Folly

This book alternates telling the story of Mary Finn, a 15-year-old girl sent away from home when her father re-marries and of James Nelligan, a 6-year-old boy who is sent to a foundling house. Despite telling what seems like two entirely separate stories this book is still fascinating. Mary is so naïve and trusting and soon finds herself with child. Not surprisingly the father of the child takes off leaving Mary heartbroken. Thanks to a jealous fellow servant she soon finds herself in more trouble as she loses her position and is booted out of the house. It broke my heart watching Mary try to decide what was best for her child. James is a precocious boy that you cannot help but admire his spunk and it made you want to cry as he was parted from his foster mother and then see what the children in the foundling home go through. The entire book was gripping and I could not wait to see the fates of both Mary and James. This is a quick read you should be sure to pick up. Reviewed by Debbie Suzuki

The chapter's in this alternate from the points of view of various characters and tells Mary and James's stories. At first they appear to be completely separate stories and it isn't until near the end that you find out how the two stories are related. I found both stories fascinating and heart wrenching. Mary was so naive and she soon finds herself pregnant with Caden's child but he disappears on her. Watching Mary come to terms with what she must do for the well-being of the child made me want to cry. James's story was just as touching. The scene where he is dropped off at the foundling house and separated from his foster mother would touch anyones heart. We see how precocious James is as he grows up in the Founding House and endears himself to one of his teachers and the school nurse. The only wish I had for this book was to see what happens in the large gap in time there is between when Mary is pregnant and the end of the book when Mary is years older. She changes greatly and it would have been nice to see how she did it.

Have you read Folly yet? If not then you have no idea that you are missing out on. This historical fiction by Marthe Jocelyn has all the elements of a great story; a strong cast of characters, great story line and plot that is not to obvious and the story is really well paced. But more importantly, it has a real message behind the story. By the time you get into this book, you would not want this story to end. Folly is about a young woman Mary, who leaves her comfort zone in the country side to work in London. The move is orchestrated by her 'evil step mother'. Her new position in the Allyn house brings not only a new opportunity for her but it also brings jealously, intrigue and love. For those of us who judge a book by its cover, the front cover of this book doesn't accurately prepare you for the story that you are about to read. It's the first paragraph in the book that grips you and sets up the tone for the remainder of the book. Jocelyn uses four point-of-views to help tell the story of Mary and James. These characters live in different time periods ie Mary (1878) and James (1888). I thought it was a great idea to not only get the perspective of the two main characters but to also get the perspective of other people who are closely related to the story. Without even knowing it, those four points-of-view is what ultimately builds the story. It is evident that Marthe`s book belongs in the young adult genre. There are many issues in the story that would resonate well with that age bracket. Jocelyn is also really good at tapping into the emotions of teens and young adults no matter what period in time they live in. I guess you can call folly a great coming of age story as well since in the beginning, Mary's tone starts off as a teenager but ends as an adult. Somehow, Jocelyn's writing allows Mary to mature right in front of your eyes. You especially notice it in her tone coming to the end of the book. I think that adults will also appreciate this story since Mary grapples with very adult issues. You cannot help but feel for Mary in her situation. Speaking of the lead character, I really really liked her and I wished all women could be like her. Mary is funny, witting and so headstrong. She stands up for what she believes in even if that appears to be going against the established status quo in nineteenth century England. James on the other hand is so youthful, brave and extremely smart. It was a joy to get to know him. This is a light, funny story with real issues and Jocelyn is a great author who, even though she remains relatively unknown, should be on everyone's reading list.

Mary Finn is an honest and hardworking country who loves her family, particularly all her little siblings. She cares for them when her mother dies and would have until each grew up had it not been for her stepmother who insists Mary be sent away to work. Always the obedient girl, Mary goes to work. When she changes hobs to be a maid in London, the entire course of her life is changed because it's in London that Mary meets Caden Tucker and meeting Caden Tucker is the start of her problems. Suddenly Mary becomes a foolish girl, always dreaming of the man she believes is her sweetheart. How was Mary to know she might be making the biggest mistake of her life? Folly is an unusually told tale about the reverberating effects of the smallest actions. Set in the Victorian era, this novel certainly has historical appeal. And there is definitely something interesting about London in the late 1800s, even if Jocelyn does pick some of the Victorian period's more negative characteristics to portray, such as all children born out of wedlock being held up as the epitome of sin. Folly is told from many alternating perspectives following two separate by connected main storylines. Since I was more interested in Mary's story than James Nelligan's, all the switching between narrators was distracting. Although the ending, when the nature of Mary and James's connection is revealed, may be surprising for some readers, it was not for me. I figured out basically what was going to happen midway through the book merely by looking at the timeframes of Mary's and James's stories. Because of this, Folly wasn't as enjoyable a read as it could've been, although I still appreciate the sweet ending. Folly may be enjoyed by fans of Ivy by Julie Hearn, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher, and What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell.

I knew very little about this book going into it. All I knew was that it was historical fiction. And... honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction. I like my stories with a bit of the impossible mixed in. I was not expecting the emotional reaction that I had to this book. I got absolutely sucked into Mary's story. And for the four hours that I spent reading this book I shared in her happiness, vulnerability, and intense sadness. Marthe Jocelyn has created a masterpiece of historical fiction that I will not soon forget. I was engrossed in every character's story. I was concerned at first since the book is told from four different perspectives. It definitely has the potential to get very confusing. Especially since I read very fast and sometimes skip over important parts, thus losing details. But, I was able to follow each story and keep all the characters separated. And little James. Oh how I wanted to reach through the pages of this book and cuddle that poor boy. Marthe captured beautifully the emotions and sadness of a six year-old boy. I had never heard of the "foundlings" before, even though I did take a European history class. I felt such an intense sadness for these children who never knew their mothers and were taken away from their foster parents at such an early age. It was really eye-opening to see how unwed mothers were treated. In many cases, they were left with very few options. The end of this book left me in tears. I cried for every single character in this story, even the ones I hated. Even the characters that I hated were so beautifully crafted that I felt like they deserved a chance at happiness as well. Thank you so much Marthe Jocelyn for sharing this story. I can't wait to read more of your work.