Customer Reviews

Thale's Folly

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This wonderful book by Dorothy Gilman was my introduction to her world and I can't wait to get back in. Her 'Mrs. Pollifax' series is well known but this book is a gem to savored as well.

Thale's Folly center's on Andrew Thale, a young, frustrated writer and son of a very ambitious and driven company man (who does not take NO for an answer)who asks his son to look into some family property they inherited several years prior. Andrew reluctantly agrees to view the 25 acres of land that his aunt Harriet left to the family only to find the run down house inhabited by a rag-tag group of people.

He learns that his aunt used to take people in and care for them and the people living at Thale's Folly (not just the name of the property but also the way the Thale's view this excursion) are the people carrying on her legacy, living in fear that they will be discovered.

During his stay at Thale's Folly Andrew learns the true meaning of life as well as helps to solve a mystery or two. Along the way he meets some wonderful people including the enchanting Gussie, the beautiful Tarragon, the enigmatic and proper Miss L'Hommedieu amongst many.

The pace is quick, fun and riveting. I finished this book in a day and I greedily want more! A book to be savored, full of rich characters - I highly suggest brewing a cup of tea and reading this on a rainy day.

It's very true that a less-than-terrific book by Dorothy Gilman is still much more fun to read than an excellent one by a lesser light. This book is so well set-up that I fell head-long under its myriad charms, but kept falling out again for the strangest reasons. That's why the 4 rather than 5 stars.

Andrew Thale is sent by his businessman father to western Massachusetts from their home in Manhattan, to inspect a supposedly neglected property that had belonged to Aunt Harriet Thale, who died five years before the opening of this story. An unhappy young man, Andrew has suffered a nervous breakdown after a plane crash, causing him to have a monumental case of writer's block. Even though he's had two well-regarded mystery novels published, he seems unable to write anything at all anymore. Not even interesting tid-bits for the company newsletter, a position handed him by his father.

Off Andrew goes in the company Mercedes. Although not all that far away in hours or miles, once he finds the place, it proves to be centuries removed from today's world. For Aunt Harriet was a collector--of people who were down on their luck a bit, or had no other place to go, or were generally looked down on by Society. She assembled a truly great household of delightful eccentrics, and promised them that they could stay there forever. And so they have.

Miss L'Hommedieu could have arrived on a "Streetcar Named Desire" embodying as she does the ancient southern belle, wrapped in layers of chiffon, and sporting beautiful old-fashioned hats. She entertains her fellow householders by writing a paragraph of a new story and reading it to them every evening. Problem is, it's a different story every time, and she never continues any of them. She only does beginnings. To digress a moment--what wonderful beginnings they are, too! They almost make one wonder if perhaps Ms. Gilman had resurrected them from her younger days. If so, I do wish she'd finish some of them. They're wonderful! Back to the book . . .

Then, there's Gussie, who practices Wicca quite openly, to the general admiration of the nearby townsfolk, as well as her own housemates. Leo is a well-educated and well-read Marxist, who delights in quoting passages from the great philosphers through the ages. This came in handy when Tarragon Sage Valerian--so named by Miss Thale, who claimed that privilege after finding the baby on her doorstep--made her appearance. Tarragon is much loved by all, regardless of her birth, and has been very well-educated in her home school, organized by Leo.

But the house--Thale's Folly--well, the money left by Miss Thale dwindled, and the electricity was turned off. Followed, of course, shortly thereafter by the water. Fortunately, there is a creek and a pond on the twenty-five acres around the house, and some of those acres are put to good use as vegetable and herb gardens. The little band survives, in spite of themselves.

This is the situation when Andrew arrives; he's totally confounded by everything. Doing all the wrong things first, however, he is their inadvertent saviour. When his room is ransacked, he stumbles over the missing will while searching for something to read. He then discovers his long-lost Mother living most happily in a cabin on the other side of the pond.

All too soon, the gypsies have arrived, and Andrew has miraculously found his next book in a trunk in Miss L'Hommedieu's room. All the loose ends are neatly tied up in the last ten pages. Therein lies my major complaint. It's TOO rushed! There are just too many loose ends still dangling when one turns the final page. More! I want more! Please!

Actually, this book had such a gentle, naïve feel to it, one could almost think it was an early book by Ms.Gilman, perhaps even pre-dating the illustrious Mrs. Pollifax, or the Clairvoyant Countess. It had such a very 50s feel to it, the sudden mention of a cell phone or computer was quite jarring. Plus all those wonderful beginnings by Miss L'Hommedieu were crying for middles and endings. Even with these niggles, though, it was still a most enjoyable book. With an added bonus--an alert to the newest Mrs. Pollifax adventure. Hooray!

