Folly: A Novel [Paperback]

Susan Minot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

The author of the national bestseller Monkeys has written a new novel that will appeal to fans of The Age of Innocence. Set in 1917 New England, it is the story of a conventional girl with unconventional stirrings, in a world where the choosing of a husband determines a woman's life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A coming-of-age story set in turn-of-the-century Boston from the author of Monkeys .
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Lillian Eliot is the product of Brahmin Boston, whose traditions and socially correct attitudes have been instilled in her. She has been cast in the mold. Yet at times she longs to break free, to be someone different. Lillian sees that her choice of a husband will determine her future, but she finds herself most comfortable with what is familiar and marries accordingly. Later in life she is again faced with the choice--to break free or stay. In making her choice, Lillian finally discovers herself. This is a book of the inner workings of the heart and the mind. In elegant, eloquent prose, Minot captures the essence and the impact of life's decisions. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/92.
- Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education Lib., Providence
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press; Original edition (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067174951X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671749514
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,599,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Minot is an award-winning novelist and short story writer whose books include Monkeys, Folly, Lust & Other Stories, and Evening, which was adapted into the feature film of the same name starring Meryl Streep. Minot was born in Boston and raised in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, attended Brown University, and received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. She currently lives with her daughter in both New York City and an island off the coast of Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical, yet thought-provoking, June 12, 2003

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Folly: A Novel (Paperback)

Susan Minot's prose is so lyrical, so musical and rapturous, it's a wonder one can pay attention to the story.
Folly, however, IS a story, one that harkens back to memories of The Awakening, Yellow Wallpaper, and other stories of women trapped in imperfect, unfulfilling marriages during an era when even to admit such a thought could lead to one's downfall. When forced to make a choice, Lillian's world opens to self-discovery. Folly is an elegant examination of the inner workings of the heart of a woman.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of Powerful Story and Character, September 26, 2000

By 

Caroline P. Hampton (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Folly: A Novel (Paperback)

"Folly" by Susan Minot is a wonderfully written tale of a woman's choice in a time when a woman's marriage is everything. This tale of heartbreak and intrigue is fabulous. I was fascinated by this decision a wonderfully charismatic woman must make. It has a tremendous amount of charm and heart. It's very well written with a lot of emotion and power. There are moments of "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton (which is a classic and can't be surpassed) but, this novel certainly has a lot going for it. I was very happy with my read. I recommend it.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Careful, precise prose, September 15, 1999

By 

Robert H. Nunnally Jr. "gurdonark" (Allen, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Folly: A Novel (Paperback)

Is it possible to write a tragicomedy of manners without descending into the literary equivalent of Merchant and Ivory territory? Susan Minot's Folly makes a courageous try, aided by a sparse, unemphatic prose style. Ms. Minot's prose style underscores the sharp contrast between the spare passages and her rare flights into extended fantasy or metaphor.

The plot commences in 1917, leading us through a few decades in the life of a Boston well-to-do woman. The "real story", as so often is the case, is the effect of the social milieu upon all its denizens. Although in "social content" Folly brings to mind the novels of Edith Wharton, it must be said that Ms. Minot is unwilling to draw the simple solutions to the social issues she raises that Ms. Wharton might have painted two generations ago. No swift damnations come to those who people this novel merely as a result of their station, nor is easy salvation to be found in flight to a more "free" way of life. Instead, the story is laced with a pleasing ambiguity--perhaps an escape is possible, but the exits are not clearly marked.

"Literary fiction", that sad refugee of obscure collegiate publications, has evolved into a stylized genre no more aesthetically pleasing (and a good bit less entertaining) than, say, science fiction or a well-crafted mystery. Ms. Minot can justly be accused of writing a version of the "MFA litmag" novel, yet she shows the form is not without its virtues. The near-gamesmanship with which she crafts each sentence to achieve studied, quiet precision in her style and ideas makes this story eminently readable and in its own way quite evocative. One might not wish for the slow, gentle satire and complex despair of Folly in every novel one reads, but Folly is certainly worth the effort. Ms. Minot's work, though bearing the stigmata of "literary fiction", suggests that practitioners of this dour form can resurrect interest by placing precise execution of a worthwhile plot first, and saving the "cute" turns of phrase and wails of despair for the literary seminars. Although not everyone will like Folly, it is very satisfying for those who wish a "good read" with a modern sensibility.