Brownell, Gertrude Hall
"The Nowadays Girls in the Adirondacks: or, The Deserted Bungalow on Saranac…" by Gertrude Calvert Hall is a juvenile adventure novel written in the early 20th century. It follows four spirited friends—Sylvia Pursell, Rose Bancroft, Alice Harrow, and Hazel “Baby” Reed—who call themselves the Nowadays Club and set off for an Adirondack summer with their dignified chaperon, Mrs. Theodora Leigh Brownley. Woven through their vacation plans is Sylvia’s worry for her brother Roy, recovering at Saranac after a breakdown tied to a lost chemical formula, hinting at mystery alongside outdoor fun. Expect dances, canoeing, mishaps, and budding friendships as the girls make their way toward Saranac and the promise of a deeper intrigue. The opening of the story introduces the club, their lively personalities, and Sylvia’s plan for an Adirondack tour that will end near Roy’s sanitarium at Saranac Lake. A troubling telegram about Roy is softened by a later reassuring call, and the girls plunge into New York shopping and theater before departing with Aunt Theodora. On the train they befriend Jack Benton, detour for a sociable week in Syracuse, then reach Old Forge. There, a ballroom mishap sees Alice’s emerald ring lost and dramatically recovered, a canoe collision tips Alice into the lake (rescued by practiced oarsmen), and a golf drive knocks a passerby—but only his pride—before the girls try their luck fishing. Finally, they set off by guide-boat through the Fulton Chain toward Raquette La…
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