Thale's Folly

by Dorothy Gilman

At the request of his father, New York City novelist Andrew Thale tackles an odd assignment--to check out an old family property in Massachusetts, neglected since Aunt Harriet Thale's death years ago. But far from being deserted, Thale's Folly, as Andrew discovers, is fully inhabited--by a quartet of charming squatters, former "guests" of kindhearted Harriet. There is elegant Miss L'Hommedieu, Gussie the witch, Leo the bibliophile, and beautiful Tarragon, who is unlike any girl Andrew has ever met in Manhattan.

Andrew is entranced by these unworldly creatures and their simple life. Yet all is not well in Thale's Folly. A thief breaks into the farmhouse, an old friend of the "family" disappears, and Andrew and Tarragon are drawn into mysteries they cannot fathom. . . .

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Romance, Adult, Humor, Cozy Mystery

222 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Dorothy Edith Gilman started writing when she was 9 and knew early on she was to be a writer. At 11, she competed against 10 to 16-year-olds in a story contest and won first place. She attended Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and briefly the University of Pennsylvania. She planned to write and illustrate children's books. She married Edgar A. Butters Jr, in 1945, this ended in divorce in 1965. Dorothy worked as an art teacher & telephone operator before becoming an author. She wrote children’s stories for more than ten years under the name Dorothy Gilman Butters and then began writing adult novels about Mrs. Pollifax–a retired grandmother who becomes a CIA agent. The Mrs. Pollifax series made Dorothy famous. While her stories nourish people’s thirst for adventure and mystery, Dorothy knew about nourishing the body as well. On her farm in Nova Scotia, she grew medicinal herbs and used this knowledge of herbs in many of her stories, including A Nun in the Closet. She travelled extensively, and used these experiences in her novels as well. Many of Dorothy’s books, feature strong women having adventures around the world. In 2010 Gilman was awarded the annual Grand Master Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Dorothy spent much of her life in Connecticut, New Mexico, and Maine. She died at age 88 of complications of Alzheimer's disease. She is survived by two sons, Christopher Butters and Jonathan Butters; and two grandchildren.

Series:
* Mrs. Pollifax

Reviews

[Carolyn Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I re-read this book because I remember loving it, and I still do. It's a short, enchanting read that will buoy your spirits. Andrew Oliver Thale, the main character, is a young New York writer who, due to a harrowing accident, is depressed and blocked and unable to resume his successful career as a mystery novelist. For an income he is writing the company newsletter for Meredith Machines, where his father is a VP. Obviously Andrew is not at home in the corporate world. One weekend his father sends him to check out an old house on twenty-five acres in rural Massachusetts that's been sitting empty for five years that he'd inherited from an eccentric aunt. Andrew finds that it's not empty at all, but squatters are living there with no electricity. And there begins the tale of Thale's Folly. The eccentric residents, strays collected by his deceased great aunt Harriet Thale, are all charming and engaging, if a little kooky, with mysterious pasts. Andrew is quite taken with them, especially pretty young Tarragon Sage Valerian, who, as a baby nobody wanted, had been rescued by his great aunt and named for the herbs she grew and loved. The inhabitants of Thale's Folly grow most of their food and are tied to the land in ways alien to a Manhattanite, and there is a gentle sort of Nature worship. One of the elder squatters, Gussie, "knows things" and cast a spell to find a husband for Tarragon. Andrew unknowingly is the first to show up and is horrified that elderly women are trying to find a match for Tarragon by advertising for a farm laborer and trusting in a witch's spell. While he's marooned there with a broken down car, Andrew discovers some truths about his own family as well as a mystery to solve. The story reminded me a bit of one of my favorite old black and white movies, "You Can't Take It With You" from 1938, where an eccentric assortment of characters live happily together in a rambling old house that stands in the way of development and progress. Dorothy Gilman knows how to write a magical heartwarming read without being sentimental and mushy.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a delight to find a book by Dorothy Gilman that I hadn't read. I picked it up early this morning and was so delighted with the world I found that I didn't put it down until it was finished. Gilman creates characters I care about. She builds suspense and drama. She includes touches of deep wisdom. And she does all of this while reminding me that even in our busy modern world, kindness trumps all and has it's own magic.

Unfortunately Gilman died in 2012, of Alzhiemers. I will miss her.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read that lightened my heart. It's not earth shattering, or educational -- but it is entertaining. All the threads are woven together in a most interesting way in this story.

Andrew Thale has been sent out to his Great Aunt Harriet's property to assess the land and house for his emotionally distant father. What he finds there at first confuses him and then enthralls him. There are mysteries woven throughout the story that keep you turning pages, but they don't keep you up nights worrying.

I found it to be a very fun book.

[S.E. Burr · Rating 4 out of 5]

It'd been a long time since I'd read a Dorothy Gilman novel for the first time. I read most of them as a preteen and a young teenager, but not this one. I know she's kind of an odd author for a kid to be into, especially the Mrs. Polifax series, but I loved her stuff, especially Caravan.

