Thale's Folly

A troubled young man is sent to inspect a supposedly deserted family property, where four charming squatters change the course of his life, gently leading him back to self-confidence and a sense of direction. One feels that John McDonough's voice must have been firmer and more flexible ten years ago, but he reads with great warmth and sensitivity to the tone of the text. He proceeds in a leisurely manner, as if savoring every word, and invites the listener to do the same. This is a gracious entertainment with enough depth to leave a pleasant resonance. J.N. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

March 1, 1999
Sowing her pages with quotations from Renaissance herbals, Gilman (author of the Mrs. Pollifax mysteries) cultivates a quaint (and not overly sophisticated) novel of romantic suspense. When eccentric Harriet Thales died, her farmhouse in Western Massachusetts--called Thale's Folly--was inherited by her corporate shark nephew, who now resents the bundle of money he's been paying in taxes. He sends his son, Andrew, whose failed writing career has relegated him to a back office hack job at his father's company, to check out the old place. Andrew finds that the purportedly empty house is home to an enchanting group of squatters: a six-foot spinster who begins a new short story every day; a sharp-eyed practitioner of Wiccan magic; a Marxist Luddite; and a 19-year old waif named Tarragon. The waif, of course, fascinates Andrew the most. Snoopers and would-be murderers add an element of suspense as the fate of Thale's Folly is determined and Aunt Harriet's peculiar legacy is revealed. Gilman relies too heavily on her characters' idiosyncrasies to do the work of characterization for her, but her fans will probably enjoy being gently propelled on a pleasant narrative track.