Customer Reviews

A Stranger in the Kingdom: A Novel

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Howard Frank MOSHER has written a book which ranks alongside To Kill a Mockingbird, for me. I couldn't put it down and yet, it is not a fast read. The settings are lovingly painted and the characters richly detailed. The legal background is impeccable and the book as a whole leaves one satisfied, yet introspective. I shall read more of him

Discovering this book has been great fun. (I would read the funny parts to my husband; soon he was reading over my shoulder.) Mosher tells a tale well and after reading it three times, am going to read it again with my adult book club. My 8th grade students said, "I'll never read a book again this is as good as this." The main character, a teenage boy from a good family, lives in a small town where racial tolerance is untested. When a single black minister and his son come to town the narrator's family quickly befriends them but the town's gossips go into action and a series of events soon tests the town's tolerance. This isn't so much a story about race as it is just a good story told by a good storyteller. My discussions around this book centered on small town attitudes and how we treat each other. I loved it and look forward to laughing at Mosher's humorous turn-of-a-phrase once again.

What a spectacular book -- Mosher takes you on a thoughtful journey through the Vermont countryside and small town life, while making you think about important issues such as having an open mind and seeing the strengths of all persons, regardless of race or socio-economic status. Once I got past my initial desire for the plot to move at a faster pace, I realized the pacing of the novel was much like life in a small town and essential to the narrative. The characters are unique and complete.

Mosher is a master wordsmith and truly one of the most eloquent writers I've had the pleasure of reading in quite some time. His descriptions of character and place remind me of a less-ironic John Irving (and that is high praise, indeed, as Irving is my all-time favorite novelist). I'm surprised Mosher isn't more well-known, as he is so incredibly good.

I thought this book was a bit like getting on a roller coaster and taking the long slow clime and then suenlly you are set flying. For anyone who likes thrills such as a roller coaster I recomend this New England novel.

Howard Frank Mosher has used his own personal experiences of the unique culture of Vermont to give this intriguing story the hearty flavor of northern New England. Mosher develops the story of the black Reverend Andrew's experience in a small Vermont town that has lacked any ethnic diversity for decades. The last time a black family was living in Kingdom County was in the time of the origination of the area, Pliny Templton is well respected as the founder of Kingdom County and the local elementary school holds his name. He was also the last black man living in Kingdom County. Our narrator, James Kinneson, tells the story of a complicated murder mystery phenomenon that sweeps through Kingdom County. Mosher introduces Claire, a French-Canadian girl, to Kingdom and begins a whole new fury of confusion. James takes on the open minded task of befriending both Nat(the new Reverends son) and Claire, who is not looked upon highly by the citizens due to the fact the she came into town as a fair girl. As the plot thickens we encounter instances of murder, racism, betrayal, questioned trustworthiness and the whole town becomes skeptical of their neighbors when the find out there is a murder suspect among them. The question is, who is the stranger? The original Charles Kinneson's second wife, Mari the gypsy who stayed in Kingdom after her group of traveling gypsies passed through, or Reverend Andrews, the first black man in years, or Claire, the French girl who lived with the Reverend in the town parsonage and caused much of the commotion. The list could go on and on, you'll have to read and see for yourself.......If you would like to read a murder mystery crossed with the story of a quaint Vermont town A Stranger in the Kingdom is a wonderful choice.

Howard Frank Mosher's A Stranger in the Kingdom was an extremely exciting book. This book explores all of the aspects of a superb novel. A Stranger in the Kingdom is full of love, hate, murder, and mystery. This book takes place in fictional Kingdom County, Maine in the 1950's. When a black preacher and his son move in; a town that was once quiet becomes loud. Suprisingly the town begins to accept the preacher and his son. Things quiet down again but all goes to hell when a Canadian woman is found dead and fingers are pointed. Mosher's style of writing has an easy flow to it that makes reading this book simple yet interesting. Its brief 436 pages covered a wide range of topics including racism, sex, lies, deceit, and law ad order. A murder mystery such as this would thrill any reader. This book is very easy to compare to modern times and I would recommend it to anyone in need of a dose of reality.

As much as I enjoyed the film version of this book, I think the novel offers the reader a deeper, more nuanced portrait of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom than the aforementioned. I know that "Stranger" is based (in part) on an event which occured in 1968-but as an African American who lived in Vermont 30 years ago, I can tell you that he has done an amazing job of capturing the vibe-both good and bad-of that part of America. Highly recommended.

