Folly

Phenomenal Writing!

One of the best books I've read. The author has a knack for making one feel that they are "in the moment". A true thriller with a multitude of twists & turns.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Intense

A book which slowly, but not too slowly, lets us into the mind of a talented, gutsy and disturbed woman who challenges her despair. Wonderful and sensitive work.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Nice Recipe for Reading

Great Book!!!! This book is a cut above the average mystery book. It has depth, depth, and more depth. The background of mystery, human nature, mental illness, woodworking art, and wonderful descriptive words describing the island and house makes all the ingredients necessary to stir up a wonderful book. Buy it...you'll love it!!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent character study

Though he bravely fought in Europe during World War I, Desmond Newborn knows his efforts darken his soul. When he returns home he suffers from battle fatigue and leaves his wealthy California family to roam the countryside until settling on a barren island in the San Juan Straits. Just when he finishes building his home, a fire destroys the edifice. Desmond vanished, never to be seen or heard from again.

Desmond¿s grandniece Rae Newborn suffers from clinical depression. She inherits Desmond¿s island, dubbed ¿Folly¿. She intends to rebuild the house all by herself, as she believes that might help her cope with the loss of her husband and child and the resultant stay in a psychiatric ward. If she fails at this monumental task, Rae plans to end it all.

Laurie R. King is known for her police procedurals and thrillers. However, stepping into a different genre, the versatile author looks at one person¿s fight with a crippling mental illness that threatens to engulf her grip on reality. Readers will walk alongside and encourage Rae as she gradually takes one step forward only to stumble back two steps. Folly is an inspiring tale that brings the hope that in the darkest night daylight remains attainable.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Rebuilding a house = rebuilding a self: Excellent character creation/ analysis of intersection between mental health and circumstances.

I enjoyed this story of a middle-aged woman who rebuilds a house on a remote (fictional) island in the San Juan Islands area of Washington state. The main character's mental state was very well-drawn and there was enough suspense/ thrill elements to move the plot along nicely, although it wasn't as gripping as many of the author's other works. The supporting characters were well-drawn also.

I find myself still thinking about the metaphors of the house as self and the concepts of compression and tension in relation to both building and mental health/ daily life. Well done!

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