My Sweet Folly

De: Laura Kinsale

Narrado por: Nicholas Boulton

"My dear girl! I could never fall in love by letter. Though I have no doubt you are a notorious breaker of hearts, not to mention a princess in disguise, and if I were a few miles closer to Toot-above-the-Batch I would be in great danger. From the safe distance of another continent, I will admit to a modest desire to see how your pearl becomes you, even to know the color of your hair and eyes, but this is mere curiosity, I assure you."

-Your knight, Robert

Through their innocent correspondence, a lonely young wife grows to love an imaginary man thousands of miles away. But when he returns to England from India, her idea of reality is turned upside down. Drawn from a safe world of tea and parlor chat into madness and mystery, she cannot find her own cherished Robert in the frightening stranger who claims her love.

Laura Kinsale personally chose the exceptional talent of Nicholas Boulton to voice her favorite heroine, sweet, witty Folie with her ferret, Toot.

©1997 Hedgehog Inc (P)2013 Hedgehog Inc

Reseñas de la Crítica

• Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

"Flawless transitions and pacing convey the elements of suspense and sexuality in this romantic mystery." (AudioFile Magazine)

My Sweet Kinsale

Folly has more spunk and wit than other Kinsale heroines. Though there wasn’t quite as much adventure in this tale than others, there were more moments that made me smile. Nicholas Boulton is a Star. Always a pleasure to hear a Kinsale tale with the Boulton characterizations.

Kinsale's Best Heroine

You know how among your friends there's often one half of a couple who’s so great that you willingly put up with a dead-head spouse for the privilege of spending time with him/her? Well, "My Sweet Folly" is like that for me. The heroine, Folie Hamilton, is…terrific. She's loving and caring, she's brave, she's laugh-out-loud funny, she's really smart, and she would never knowingly hurt anybody on purpose. Unfortunately, her chosen beloved – one Lieutenant Robert Cambourne late of the British Bengal Infantry in India -- isn't really any of those things. Or he’s not consistent enough at them to make him much of a hero. To be honest, I don’t know what she sees in him. (As my husband and I always say, “Must be a sex thing…”)

At any rate, this is a good story by a great author read by a terrific narrator. Mr. Boulton’s a kick. Nobody – NOBODY – is better at British doctors, lawyers, clergy and aristocratic matrons! Of particular note in this outing is the extended scene around poor, drunk Sir Howard and his long-suffering wife Lady Dingley as they try to enlist a sick, preoccupied Folie to do some matchmaking. The story reads very funny at this point, but it’s absolutely hysterical in Mr. Boulton’s audio.

Tolerate/endure Lieutenant Cambourne. The writing, the narration, the heroine and the rest of the characters in “My Sweet Folly” are SO worth it! Highly recommend.

Romance, adventure, humor

Laura Kinsale is the best! I wish she would write some more books because I have finished all of them and reread them all at least once. Nicholas Bolton does a fantastic job with multiple characters and accents, both male and female.

Excellent!

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

If romance authoresses had any sense, they would ask Nicholas Boulton to narrate their stories. There is something magical that occurs when this man tells me a story. I prefer to hear a man's voice when listening to a romance novel. Well that is not quite true... I prefer this mans voice.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Sweet Folly?

I loved the prologue.

Which character – as performed by Nicholas Boulton – was your favorite?

Folly

No finer voice

What made the experience of listening to My Sweet Folly the most enjoyable?

Nicolas Bolton has the most beautiful, sexy voice I have ever heard. His range of ascents and women's voices are unequaled in my estimation!!!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Landor as he saved the day

Which character – as performed by Nicholas Boulton – was your favorite?

All of the characters. They all come alive with his narration.

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

love letters!

Any additional comments?

I have never read anything or read of any awards for narration in Audiofile Magazine.WHY/

Adorable not steamy

It did not have the same sexual flare some of her books have, but it was still very good. It was adventurous and cute

absolutely extraordinary!

i know i have said this in previous reviews but it is just a true this time as at was when i finished those audio books. This was one of her best and my favorite performance by Boulton. i rue the day when i have listened to every romance by this duo. her stories and his performances are perfection and are an absolute delight to experience.

Gothic Romance Revisited

Laura Kinsale reminds me of the Bronte sisters and their tales of damaged men and the sweet naïve women who loved them. I loved the story of an unlikely romance between two very different people with a mystery of nefarious evil brewing in the background threatening to ruin their love and lives. Except for Robert's abrupt manner and terrible courtship skills, I felt his pain when he revisited his past. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the gothic romances of the 19th century women who brought their abundant skills to the printed page.

Sexy and Sweet and Mysterious, too!

Robert Cambourne and Folie Hamilton meet via letter writing, which is the regency era version of online romancing. These letters open the novel and reveal to us our two heroes with somewhat of a filter on them. Is what they are saying about themselves and their situations real or touched-up? I thought this type of introduction unique and complex, sort of reminiscent of Wuthering Heights point of view, which is so convoluted, that one is never sure who is authentically represented.

So we have these letters which are our first impressions of Robert and Folie and we spend the rest of the novel trying to reconcile our initial impressions with the real people. And I think the characters do this too. Folie especially has to grow in her understanding of Robert as a man who is much more damaged than she ever imagined one could be…she has lived a very sheltered life.

I'm partial to Laura Kinsale so I will always find her books exceptional, but My Sweet Folly has the distinction of being, whether by design or accident, one of her only heroine-centric stories. I say this because by the end of the book we know Folie and are happy for her success at love; Robert continues to be somewhat of a mysterious figure. I like a little mystery in my man but Robert is unknowable. He is still attractive, but there is something of a block between us, the reader, and him.

Nicholas Boulton continues his string of successful narrations of Kinsale’s books. In the middle of listening to this audio book, I thought, this is the best audio version of Kinsale’s books yet- but then I always think that which each book – and I guess that is a testament to NB’s power as a reader. His sureness as an actor comes through and all I can say is, I believe you! I believe with every word that I am listening to a real person and I am inside their real lives.

I loved this book...

I liked the overall fun mystery and character development throughout this story. It was so unique as all of Laura K’s books usually are. Some of her books are filled with more angst than I prefer to endure but this one went pleasantly through with a nice balance of humor and intensity. I love the narrators performance,as always.