Elisabeth M. Ogilvie (May 20, 1917 – September 9, 2006) was an American novelist. Ogilvie is best known for writing a series of novels set on islands off the coast of Maine, where she lived as an adult.[1] She died in Cushing, Maine, at the age of 89.[1]

Early life and education

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Ogilvie was born in Boston on May 20, 1917, to Frank and Maude Ogilvie.[2] She had three older brothers.[1] Growing up, Ogilvie spent summers on the Maine island of Criehaven.[2] She was raised in Dorchester and Wollaston, and she graduated from North Quincy High School in 1934.[1][2] Ogilvie did not earn a college degree, but took a writing course at Harvard.[2]

Career

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Ogilvie published her first novel, High Tide at Noon in 1944, which was the first of eight novels in the Bennett's Island series.[2] She modeled the setting on Criehaven, the Maine island where she spent summers growing up.[3]

Ogilvie wrote 46 adult, young adult, and children's books.[2] Many of her novels dealt with life in Maine and lobstering families along the coast. She also wrote a series of novels set in Scotland, inspired by her Scottish descent and her travels there.[1] In 1950, Ogilvie published an autobiographical book, My World is an Island, about her life on Gay Island.[4]

Personal life

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In 1944, Ogilvie moved to a 33-acre (130,000 m2) farm on Gay Island in the town of Cushing, Maine.[5] She lived there for more than 50 years, sharing the house with her longtime companion and friend Dorothy Simpson (1905–1998), and Simpson's husband, Guy.[2]

Death

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Ogilvie died of a stroke on September 9, 2006 in Cushing, Maine.[1]

Works published

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Series

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Bennett Island Family

Tide Trilogy
  1. High Tide at Noon (1944, Thorndike Press, ISBN 0-7838-8554-7)
  2. The Storm Tide (1945, Thorndike Press, ISBN 0-7838-8800-7)
  3. Ebbing Tide (1947, Thorndike Press, ISBN 0-7838-8801-5)
Lover's Trilogy
  1. Dawning of the Day (1954, Down East, ISBN 0-89272-464-1)
  2. The Seasons Hereafter (1966, Down East, ISBN 0-89272-465-X)
  3. Strawberries in the Sea (1973, Down East, ISBN 0-89272-466-8)
Joanna Bennett's Island
  1. An Answer in the Tide (1978, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-047664-0)
  2. Day Before Winter (1997, Down East, ISBN 0-89272-429-3)
Standalone

Other Series

Cass Phillips
  1. Blueberry Summer (1956, Amereon Ltd, ISBN 0-88411-327-2)
  2. The Fabulous Year (1958, Whittlesey House, ISBN 0-401-31181-3)
Mirabelle Taggart
  1. Weep and Know Why (1972, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-047619-5)
  2. Dreaming Swimmer (1976, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-047598-9)
Jennie Trilogy
  1. Jennie about to Be (1984, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-047769-8)
  2. World of Jennie G. (1986, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-047783-3)
  3. Jennie Glenroy (1993, Down East, ISBN 0-89272-326-2)

Adult novels

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Young-adult novels

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Movie Tie-In

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Autobiography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Hevesi, Dennis (2006-09-14). "Elisabeth Ogilvie, 89, Maine Author, Is Dead". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Elisabeth May Ogilvie papers, 1933-2006". Maine Women Writers Collection. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  3. ^ "Visiting Elisabeth". Maine Boats Homes & Harbors. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  4. ^ "Book Reviews, Sites, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  5. ^ Ogilvie, Elisabeth 1917-2006; Jacob, Hilda McLeod; Fuller, Marion Cobb; and Maine State Library, "Elisabeth Ogilvie Correspondence" (2015), p 9.