Folly

April 19, 2010
Inspired by the story of her grandfather and his mother, who gave him up to London's Foundling Hospital, Jocelyn (Would You
) intimately reimagines and fictionalizes their lives in alternating chapters and in different time periods. In 1876, 15-year-old Mary must leave home, not long after her mother dies, for a job as a scullery maid in London. A conniving co-worker, Eliza, encourages Mary to meet a young man in order to keep her away from an admiring butler; soon Mary finds herself in trouble after a passionate encounter that she herself deems unladylike, “but a lady were never what I got up in the morning to be.” Meanwhile, in 1884, six-year-old James must leave his beloved foster mother to return to the Foundling Hospital for an education. Told in third person (as are Eliza's chapters and those of an instructor at the Hospital), James's story is perhaps the most affecting, as he is alternately despondent and intrepid in seeking familial connections. The novel skillfully illustrates how the lives of those who resided “belowstairs” in Victorian England were at the mercy of those with means. Ages 14–up.

July 1, 2010
Gr 9 Up—-ary Finn is unmarried and pregnant. Her baby's father has disappeared and she's been dismissed from her domestic position. A kindhearted woman takes her in, but then dies after the baby is born, and Mary is homeless again. She realizes that her son's only hope for survival is to be raised in the Foundling Hospital. Six-year-old James has been happy in his foster home, but now he must return to the hospital, where he was placed by his mother as a baby, so he can receive his education. His third-person narrative, which takes place in 1884, alternates with Mary's first-person account, which is set between 1877 and 1878. This alternating point of view may be a bit confusing for teens at first, but the story will quickly pull them in. Jocelyn's characters are richly drawn and fully developed, and the setting of late-1800s London is vividly detailed. The climactic scenes between Mary and Eliza, another maid, are funny and sad at the same time. The novel has a melancholy feel to it, but readers will care very much for these characters as they experience first love and sex, physical pain, jealousy, homelessness, hunger, shame, desertion, and heart-wrenching decisions. Teens will find "Folly"historically enlightening as well as rewarding.—"Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
Grades 8-12 When author Jocelyn learned her grandfather had been born out of wedlock and raised at Londons Foundling Hospital, her curiosity was piqued. Research led to names and places and a sentimental hope that the woman who gave up her baby also had romance in her life. Here, Jocelyn reshapes family history into the story of Mary Finn, living in Victorian England. A new stepmother leads to a move to London, and an encounter with a handsome soldier eventually leads to a baby. Marys story, told in a clear-sighted, sometimes rueful voice, alternates with that of six-year-old James Nelligan, fostered during his early years and now back at the Foundling Hospital, where he tries to make a life for himself. Jocelyn sharply draws both Mary and James; her keen ear for dialect gives all her characters dimension, while her eye for detail makes her settings real and rich. The story stumbles a bit when other characters take over the narration, but readers will be caught up in the dual tales and revel in the promising ending.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
In 1878, Mary Finn becomes a maid in London. Seven years later, six-year-old James Nelligan reluctantly returns to the home (modeled after London's real-life Foundling Hospital) where his mother placed him as an infant. The parallel tales intersect in the book's final chapter. Mary's spry narration (James's chapters unfold in third-person) combined with the tale's texture and fervent emotion will seduce readers.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)