Cordelia Underwood: Or, The Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League Horror Book Review

In the idyllic summer of 1896 in Portland, Maine, several people are embarking on adventures of a most audacious and entertaining nature. The lovely Cordelia Underwood unexpectedly inherits a large parcel of land, and discovers that it holds an irresistible secret; it is her newfound friend, Tobias Walton—a man of a certain age and Pickwickian characteristics—who will eventually help her to unravel the mystery. In parallel journeys up the coast of Maine, Cordelia collects a handsome suitor and several opinionated relatives, and Mister Walton is soon accompanied by an entourage of hapless friends—the honorable members of the Moosepath League. Together this motley group encounters a colorful variety of true Maine eccentrics—from old salts to bootleggers, grande dames to prospective beaus—and find themselves embroiled in some good old-fashioned wonderment and laughter that includes a boxing match between two aging politicians, an escaped circus bear named Maude, a dastardly kidnapping, and the parachutist Mrs. Roberto in her attractive suit of tights! Superbly written, with a vivid sense of place and period, this is a book for any day that begs a few hours of pure delight.

A

”—This extraordinary document puts the national landmark in the context of nothing less than the intellectual history of Western civilization—in 200 pages.”—New York NewsdayNew York Times Book Review

”—This extraordinary document puts the national landmark in the context of nothing less than the intellectual history of Western civilization—in 200 pages.”—New York Newsday Editor’s Choice

A colorful, comic, and touching novel of old Maine that “seems designed for long afternoons in the hammock” (

”—This extraordinary document puts the national landmark in the context of nothing less than the intellectual history of Western civilization—in 200 pages.”—New York NewsdayThe New York Times Book Review

”—This extraordinary document puts the national landmark in the context of nothing less than the intellectual history of Western civilization—in 200 pages.”—New York Newsday)

Penguin Readers Guide Bound into Every Book (includes questions on Mollie Peer)