

I received a free copy of, Travels through the Heart and Soul of New England, by Ted Reinstein, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have always been fascinated by New England though I have never been. The pictures are beautiful in this book, the diners look so inviting. Such great stories in this book, a great book for fans of New England.

I’ve lived in New England all my life… With the exception of six years teaching in Virginia. Many years in Connecticut and many years in eastern Massachusetts, and we are getting ready to retire to southern Maine! So I was really interested in reading this book and loved all of it. It is full of fascinating facts about many places that I have been and loved over the years. A lot of the facts were new to me, and I appreciated learning about the people and stories of these places. This isn’t an ordinary travel book… It’s more like a series of interesting stories about the people and places who live here in New England. Highly recommend, no matter where you live!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful, heartwarming book. I enjoyed it a lot!