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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Folly to Buy This Book, April 14, 2009
"Fortune's Folly" is a charming fairytale in which a resourceful cobbler's daughter is forced to both make, and make true, a grand prophecy for a kingdom's prince. Along the way, she finds strength, wit and true love, all against an incredibly rich, fully-realized world that is Renaissance Italy, but *not* Renaissance Italy.
This debut is sweet, but not saccharine, smart without being too clever for its own good, and has a happy ending that is earned and not dictated by the author. Fagan's hand on the page is light- Fortunata's voice comes through clearly and consistently, and the story never slips into accidental anachronism.
And it's a refreshing story where our heroine is always smart and resourceful, making those sweeping moments when she needs rescuing swoonworthy instead of distressingly necessary. This is a book I intend to read with my daughter, and to share with my friends' daughters, because every girl deserves a hero like Fortunata on her bookshelves.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Rate Fairytale, April 18, 2009
Fortune's Folly, by Deva Fagan, is a lovely first novel, appropriate for grades 4-8, but entertaining for parents and teachers, as well. Set in a fictional world reminiscent of Renaissance Italy, this is a place where nearly everyone believes in magic...except Fortunata, the titular heroine. When circumstances force Fortunata and her widowed father to leave their home city, matters quickly go from bad to worse, and Fortunata must become "a swindler and a charlatan" if they are to survive.
With elements from many classic fairytales, Fortune's Folly remains fresh, with a plucky and proactive heroine, despicable villains, realistically flawed protagonists, and a fast moving plot. There are issues here worthy of discussion--the line between right and wrong, the power of faith, the fact that logic cannot fully explain our lives--but they are deftly interwoven, with no heavy handed moralizing. As Fortunata struggles to find her way between two evils, she slowly comes to understand that her world is not quite what she imagined...and neither is she.
There is some violence, but nothing graphic, and no "adult situations" beyond a kiss; I would be comfortable reading this out loud to children of 8 and above (the tasteful and understated romance would probably bore very small children), and would recommend it to adults as well. The writing style is reminiscent of Patricia Wrede in her "Dragons" books, but the author has a voice all her own. I hope more books will be forthcoming.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fortunes Folly: An Outstanding Debut!, June 3, 2009
Fortunes Folly by Deva Fagan
First I have to offer my congrats to Deva for her literary debut, having worked closely with Deva on many Prophecy projects, I had no doubts that it would be great, and I was not disappointed.
There are many things that I love about this book. The fairy tale-like quality is outstanding. The tone of the book transported me back to my youth and my first collection of Fairy Tales which I read over and over. My dad picked it up at a garage sale, and I still associate the old book smell with that collection. Everything from the world to the character archetypes reminds me of those classic stories. But even better than the overall tone was the main character Fortunata, or Nata as she is called by her friends.
I loved that Nata is an active heroine who rises to the challenges presented in her less than charmed life. Rather than pining away and waiting for other people, or magic, or fairies to solve her problems, Nata seizes control of her own destiny. What is remarkable about this is that it does not go down the self-aggrandizing path of existentialist angst like so much fiction today. Instead it is an affirmation of the power of a person to control their destiny and a reminder that there is magic in the world.
Of course, a review of this book would be lacking without an acknowledgment of the author's expert use of words. Fagan's love of words is as apparent as her wit and humor with words like kerfuffled!
Overall I would give this book five crazy-colored mismatched shoes out of five. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an uplifting and fanciful story. I have passed this book on to the English chair at the Junior High in my district and shared it with many of my students, all of whom really enjoyed it. This is an excellent debut novel, and I can't wait to read more!
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