Cordelia Underwood

Author(s): Van Reid

Location(s): Portland, Maine

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical

Era(s): 1896

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.

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