From Publishers Weekly
Mosher's 11th book is the first-rate, offbeat chronicle of Miss Jane
Hubbell Kinneson's eventful 50th year in 1930. Ex-teacher, woodcarver,
librarian, basketball coach and current self-appointed steward of
the wild and pristine town of Kingdom Mountain, Vt., Miss Jane (The
Duchess) is entrenched in a battle against her cousin Eben and the
town elders who want to build a highway and ski resort on her beloved
mountain. Jane, as endearing as she is odd and independent-minded,
looks to be in over her head until stunt pilot Henry Satterfield crashes
his biplane near her home. Theatrical, dashing Henry recovers at Jane's
place, and a romance blossoms. Henry also brings with him an old family
riddle from Texas that he believes, if solved, will lead him and Jane
to a lost Confederate treasure rumored to be hidden on the mountain.
But all manner of heartbreak looms. Mosher (Waiting for Teddy Williams;
The True Account; etc.) weaves homespun humor, a provincial New England
setting and eccentric characters to create a satisfying, unique novel.
(July)
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From Booklist
Jane Hubbell Kinneson is the sole owner and last resident of Kingdom
Mountain, Vermont, a wild and unspoiled place on the U.S.-Canadian
border in 1930. Outside forces led by her cousin Eben are trying to
get the Connector, a new highway that will run through the mountain,
pushed through. Miss Jane says, "Over my dead body," and
means it. On her fiftieth birthday, stunt pilot and rainmaker Henry
Satterfield crashes his biplane on her lake. Miss Jane offers him
shelter and Henry joins her fight against the Connector. Henry is
in Vermont to solve the riddle his Confederate grandfather left him
about the location of stolen federal gold. The two go to the state
supreme court, put on a wing-walking show, and eventually become lovers.
Miss Jane is a fascinating character, and the host of small-town Vermonters
who populate the story are little gems, both hilarious and poignant.
It's not hard to see where the story is going, but the scenery along
the way is well worth the trip. Brad Hooper
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