The Fall of the Year — Howard Frank Mosher

A priest's adopted son narrates a colorful tale of small-town Vermont life in this autobiographical novel from the author of A Stranger in the Kingdom.

Set in the beautiful mountains of Kingdom County, The Fall of the Year is Howard Frank Mosher's brilliant autobiographical novel about love in all its forms, from friendship to the most passionate romance, in a place where family, community, vocation, and the natural world still matter profoundly.

Here are the lively stories of the eccentric inhabitants of Kingdom County, including Louvia the Fortuneteller; Foster Boy Dufresne, the local bottle picker and metaphysical savant; the incomparably strange clairvoyant and matchmaker, Louvia the Fortuneteller; Dr. Sam E. Rong, a wayfaring Chinese herbalist and connoisseur of human nature; the itinerant vaudevillian mind reader, Mr. Moriarity Mentality, who uses his unusual powers to teach the town fathers a lesson they will never forget; and the daredevil tomboy Molly Murphy, who risks her life to fulfill her dream of running away with the Greatest Little Show on Earth. Mosher's kingdom is “timeless. It existed well before man, has survived his spell upon it, and will do so long after the curtain has fallen” (Washington Post Book World).

Praise for Fall of the Year

“Impossible to read without recalling the best tales of Washington Irving and Mark Twain.” -- Richard Russo

“Superb storytelling, a delightful novel filled with humor and grace.” -- Alice Hoffman

“Dialogue so right that you feel like you're eavesdropping on a small, special world.” -- New York Times Book Review

“Mosher at his agile best, spinning a tale that richly melds vibrant character sketches and a palpable sense of place . . . . his spare folktale style, a wide spectrum of unforgettable minor characters and rich sense of story sustain this ultimately winning novel.” -- Publishers Weekly