Disappearances

by Howard Frank Mosher

Book Overview

Winner of the New England Book Award, Howard Frank Mosher's endearing novel is both a heroic adventure and a thrilling coming-of-age story. It is the memorable tale of a young man named Wild Bill Bonhomme, his larger-than-life father, Quebec Bill, and their whiskey-smuggling exploits along the Vermont-Canada border in 1932. On an epic journey through the wilderness, Bill and his father encounter a cast of wild characters--and live out magical escapades...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618694064
• ISBN13: 9780618694068
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Almost indescribable

I was recommended this book by a friend while climbing Worcester Mountain near Middlesex, Vermont. I grabbed it just before a solo overnight on a section of the Long Trail. The only copy the store had was an autographed (for cover price), but the owner assured me that Mr. Mosher would appreciate my stuffing the book into my pack for a hike in the Green Mountains. I trusted the person who recommended the book, but was not prepared for how good it is.One part Beat, one part magical realsim, one part historical fiction. All this (and more) combined with an engaging writing style that keeps the pages turning. More than any other book, I felt completly satisfied at the end. Every word sits gently in my memory, so that I won't need to re-read it for a while. It now sits on the shelf in the company of 'The Dharma Bums' and 'Sometimes a Great Notion'.

A beautiful and uplifting book

I first read this book in college in 1987, and go back to it every few years when I need to be reminded how wonderful life is. It is beautifully written, incredibly funny and very, very moving. I don't know why this book isn't more widely read, it certainly deserves to be.

A wonderful tale of bygone northern New England

This is the first book I read by this author and have since read all his works. He has a wonderful understanding of the REAL Vermont natives and his local color truly captures a lost era of New England history. This is a "must read" for anyone who enjoys novels of New England. It has almost folk tale overtones as does his novella "Where The Rivers Flow North", another fine piece.

Simply one of the best stories every written

I cannot reccomend this book enough. Dissapearances is the only father son book better than A River Runs Through it. Paul Bunyonesque exploration of the North East Kingdom of Vermont.

natural history, tall tales, adventure: Pure enjoyment

I read this novel every few years. It is a metaphor for life. I read it in college in the area where the story takes place. What did I like best? Whiskey-running, demon chasing adventure. Absurd tall tales blending with natural history and American history. Intrigue. Rogue trickter mythology in rural Vermont in the 1920's.