This book was a good, quick read. It reminded me a lot of some of her other books, especially A Nun in the Closet. It seems to me that Dorothy Gilman frequently incorporates the same elements in her books--gypsies, free spirits, some sort of spiritual teacher, and Zambia. All those things are here, making the book comforting and familiar to me, if not totally original.

There's often magic and spiritualism too. One thing I like about Gilman is that she leaves the interpretation up to the reader. Was what happened magic, or is there some more mundane explanation? I've tried to incorporate some of that same freedom of interpretation into my own book, Goblin Fruit.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this light and lovely cosy. A mild puzzle without a murder, it's more about finding many kinds of buried treasure--particularly within ourselves.

Andrew Thale, an unhappy young man with writer's block, is sent by his withdrawn businessman father on a wild goose chase to examine Thale's Folly, a rambling old house left by an excentric old aunt. There he finds a community of squatters--or so he thinks.

There are strong resonances with "A Nun in the Closet"--the rambling old house, the herbal lore, the vegetarianism (and how could one do any heavy farm work on a diet of bread and tea?), travellers, the community of women. I noticed that all the women had extremely odd names--Tarragon, Miss L'Hommedieu (though Dieudonné is a French surname, so whatever). It's a light, enjoyable read that you can finish in a few hours. Cotton-candy insubstantial, without being cloying, it may give you furiously to think. Read it lying on the grass, if you can, but do read it.

PS: I wouldn't take the quotes from various herbals as Gospel, however. Don't try it at home without a bit more up-to-date information.

[Phair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly magical. Full of herb lore, "deep thoughts", understanding of all humanity and its struggling individuals. And love, and nature, and life working out the way it ought. Although written in the 1990s this felt like it came from an earlier, simpler time even though there were occasional hints of the big bad modern world out there beyond the woods and fields. I liked this line, quoting Anatole France: "Chance is the word God uses when He wishes to remain anonymous."

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up-starred because the current average rating of 3.85 is perfect and I must support it. Gilman is a delightful read, and I was interested to find something that wasn't Mrs. Pollifax and was still enjoyable. This is not a rocket science mystery, but a higher grade than a cozy mystery in my opinion. It aided me on my quest to read things this year that did not stress me out. The narration was also calming. Recommended for a little break from real life.

[Andrea]

One thing I like about this writer is she includes a really wide range of people - rich, poor, young old, members of various cultures - and makes them all _people_.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time, perhaps since last year, that I tagged a book "want to live in", but this book had me enthralled from the first lines. My emotional attachment was similar to that of reading L.M Montgomery, with soft, flowing adjectives, and characters that appeared somehow larger than the mere words on the page. There was a calm feeling to the calamitous events as they unfolded that somehow felt "right". Absolutely delightful, a warm hug of a book.

[Deane · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the 1970's Dorothy Gilman wanted to escape her life in New York so she moved to a small fishing village near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, my hometown. She hoped to find much peace and quiet there but forgot that villagers want to visit, chat, ask questions, bring food, etc and that upset her somewhat. It led to a non-fiction book called "A New Kind of Country" in 1978 which I read and enjoyed but certainly a lot of the villagers didn't.

Since then, I keep a lookout for her books for a light, sometimes comic read mostly dealing with Mrs. Pollifax, a CIA part time agent and big time member of the local garden club.

This book "Thale's Folly" was not as good as the Mrs P. books for sure...it was a real fairy tale but a sweet story with sweet people and a nice, light read. Everything works out perfectly in the end. The main character, Andrew Thale has a breakdown after a near-death plane crash...he no longer can write and has to work for his father in a huge machine company which is doing a merger that will lay off thousands of people. Andrew is told to investigate a piece of property the father has inherited but has never looked into...there Andrew finds these sweet people, this sweet life. Fairy tale, yes...but a nice read on a cold, wet day.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so excited to come across another new (to me) author. This was the first book I’ve read by Dorothy Gilman and I’m thrilled to see that she has written many - even a rather extensive series, the Mrs. Pollifax novels.
This book was short and delightful.

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feel good story filled with brilliant characterizations of unique, eccentric, honest folks.
Typical Gilman fashion, well crafted & humourous.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Daily Deal | Light and touching | I have been reading Dorothy Gilman since I was a child, yet somehow there are still some of her books I've never read. There's nothing in Thale's Folly that surprises or breaks the mold, but it did leave me feeling lighter than when I started it. Her characters were always people, whole and complete, and while she returned again and again to a few themes (gypsies/Rom--her wording at time of publication--and older women with a strong sense of self, to name two examples), they never felt like stock characters or repeats.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narration by John McDonough: 5 stars
Book: 4 stars

4.5 stars

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had only known Dorothy Gilman through the Mrs. Pollifax series (which was fun). This was a departure from the spy genre, and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The ending was a nice twist for me.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Thale is sent by his father to assess a property that the father believes was left to him by his eccentric Aunt Harriet. Andrew discovers four people inhabiting the home, Thale's Folly, all friends of the late Aunt Harriet. When a thief breaks into the home, and a friend of the inhabitants disappears. Andrew steps up to defy his father and preserve Thale's Folly for Aunt Harriet's friends. An entertaining and easy read.

