On Kingdom Mountain: A Novel

By Howard Frank Mosher

Set in northern Vermont in 1930, On Kingdom Mountain is the story of Miss Jane Hubbell Kinneson. She is a renowned local bookwoman, eccentric bird carver, and the last remaining resident of a wild mountain on the U.S.-Canadian border, now threatened by a proposed new highway. Miss Jane encounters a mysterious stunt pilot and weathermaker when his biplane crashes on a nearby frozen lake. He brings with him a riddle containing clues to the whereabouts of stolen Civil War gold that may have been hidden on Miss Jane’s property. As she and the footloose aviator search for the treasure, Miss Jane is confronted by the most important decisions of her life.
Featuring daring action scenes and outrageous comedy, along with a passionate, surprising love affair, On Kingdom Mountain is traditional storytelling at its best, rooted in Howard Mosher’s own family history and in a way of life on the brink of extinction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9780547526034

Howard Frank Mosher

HOWARD FRANK MOSHER is the author of ten books, including Waiting for Teddy Williams, The True Account, and A Stranger in the Kingdom, which, along with Disappearances, was corecipient of the New England Book Award for fiction. He lives in Vermont.

Reviews for On Kingdom Mountain

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quirky novel set in N. Vermont. OK but could be better.

[bnbookgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I must say I enjoyed this story of Jane Hubbell Kinneson and Henry Satterfield. They are two very quirky characters and I always enjoy that about a story. There are many other characters in the novel as well that I enjoyed reading about. The story has humor, drama, and an unexpected love story. Mosher is a true story teller.

[overly-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Here is the review I did for our book club:ON KINGDOM MOUNTAINby Howard Frank MosherI had to work hard to like this book, and I think it grew into liking it rather than thinking it was great from the beginning. My problem is that I don’t like fishing and hunting, so the long exposes on those subjects left me going ho hum. And the heroine, Miss Jane! If she was part of my real life, rather than fictional life, I probably wouldn’t even like her! I found her grating, opinionated, with rather strange views (or maybe even heretic) on religion. Lets see, Jesus is the Nazarine know it all, the apostles the 12 fawning slackers, and John the Baptist, the lunatic imposter. Her views on great authors was no better, She called Henry David Thureau the pronouncer and proclaimer. That might also be the name for our Miss Jane! So as I said, I am not sure I would have liked her as a friend. I also found the author’s writing a bit choppy, uneven, and the search for the money was all over the place. Some of it was funny and amusing. I laughed out loud visualizing her ride home on the great fish. But I often was exasperated by the plot in general.But what saved this book for me was another book that the author wrote. I noticed on the front of the book it says that this book is a RETURN to Moser’s lovingly crafted village of Kingdom Common. So at Barnes and Nobel I found A Strange in the Kingdom. Aha!! After I read it I reread On Kingdom Mountain and liked it much better!! Even so I still only give it a 3.And A Stranger in the Kingdom gets a 4And it was nice to know that Mosher really can write, he just didn’t do it in this book.

[theprincess_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Miss Jane and her independence and Henry and his charm and wit make a great story On Kingdom Mountain. There is always something to wonder about in this book. Lots of interesting episodes between characters, both living and dead, and the connections are made in a very unusual story with more than a touch of humor.

[bobnolin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Guess I'm on a New England kick. Just finished Owen Meany by John Irving (most of it, anyway) and then picked this up. No comparison. This was MUCH better. Miss Jane lives and breathes on the page. She's quirky, but not just to be odd and sell books. She's odd for a reason. She's interesting. I wanted to know what happens to her. The story could have easily become Woman vs. The Evil Lawyers in Town, but Mosher imbues the conflicts here with subtlety and intelligence. The ending was very satisfying and believable. It's a story that is magical and realistic at the same time, I'd say. And oh yeah: there's a fun treasure hunt, too. Forgot about that. Mosher deserves much greater recognition. I'll be reading his 'The True Account' next. The themes here (Individual vs. Society, Marriage vs. Remaining Single, the sacredness of nature, Family and Tradition) are similar to another great novel by Mosher, 'Where the Rivers Flow North,' but it's not a retelling, by any means. Mosher is able to revisit the themes that are important to him without telling the same story over and over again. It's a different angle. It's a happier (funnier!) book. Highly recommended. (And much better than Owen Meany.)

[fuzzy_patters · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The best word to describe this novel is "quirky." Jane Hubbell Kinneson is an eccentric woman who lives alone on the mountain of her forefathers. While ice fishing, on the mountain, Jane is interrupted when a yellow bi-plane crashes into the ice. She hurries to help and meets the pilot, Henry Satterfield, who is there to solve the riddle that his grandfather, a Civil War confederate soldier, has left him about some stolen treasure that he has left on the mountain. The story grows from there as Henry and Jane get to know each other better and are faced with additional mysteries and challenges.I found this to be an entertaining book. I really enjoyed the Jane character. She was very interesting and definitely had a unique perspective of the world. One of the major shortcomings of the book was that it seemed a bit restrained. I felt like Mosher's creativity was great in coming up with the original idea for the story, but he always seemed to be holding something back in the actual storytelling. If you read this book, take it for what it is. It's an entertaining time waster on a weekend afternoon.

[kcslade · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

OK novel of eccentric Vermont women who must protect Kingdom Mtn. from developers. She meets a pilot from the South who helps her and then leaves her for a treasure.Readable but nothing special.