Robin's Folly: A Woman's Search for Meaning

by Janice Coy

A highly original and engaging read that deals poignantly with the nature of grief, the acceptance of loss and the renewing of old faiths. IndieReaderRobin Larking is unexpectedly and tragically alone. One June day, she flees her home on a spur of the moment trip to the Sierra Nevada Mountains where she hopes to get a fresh grip on a life that feels like its spinning out of her control. But, when she heads down a hiking trail by herself, she loses her balance, becoming injured and lost.Forced to survive on her own in the woods, Robin is irresistibly drawn to a magical glade and forever changed.While she struggles to figure out what happened to her in the hidden spot, someone else has other plans for Robin and the waters in the glade - plans they hope will make them rich.Although Janice Coy has never been lost in the woods, she is an avid hiker and would love to one day find a magical glade. She is an award-winning author of women's fiction. Her work appears in numerous anthologies.

289 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

Janice Coy is an award-winning author of seven books readers find hard to put down. Her work also appears in the San Diego Decameron Project Anthology as well as other anthologies and in 3ElementsReview-A Literary Journal. She mostly writes books that she would enjoy reading: books that are simply fun to read and discuss with book club friends.
Ms. Coy studied American and English literature at UC Davis where she graduated with honors. She worked as a daily newspaper journalist, and later as a freelance feature writer.
She lives in Southern California with her husband and her Labrador retriever.

Reviews

[Stephen Gallup · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly liked the first half of this novel, in which the main character, Robin, becomes lost in the wilderness and discovers a mysterious pool of water. There was tension in the narrative, and I was completely on board. The second half, in which she tries to come to terms with what the experience meant, had to be written. However, this latter part is weaker because its dialogue, summaries of dialogue, and treatment of multiple characters reveal narrative weaknesses and tics I remembered from another book by this author. The conclusion is also less effective than I would have liked. In both halves, the writing could be tightened with the removal of unnecessary or repetitive phrases and sentences.

I do have to offer praise for the concept, and for a few gems of insight. For example, I like details such as the sticky pine sap on Robin's hands, and the way one accepts dirt and inconvenience as a fact of life while camping. I especially think it's a very fair question for her to ask, "What good was the stupid healing of her blister, her ankle, and her ribs when Joel [her deceased husband] was the one who should have been healed?" I recognize and understand her nervous energy as she prepares to leave home on her second trip, and I like it when she awakens from a vivid dream and feels "like she was leaving behind one real-life experience for another." The notion of an alternative reality, possibly inhabited by Joel's spirit, gets just the right amount of focus, i.e., not too much. And I approve of the lesson that Robin must learn "to give up control."

That said, there are too many sentences that could easily be improved by rewriting, as well as a limited variety of sentence types. There are also a few logical hiccups in the narrative that slowed me down, and I never understood the basis for Robin's obsessions—bears and old age—or what they contribute to the story.

Despite the life-or-death situation in the first half, this (like Coy’s North of Eden) is a philosophical novel. It’s an ambitious undertaking, and I'd say this is a very strong first draft. Unfortunately, it still needs burnishing.

[Susan A. Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently retired Robin isn't where she expected to be in life. The wrinkles and new eyeglasses are only part of the problem. Robin thought she and her husband would enjoy a quietly adventurous post-retirement life revisiting places they'd explored. But Joel died unexpectedly, leaving her lost and alone. To deal with the one-year anniversary of his death (and avoid well-meaning friends), she spontaneously decides to revisit a trail they'd hiked 25 years earlier.

Robin is in good shape "for her age," and she's sure she can keep up with the hiking group the owner of the lodge told her about when she checked in. And she does, to an extent, but she gets winded and when the group shows no sign of going back or slowing down, she decides to return to the lodge and have a relaxing evening before heading home the next day.

Robin takes a wrong turn on the way back and doesn't realize it until she's hopelessly lost. Backtracking only makes things worse, and since she expected a simple day hike, she's not prepared for a long stay in the woods--especially when bears are around. (May I say bears are the primary reason I don't go camping? It doesn't matter that not one bear has ever been seen locally. Bears have legs and they know how to use them! As soon as Robin mentioned bears, I was all in with this girl!)

Here's where the surprise comes in. This novel is Christian fiction! I'm a Christian who isn't motivated to read Christian fiction because (this is just my opinion), so much of it is badly written. That isn't the case here! The writing is superb, and while the Christian message is present, it isn't shoved down the reader's throat.

As expected, Robin is eventually rescued, but the story doesn't end there. Hoping to rediscover a mysterious part of the forest that saved her life, she returns with her best friend and a new friend, who may or may not be what he claims.

I read this book so fast! Maybe it's my age and my love/hate relationship with bears, but I totally empathized with Robin. The ending is satisfying but open-ended--just the way I like!

[Nannette Kreitzman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the expanded concept!

One might initially think Robin’s Folly is focused on the typical concept of the fountain of youth, but Coy breaths more life into what such a magical place might offer. Robin is lost… in grief, in spirit, in purpose, all while literally lost in the woods. Guided by the shade of her late husband, she stumbles across a glade where a miraculous pool heals both body and mind. A feel good read with thoughts to ponder.

[Vicky Jans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grief moves Robin Larking on a quest for healing which leads her on an adventure of survival, discovery and mystery. Hallucinations? Magic? A Gift from God? What is real? What is not? All she can be sure of is she has changed. Go get yourself a nice cup of coffee or a glass a wine, sit down and start reading Robin's Folly! You won't want to veer off this path of adventure!

[Kathy Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I loved the ease of reading this book.The story flowed so beautifully and covered some difficult themes such as grief and loss of faith.I have read some bestsellers lately and the writing in this book is right up there with them. I loved the magical quality to it. Well done Janice

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robin was hiking after her husband's death a year ago. She got lost and then she found...have to read the book.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Met the author on a bicycle trip and thoroughly enjoyed this story. At times I couldn't put it down anxious to see what happened. Thanks Janice! I will be reading more of your books.