This is a novel which is convoluted and magnificent. Parts of it are reminiscent of The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, particularly the three original members of the Moosepath League, as well as the numerous adventures experienced by other characters. The novel is set in 1890's Maine (USA), starting in Portland and going to Wiscasset, Fort Edgecomb, Boothbay Harbour, Damariscotta, Millinocket and so forth. https://readableword.wordpress.com/2021/07/31/cordelia-underwood-or-the-marvelou... ( )

I cannot wade through this book. The formal writing style is reminiscent of a Dickens novel. Very slow and plodding, with extraneous detail which adds to the sluggish pace. I really have been trying to read this book for months, but I have to put it down every 10 pages or so. There are great characters, but the pace is so tediously slow that I just can’t force myself to care about them. I know that this book will delight some readers, but not me. I’m 124 pages along, and I’m done. ( )

[Cordelia Underwood: Or, the Marvelous Beginnings of the Moosepath League] by Van Reid
4.5★’s

From The Book:
Step back in time to Portland, Maine, in 1896. When the young, beautiful, redheaded Cordelia Underwood inherits a parcel of land from her seafaring uncle, it sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the unearthing of a family secret two centuries old. Cordelia soon crosses paths with Mister Tobias Walton and finds herself aided in her quest by the warmhearted gentleman, who has never heard of an adventure he isn't eager to join. Together with his hapless trio of friends, the Moosepath League, they embark on an entertaining and audacious adventure. Teeming with Cupid's arrows flying hither and yon, apparitions, a kidnapping, smuggling, and thievery, and filled with wonderment, romance, and adventure, [Cordelia Underwood] is a splendid yarn of the old-fashioned variety.

My Thoughts:
The book takes place in a much gentler by- gone time of1896 among the well-to-do of Portland Maine. It’s a romance, a treasure hunt, and a mystery all rolled into one beautiful package…with a touch of modern humor and sensibility. I stumbled onto this intriguing book as a recommendation as a Blind Date With a Book from “tealady” one of my friends. The story is character-driven from beginning to end....and what fascinating characters and great tales they do tell. Everyone from 10 to 100 will absolutely love it and I am looking forward to making friends with the remainder of the series. ( )

This book is a wonderful find, since well written books full of humor are ever so rare. Set in about 1898 in Maine, it features Cordelia, the heroine, and a troupe of eccentric and funny friends who fancy themselves as detectives. This is the first in a series and I highly recommend it. Oh, there is the mystery of buried treasure, nasty rogues, a lady who performs with a hot air balloon wearing a daring costume, a bear that stands on its head, possible romance and much more. ( )

This novel is the rare humorous book that can be equally entertaining to both the barely literate 500 Club crowd in search of something fitting into the milquetoast genre of "cozy mystery" (murder OK, so long as it's not too gory, and all beautiful heroines are ideals of Victorian morality), and those voracious readers of all kinds of books who love a good story, but love a good quirky story even more. The plot of Cordelia Underwood—at least the main plot, which becomes quickly obscured by more extraordinary, although not strictly relevant, events—revolves around a bog standard main character, the Lovely, Fair-Minded and A Little Plucky Young Woman in the person of Cordelia of the title and some things that happen to her that are not really worth mentioning, because the point of the book is really its population of everyday eccentrics, their bumbling follies, and the very funny turns of phrase used to describe them (much is made of a certain aerial daredevil of the fair sex and her "attractive suit of tights"). This style is reminiscent of Garrison Keillor's better novels and stories; and the men of what become the Moosepath League are literary descendants of Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. This book wouldn't suffer from a slightly more burlesque treatment, but it's good fun nonetheless. ( )