Chains of Folly

A Magdalene la Batarde Mystery, Book 4

By: Roberta Gellis

Narrated by: Susan Duerden

That Nelda Roundheels had been murdered would have been of little interest to anyone - except that her body turned up in the bishop of Winchester's bedchamber with a letter to the bishop, from the king's most important enemy, rolled up in her breastband. The bishop and his knight, Sir Bellamy of Itchen, realize immediately that the purpose of putting the body in Winchester's bedchamber is to embarrass and discredit the bishop. And the reason for this attack on Winchester is his calling of a convocation to chastise the king for acting high-handedly against the bishop of Salisbury. Had the king himself ordered this outrage? Had the king's favorite, Waleran de Meulan, ordered it? Unfortunately the answer is not so simple to find; there are many other noblemen who want the king's favor and might attack Winchester to get it.

To save Winchester's reputation it is urgently necessary to discover who killed the woman and who placed her in Winchester's bedchamber. Bell, to his mingled joy and distress, is ordered to ask Magdalene la Batarde, whoremistress of the Old Priory Guesthouse, once his lover but now estranged, to help him solve the mystery.

©2006 Roberta Gellis (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Great book. A real shame about the narrator.

Would you consider the audio edition of Chains of Folly to be better than the print version?

Sadly, no, the print edition is much better. This is a wonderful story - much more involving that the first three books. (As hard as that is to believe! The first three were amazing!) The narrator made this recording painful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Chains of Folly?

I would have to re-read the book. Thinking back at the recording I've just finished, I keep grinding my teeth at the painful "personality" the reader tried to give the characters, and can't get past them. I think perhaps the early battle scene where Bel protects the Bishop?

What didn’t you like about Susan Duerden’s performance?

Her narration was sing-song. Her characterizations were massively irritating. The Bishop always snarled. Bel always hissed and drawled. Magdalene sounded continuously air-headed. Diot sounded like a back alley tough. Although everyone was "speaking" French, one character had an affected French accent. Right up until the narrator forgot who was talking, then the wrong painful "voice" said the next line which didn't belong to them.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A lighthearted bit of slap and tickle is a lot of fun - right up until someone steals the state secrets.

Any additional comments?

Re-Record? Please?

Superb

One of the best of Roberta Gellis' books. A very interesting, tangled tale of medieval intrigue. The characters ring true to the period to my best knowledge. I wish she had lived to write more of Magdalene's story. Highly recommended.

Another whodunnit in medieval London

If you could sum up Chains of Folly in three words, what would they be?

murder mystrery or practical joke?

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sir Bellamy was my favorite character because I enjoy watching him struggle to reconcile his desire for Magdaline with the knowledge of how she supports herself.

What about Susan Duerden’s performance did you like?

Actually, not much. her main virtue is her authentic middle class British accent. Her delivery was monotonous. She has a narrow range of emotions to bring to her narration.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Join Magdalene la Batarde in medieval London and solve another whodunnit.

Any additional comments?

Ms. Gellis needs to widen the scope of her research on this historical period so that she can offer a fuller view of medieval life. She spends too much time on the aquisition of meals and expalining the legal and spiritual status of prostitutes in this period of history. Her books are short enough that I feel her editor could easily eliminate several references with no detriment to the storyline. Adding more details and vignettes about court, family and relgious life would be welcome additions to her narrative. If she could add a little more accurate historic detail (e.g. the lute is a rennaisance instrument a few centuries to the future), she could bring medieval London to life.

Story engaging; Performance Horrible!!!

Where does Chains of Folly rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In terms of the story, among the better ones. I have long enjoyed this series. But the performance was terrible! The only reason I listened to the end was because I am a Roberta Gellis fan.

What didn’t you like about Susan Duerden’s performance?

Characterization of different voices, different genders. At points I actually muted because I simply could not stand her reading and characterizations.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Don't employ Susan Duerden!

Any additional comments?

I will NOT ever listen to another book by this reader....

Brings good closure

The ending was quite satisfactory, bringing the two main characters to a state of acceptance with their situation. The detectival story seemed better worked out, characters better realized. But I’m afraid the narrator’s performance grated on my ears with breathiness and nasality (sometimes both together). I could only listen for short bits before I was so irritated I couldn’t focus on the story.

Still worth the listen.

I do love Roberta Gellis, so I bought this despite the negative review about the narration. It's not Susan Duerden's best, but I found that it improved as it went along and I did enjoy it.

I miss Nadia May's reading

Good story but this narrator is too sing-song-y for my taste. Every sentence seems to have the same rhythm, the same inflection. It's soporific and makes it very hard to follow the actual story line.

Deserves more credit than it's getting

I grabbed CHAINS OF FOLLY as soon as I saw it was available, in spite of the beating the new reader was taking from listeners. The Magdalene la Batarde series is a delight for medieval mystery lovers, and CHAINS OF FOLLY is no exception. I wish Gellis had continued the series after this.

It is the rare reader who can produce both male and female voices faithfully, and this reader's voice is especially high. She shouldn't even try to sound male. The more successful strategy is to create the character by temperament, not timbre. However, her comprehension of the author's intention seems superior.

The Narrator is Awful

The story is fine, especially if you are familiar with Roberta Gellis's other Magdalene stories. But the narrator! Oh, the narrator! She places the same emphasis on every sentence, thereby ruining the cadence of the story. Everything is said with a breathless disbelief that makes something simple such as "set the bread on the table" sound like she's calling a horse race. It's awful.

Narration spoiled the enjoyment of the book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would not. The narration was very poor and detracted from the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The mystery was well crafted and the outcome was not immediately evident. I am tiring of the angst filled relationship between the Bell and Magdalene. The series is becoming a bit too much of a romance for my tastes.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

She has very little range in her characterizations. Magdalene sounds breathy and simpering rather than the strong, confident character that is written. Also, she and Diot sound so much alike it is difficult to tell them apart. Although written as childlike, her Ella is a caricature of a little girl voice and it is actually disturbing to listen to her delight in her profession. The Bishop of Winchester sounds like Snidely Whiplash. Suffice it to say, I will not listen to any more books with this narrator.