Novelist Andrew Thale has some problems in his life. His dad is overpowering enough as a father, but what makes life even tougher is that he is also Andrew's boss. Andrew's father has sent him to a make an assessment of the property an eccentric aunt left them five years ago. Once there, Andrew meets a group of people as eccentric as his late aunt and finds himself mixed up in the mysteries of their lives. The surprise for Andrew and his family is that the lives and mysteries of these people help to solve some serious problems in their lives.

Dorothy Gilman is an exceptional writer with a lot of success behind her name, and if you ever read the Mrs. Pollifax series or any of her stand-alone mysteries you will understand why. In reading Thale's Folly, I noticed it read more like general fiction than a mystery. Although hints toward the mystery are dropped here and there, it doesn't take off until half way through the book and even then the author focus more on the characters and their lives than the mystery. Don't misunderstand me, I still liked the book, it was a personal eye opener for me. I loved the characters, they are convincing and unusual, and the transition from city to country was so clear that I felt myself relaxing along with Andrew Thale.

It's an enchanting, compassionate story that, to me, took on the form of a parable with it's ending.

Gilman can write. This is a wonderfully inventive story of a blocked writer's coming of age in western Massachussetts, while attempting to do a little research for his corporate father. The characters Andrew Thale discovers living ~ squatting ~ in his father's property are strange, unusual, leftovers, curious, relics ~ use whatever adjectives you prefer, since Gilman has come up with unique people again. Thale, without planning it, though the reader can predict it, becomes a part of the community on the property, and through his experiences there is redeemed from the stale, corporate writing life he had found himself squeezed into. The plot, for all its inventiveness, has a couple of predictable, mawkish moments ~ the reunion of Thale's separated parents immediately springs to mind ~ but they do not detract from the overall beauty of this book.

There comes a time in the avid reader's life when one day you just cannot get a satisfied start on a book. I happened to see this book on a lonely shelf and I did not fail to take a chance. I began reading and was trapped after the first few pages...from beginning to end I kept reading. Each and every character has a spellbinding uniqueness. Andrew found what he needed by going to view a piece of property and a house that his father thought was left to him by his late sister Harriet. The house, unbeknownst to his, was inhabited by a distinguished group of people. Andrew fell hopelessly for each one of them. Having arrived a stagnent writer, he ends up with so much more. This is one book that should not be passed up.

This book is magical. I love the characters. The story is engaging. Read it and remember Aunt Dimity.

I've grown to value Ms. Gilman as my other favorite author next to Peters/Pargeter. I grew to love Mrs. Pollifax in the Reader's Digest Condensed versions and then found all the other books written besides Pollifax mysteries. The characters are quirky, the settings are well described and I care what and how things happen/happened at Thale's Folly. My most valued momment came when Andrew's father arrived at Thale's Folly for the final time. Ms. Gilman, Thank you for straying from Mrs Pollifax.

Spend a little while with a group of loveable, slightly eccentric characters, who beat the odds and manage to come out on top. You will probably end up wishing you could join them at Aunt Thale's. If you are looking for a feel-good book, this one certainly qualifies.

"Thale's Folly" is a delightful read. I am reminded of some of Angela Thirkell's slightly zany and lovable people, even though the situation and plot are uniquely Ms. Gilman's own. I can relate quite easily to the people involved.

The only problem with this book is that I could not put it down. I also hope she continues to write more Mrs. Polifax stories as well as those outside of the series. In fact, I would like to know more about the Clairvoyant Countess and the other people whose stories she told.

I wouldn't say it was the most suspensful or captivating book in the world. More of a rainy day kind of thing. Andrew's father sends him to his dead great-aunt's former home to check out the house and property. He goes there to find that the house is not as empty as it shoud be. In fact, it is occupied by some very interesting people; the strays that Harriet Thale took in so long ago. There is Ms. L'Hommedieu a very deep woman, Gussie the witch, Leo the critic, and Tarragon the young and beautiful girl.
Andrew is amazed by their simple life, yet all is not well. These people are about to lose their home to Andrew's father, a theif breaks into the house, an old friend has disappered, and they find themselves drawn into a big mystery. Also, Andrew finds the one person he was not expecting.148
I must admit that the book started off very slow and I wasn't really interested. More than the first half of the book is just getting you familiarized with the people, their habits, and their overall way of life. Although, with the discription it is easy to picture the home and what is happening. When you reach certain parts you find yourself reluctant to put the book down. Those parts are few and far between, but when you reach them they are very good. Many people might find the book boring, but stick with it and you will be somewhat rewarded. There really is too much irrelevant material that doesn't make sense and is just a waste of reading space, but what is there is great. I would suggest this book to readers everywhere, but its just and average book. Not too exciting but definatly not dull. Who knows, maybe after you read it you will think how crazy I am for not thinking more of it, but how will you know until you read!