Thale's Folly (Hardcover)

Andrew Thale is sent by his businessman father to western Massachusetts from their home in Manhattan, to inspect a supposedly neglected property that had belonged to Aunt Harriet Thale, who died five years before the opening of this story. An unhappy young man, Andrew has suffered a nervous breakdown after a plane crash, causing him to have a monumental case of writer's block. Even though he's had two well-regarded mystery novels published, he seems unable to write anything at all anymore. Not even interesting tid-bits for the company newsletter, a position handed him by his father.

Off Andrew goes in the company Mercedes. Although not all that far away in hours or miles, once he finds the place, it proves to be centuries removed from today's world. For Aunt Harriet was a collector--of people who were down on their luck a bit, or had no other place to go, or were generally looked down on by Society. She assembled a truly great household of delightful eccentrics, and promised them that they could stay there forever. And so they have.

Miss L'Hommedieu could have arrived on a "Streetcar Named Desire" embodying as she does the ancient southern belle, wrapped in layers of chiffon, and sporting beautiful old-fashioned hats. She entertains her fellow householders by writing a paragraph of a new story and reading it to them every evening. Problem is, it's a different story every time, and she never continues any of them. She only does beginnings. To digress a moment--what wonderful beginnings they are, too! They almost make one wonder if perhaps Ms. Gilman had resurrected them from her younger days. If so, I do wish she'd finish some of them. They're wonderful! Back to the book . . .

Then, there's Gussie, who practices Wicca quite openly, to the general admiration of the nearby townsfolk, as well as her own housemates. Leo is a well-educated and well-read Marxist, who delights in quoting passages from the great philosphers through the ages. This came in handy when Tarragon Sage Valerian--so named by Miss Thale, who claimed that privilege after finding the baby on her doorstep--made her appearance. Tarragon is much loved by all, regardless of her birth, and has been very well-educated in her home school, organized by Leo.

But the house--Thale's Folly--well, the money left by Miss Thale dwindled, and the electricity was turned off. Followed, of course, shortly thereafter by the water. Fortunately, there is a creek and a pond on the twenty-five acres around the house, and some of those acres are put to good use as vegetable and herb gardens. The little band survives, in spite of themselves.

This is the situation when Andrew arrives; he's totally confounded by everything. Doing all the wrong things first, however, he is their inadvertent saviour. When his room is ransacked, he stumbles over the missing will while searching for something to read. He then discovers his long-lost Mother living most happily in a cabin on the other side of the pond.

All too soon, the gypsies have arrived, and Andrew has miraculously found his next book in a trunk in Miss L'Hommedieu's room. All the loose ends are neatly tied up in the last ten pages. Therein lies my major complaint. It's TOO rushed! There are just too many loose ends still dangling when one turns the final page. More! I want more! Please!

Actually, this book had such a gentle, naïve feel to it, one could almost think it was an early book by Ms.Gilman, perhaps even pre-dating the illustrious Mrs. Pollifax, or the Clairvoyant Countess. It had such a very 50s feel to it, the sudden mention of a cell phone or computer was quite jarring. Plus all those wonderful beginnings by Miss L'Hommedieu were crying for middles and endings. Even with these niggles, though, it was still a most enjoyable book. With an added bonus--an alert to the newest Mrs. Pollifax adventure. Hooray!

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