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I thought this would be a murder mystery. It's not really even a mystery. Still, I'm glad I read it. It's a feel-good story, but done well.

[Sonu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting, interesting, whimsical setting. Loved it.
Andrew travels to his aunt's property to check as his father asks and meets a group of people living at his aunt's house.
Magical home, country air which helps him to understand life issues, especially Tarragon.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the singularly worst books I've ever read. The characters were cutesy stereotypes with the main character being the only semi-realistic one of the bunch, though he was still unlikable and stereotypical. The lines of dialogue just made me roll my eyes. Classifying this as a mystery is laughable, there's not really any mystery about it. It seems that Gilman really wants to write about how the exceedingly wealthy and creatively talented main character (who has had a convenient mental breakdown to make him seem tortured) finds his free, creative spirit and falls in love with an utterly unbelievable teenager named Tarragon. There's a "mystery" thrown in there for the hell of it, but it's practically put in parentheses. The plot was dreadful, the characters were dreadful, the writing was nearly passable, but couldn't possibly make up for the plot and characters. I am surprised that this book was even put in print.

On the positive side, the setting was quaint, and the book was blessedly short. I'm sure this is someone's cup of tea, but it certainly wasn't mine.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After suffering a nervous break down following a terrifying plane crash, Andrew Thale is sent to Thale's Folly by his father to investigate the possibility of a money making real estate venture. Thale's Folly, a 25 acre plus farmhouse, was owned by Andrew's deceased Aunt Harriet. Thought to be deserted for the last five years, Andrew finds squatters, old friends of his aunt, still living in the house. He comes to realize quite quickly that each of the inhabitants is a quirky, unique, amazing individual with intersting stories to tell. As he becomes more involved in their lives and a surprising mystery, Andrew finds peace, and a new start. A good, relaxing, and quick read.

[Jannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so beautiful. Dorothy Gilman us firmly up there was one of my top authors now. Except for a few duds in the middle of the Pollifax series, I've enjoyed all her books.
This was a delight to read.
Andrew Thale is recovering from a nervous breakdown. His rich corporate overbearing unsympathetic father asks him to check out his late aunt's abandoned house which his father left alone for 5 years.
When he arrives he finds the are people occupying the house. Each one is a stray and each one teaches him to reconnect with life in a way he never had before.
I only wish that it didn't finish on a note that left more questions about the mystery!!!

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts out with a similar premise to "A Nun in the Closet" - an outsider to the area going to check on an abandoned property. Only this one isn't abaondoned. It used to belong to a great aunt who was considered rather eccentric. She apparently "collected" misfits, four of them are living in the house still, despite no electricity and no running water. There's a hidden treasure, lots of interesting past histories and a good ending with some surprises about people's pasts.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not deep. It's predictable in spots. Compared to Ms. Gilman's other books, the mystery aspect leaves very much to be desired.

However, Thale's Folly is a feel-good book which I will read again. I enjoyed the characters. I enjoyed the happy ending. When I'm looking for a pick-me-up, this is a book I'll likely end up reading.

[Sharen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Truly Lovely story. Everyone has a place where they fit in. Some people take awhile to find their’s, and some find them in unexpected places and in unexpected ways. This is just such a story.
This is definitely a “curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of tea” kind of book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish there was a second one.
I think I will take a look at her Mrs Polifax books next.

[Margaret]

This was a not-your-run-of-the-mill cozy mystery - I really enjoyed the setting and eccentric characters. A fun read that went by quickly, I think because it was a little different, not following the usual formula.

[Sonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light, whimsical, magical. Moves quickly with no real surprises, but charmingly innocent and decent. Just a plain fun story to absorb while the weather is blustery and cold. Especially enjoyed the herbal tea insights and the kindness and respect the characters expressed to each other.

[Sheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have mentioned, this one has a lot in common with The Nun in the Closet; ranks low on the mystery and suspense bar, high on the quirky characters, keen old house, and spirituality bars. However, I get more of an elitist vibe from this one than I did from Nun.

[Kayleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected little from this thin mystery and was so pleasantly surprised! It is a gentle mystery with an unconventional but lovable cast. I will be looking for more from this author!

[Blanche · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I like D. Gilman and find her books fun and a bit whimsical.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me so interested in herbs that I started attending a local herbal society monthly meeting!
It was a kind of strange whacky storyline, but kept me engrossed until the end.