Howard Frank Mosher has set his story of A Stranger in the Kingdom back in 1952. Negro minister, Walt Andrews, has come to Kingdom County, Vermont looking for a little piece of heaven for himself and his motherless son. The reception the minister gets in "the Kingdom" (as it is called) is mixed. It is mostly favorable, because of the charisma, energy, and revitalization Walt Andrews brings to the First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Kingdom Common. He is a good man, and recognized as such. But, not everyone in the Kingdom is kindly disposed toward the Reverend. Both he and his son suffer veiled and open indignities.

The extended Kinneson family includes the strongest supporters of the preacher's ministry in Kingdom Common, as well as some of the sly underminers. When The Rev. Walt Andrews is put on trial for a savage murder, the Kingdom folks have to choose up sides. They also are forced to look deep within to see whether their Kingdom, God's kingdom, can still be all that they liked to think that it was. Charles Kinneson, Sr., owner and editor of the Kingdom County Monitor, Charles Kinneson, Jr. (Charlie), defense attorney, and 13-year-old James (Jim) Kinneson, through whose voice the story is told, are all firmly in Andrews' corner. Will that be enough? And, will Kingdom County ever be the same - regardless of the outcome of the trial? You will want to draw your own conclusions.

I began reading A Stranger in the Kingdom with every intention of being overly critical in my review and basically trashing the book, since that is what most English teachers like to see and this review is for an English project. As I read the book and sympathized with the characters, I had a hard time finding appropriate points to criticize. After I finished the last page I found I couldn't breathe a bad word about the colloquial language with "25 cent-ers" woven in or the characterization which Mosher employs.
I would recommend A Stranger in the Kingdom to almost everyone, with the exception of younger readers who may not be completely comfortable with the violence and sexual scenes and situations present in the latter half of the book. The book also deals with the concepts of prejudice, hate, sex and murder in a small New England town.
The story is told by a pre-teen by the name of James Kinneson who lends the events a very innocent perspective and the reader sees him develop and begin to lose this innocence. The story revolves around the new minister in town, Rev. Walter Andrews, who is African-American and has a more radical attitude than many in Kingdom County. He makes many enemies, but also gains James' father as a best friend, which proves invaluable in the future. Nat Andrews, the minister's son, befriends James, thus putting James even more into the action. Soon sex and a brutal murder come into play and the town is shocked. Immediately the newcomer, and minority member is accused and the town is torn apart not by what is right and wrong, but what assumptions are made based on town opinions. A Stranger in the Kingdom is a powerful book that strikes at the heart of what it is to live in a small town, the relationships that are made, and the prejudices that can endure. This is an excellent book that anyone living in New England or anyone who wants an interesting "below the surface" perspective should consider reading.

After reading Where The Rivers Flow North by Howard Frank Mosher, the decision to read A Stranger In The Kingdom was a natural one. Although the more than four hundred pages of historical fiction could easily have been scaled down considerably, the gratuitous length allowed for Mosher's infrequent but priceless gems of comedy. My expectations of the book were high. I did genuinely enjoy Where The Rivers Flow North, and hoped that this book would be similarly funny, but also insightful, and purposeful. A Stranger In The Kingdom was radically different from the other Mosher book I read. Which really surprised me, but it was very fulfilling. The plot was based on Mr. Andrews, a black minister and his son Nathan who move to Kingdom County Vermont, and are, especially at first, very well received by most, however there are the few who are unwelcoming to Reverend Andrews. The community is proud of its acceptance, however the Andrews are the only blacks in the Kingdom. "At best, its an untested tolerance we're talking about," says the father of a young local lawyer. Foreshadowing takes a large, very interesting stance in this book. The black minister moving into an all white town makes it somewhat obvious to the reader that racial issues will be addressed in the book The main purpose of the book is to demonstrate that racial conflict occurs not only in the south, but everywhere in the country. It is puzzling that while making this point about racism, Mosher makes it clear that Kingdom County Vermont is in a way "the last frontier," and that it remains very wild and that the surrounding communities view Kingdom County as a lawless society where anyone could get away with murder. This seems to contradict the main point in a way. If racism exists everywhere, why is it being pointed out as existing in a time capsule of a town? The main character of this book is not black, but a young local boy, son of the editor of the town's newspaper. The story is told, more or less, through his eyes and always in the third person. He is the one who discovers a dead body, who Reverend Andrews is later accused of murdering. The majority of the text deals with the trail that ensues, which transforms the book into a courtroom drama. However the main point deals with race relations the overall dynamics, politics, principles, beliefs, views, and opinions of Kingdom County Vermont.