Synopses & Reviews
A love story, a social history, and an act that echoes through generations.Set in the late 1800's, Marthe Jocelyn's stunning new novel is told in the voices of four people whose lives and destinies intertwine. There's Mary, who begins exceeding ignorant (apart from what a girl can learn from family mayhem, a dead mother, and a grim stepmother) and winds up encountering lust and betrayal when she becomes a servant in a fine house in London. Mary's nemesis is another maid in the household, Eliza. Eliza also knows lust and betrayal, but she doesn't know who is betraying who.
Mary's and Eliza's actions will intersect with a foundling home in London, where Oliver is a teacher who tries to avoid feeling anything that will perhaps make him live a real life. And then there's the foundling boy, James. Who will he grow up to be if he doesn't know where he comes from?
In the chaotic way of every life, where the past, present, and future collide, Marthe Jocelyn has traced a story that is heartbreaking and unforgettable.
Synopsis
Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London.
Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in London
Caden Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart's delight
James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys
When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She's been a girl of common sense until now. Mary's tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.
In Folly, Marthe Jocelyn's breathtaking command of language, detail, and character brings Victorian London to life on every page, while the deep emotions that illuminate this fascinating novel about life-changing moments are as current as today's news.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Marthe Jocelyn is the author of several award-winning novels and has also written and illustrated picture books. Her novels for Wendy Lamb Books include
How It Happened in Peach Hill and Would You. She lives in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. You can visit her on the Web at www.marthejocelyn.com.
From the Hardcover edition.