The True Account : A Novel of the Lewis & Clark & Kinneson Expeditions

From Publishers Weekly
Yet another novel that anticipates the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark's expedition, this clever account by Mosher (A Stranger in the Kingdom, etc.) breaks with form, to hilarious effect. Private True Teague Kinneson, a Vermont schoolteacher and inventor, writes to Jefferson to recommend himself for the expedition to the Pacific. When Jefferson announces that he's already appointed Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, True, with his teenage nephew, Ticonderoga, in tow, heads West anyway, determined to reach the Pacific first. Ticonderoga narrates their adventures, describing with a straight face the schemes of his daffy uncle. True is an odd duck, strutting around in a chain-mail vest, an Elizabethan codpiece and a red cloth cap with a bell attached. The cap covers a copper helmet that protects his skull, which was injured, he improbably claims, during his tenure with Ethan Allen's regiment at Fort Ticonderoga. He also gleefully indulges a daily cannabis habit, which perhaps accounts for some of the above eccentricities. As the pair travel to Monticello and points west, they come across all manner of outlandish characters: Daniel Boone's sexpot daughter, Danielle; an angry badger; and many Indian tribes, friendly and not. Meanwhile, Ti lovingly paints his experiences onto canvas, True corresponds with the Kinneson clan back in Vermont and the pair keep in touch with their rivals, Lewis and Clark. Fun and fanciful with much to savor, Mosher's novel demonstrates a boundless imagination and a light comic touch.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Writing in a 19th-century style, Mosher uses episode and adventure to tell about the efforts of the idiosyncratic and addled Private True Teague Kinneson and his nephew, Ticonderoga (the narrator), to beat the Lewis and Clark expedition to the Pacific Coast. They work with the explorers as much as they try to best them, and along the way must deal with all manner of problems and characters. The women are the men's equals and the Indians are seen as the decent and undeserving victims of their fates to come. These modern-day ideas benefit the book by removing what now may seem like the rough edges of 19th-century mores, and allowing readers to enjoy this classic form. And there is a good deal of enjoyment as the heroes overcome one impediment after another, as well as in the way the characters are portrayed. Many of them tend toward caricature, but none is treated with anything less than respect. Readers are treated to adventure and comedy, without losing any of the seriousness of the actual events. If this fun book leads them to try some of the classics of this genre, then that's all the better.Ted Westervelt, Library of Congress, Washington, DCCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
A combination of Don Quixote, The Odyssey, and The Great Race, this hilarious spin-off of the Lewis and Clark Expedition chronicles the escapades of Ticonderoga Kinneson and his daffy uncle as they traverse the American wilderness. Determined to beat Lewis and Clark to the Pacific, Uncle True, a genuine New England eccentric who sports a copper dome (the result of an unfortunate alcohol-induced accident) on his head, and Ti set off on a wild ride across the continent, encountering all manner of colorful characters along the way. The adventures and misadventures of these two dyed-in-the-wool Vermonters serve as a comical counterpoint to the more staid and serious journey of their rivals. With all the hoopla surrounding the imminent bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, this picaresque tale provides a riotous fictional twist on a revered American legend. Irresistibly insane, this novel celebrates the unique brand of homespun humor popularized in the tall tales of Mark Twain. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"An erudite and absorbing tweak of the Great Exploration."


Book Description
Howard Frank Mosher introduces Private True Teague Kinneson, who sets out with his nephew, Ticonderoga, on an epic race to reach the Pacific before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Along the way True and Ti encounter Daniel Boone and his six-foot-two spinster daughter, Flame Danielle; fight and trick a renegade army out to stop Lewis"s expedition; invent baseball with the Nez Perce; hold a high-stakes rodeo with Sacagawea"s Shoshone relatives; and outwit True"s lifelong adversary, the Gentleman from Vermont, a.k.a. the devil himself.


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Howard Frank Mosher introduces Private True Teague Kinneson, who sets out with his nephew, Ticonderoga, on an epic race to reach the Pacific before Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Along the way True and Ti encounter Daniel Boone and his six-foot-two spinster daughter, Flame Danielle; fight and trick a renegade army out to stop Lewis's expedition; invent baseball with the Nez Perce; hold a high-stakes rodeo with Sacagawea's Shoshone relatives; and outwit True's lifelong adversary, the Gentleman from Vermont, a.k.a. the devil himself.


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