Green Fancy
1917
On a stormy evening in rural New England, wealthy engineer Thomas K. Barnes seeks shelter at Hart's Tavern and encounters a determined young woman also fighting the rain, desperately trying to reach a place called Green Fancy. Her cleverness and quiet courage captivate him, but before he can learn more, she vanishes into the night in an automobile, leaving him haunted by her mysterious mission. Barnes abandons his walking tour to unravel the secrets of Green Fancy and find the woman who so abruptly disappeared from his life. What follows is a romance laced with intrigue, as Barnes navigates eccentric locals, hidden histories, and the quiet mysteries of the New England countryside. McCutcheon, writing in 1917, crafts a world where modern automobiles rattle down roads past ancient farmhouses, and a single encounter can alter the course of a life. The novel moves with the unhurried charm of its era, yet builds toward revelations that recontextualize everything that came before. For readers who crave early 20th-century American romance with an undercurrent of mystery, Green Fancy offers an ode to chance meetings, forgotten places, and the allure of the unknown.
