Friendship and Folly The Merriweather Chronicles Book I edition by Meredith Allady Religion Spirituality eBooks
Download As PDF : Friendship and Folly The Merriweather Chronicles Book I edition by Meredith Allady Religion Spirituality eBooks 
Avoid Buyer's Remorse!
Are you thinking of purchasing this book, or (if it happens to be free at the moment) spending some of your precious leisure time reading it? If so, please spare a moment to take the following short quiz
1. Does the cover of your preferred historical reading matter traditionally feature either a woman in danger of a "wardrobe malfunction" or a man who has misplaced his shirt (or at least his buttons), or both?
2. When you say to your friends, “Oh, I just love Mr. Darcy!” are you, in fact, thinking of Colin Firth jumping into a BBC fish pond, rather than Jane Austen’s intricate creation, who had been "a selfish being all his life, in practice, though not in principle"?
3. Do you deplore the fact that Jane Austen was herself the daughter of a clergyman, and that, however delightfully ironic her writing and witty her observations, she insisted on adhering to the somewhat priggish view that a charming rake was not a hero, but a villain--and also demonstrated other symptoms of "outdated morality"?
4. If you dutifully plowed through "Mansfield Park," were you horrified to discover that Henry Crawford was not, after all, the hero?
5. And finally, like Winnie-the-Pooh, do you find it is “more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?’”--and, perforce, more fun to read them, as well?
If you answered yes to all, or even most, of the above questions, DO NOT BUY THIS TITLE IN ANY FORM. You won’t enjoy it, and, thus embittered by this needless waste of your time and funds, your only satisfaction will be to write a scathing review of a book that was never intended for your delectation in the first place.
Update! It has come to my attention that despite my warning, some poor readers have been lured into purchasing this book under the impression (I guess) that it was going to be like a standard 200-page "regency romance" and were therefore justly appalled at its length and "slowness." Also (and I find this rather flattering) they were disappointed in the writing style, having assumed that it would be similar to that of my silly little quiz above. So here's yet another caveat this book is over 400 pages long, and, quite honestly, if you don't enjoy the characters and the somewhat old-fashioned language in which it is necessarily told, there really isn't enough plot to sustain an intelligent interest--just like other, more typical "romances," it is guided by the words of Captain Clutterbuck "What the devil does the plot signify, except to bring in fine things?"
And whether or not you will enjoy The Merriweather Chronicles depends entirely on your definition of "fine things"! For a sample chapter visit my webpage at https//meredithallady.wordpress.com/
From the back cover
The year was 1805; the place, England. Napoleon was scheming how to wrest control of the Channel from the British Navy so that he might at last invade the island "nation of shopkeepers" that kept interfering with his plans to dominate all of Europe. Lord Nelson was chasing the Emperor's fleet across the oceans in a hunt that would shortly culminate in the battle of Trafalgar.
But on a quiet estate in Warwickshire, "just near enough to Stratford to take a proprietary interest in its immortal Bard," Ann Northcott was much more concerned with her mother's schemes. Those schemes would send Ann and her friend Julia Parry far away from their beloved Merriweather, on a turbulent voyage into a fashionable London season. For both of them, it would prove to be a journey of discovery into the true nature of Friendship and Folly.
Friendship and Folly The Merriweather Chronicles Book I edition by Meredith Allady Religion Spirituality eBooks
I love Regency romances and have a high standard for the ones I consider "keepers". I don't really like the Jane imitators and don't usually read them. Forget all of these snide remarks of mine and settle down for a great read with "Friendship and Folly". When you find a book that made you laugh at loud, gnash your teeth, and tear up (not all at the same time) then you know you want to read more of that author. I'm only sorry that this seems to be the only book by Meredith Allady.Product details
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Friendship and Folly The Merriweather Chronicles Book I edition by Meredith Allady Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews
I used to love historical romances, but stopped reading them somewhere along the way. When I came back to them a few years ago, I couldn't believe how much the genre had changed--and not for the better. Authors like Georgette Heyer, famed for her scholarship, had been replaced by authors who have no interest in historical accuracy, but rather write about modern characters with modern ideas (and always modern nicknames) who swan around vaguely historical settings, uninhibited by any of the restraints common to their era.
What a delight, then, to find a story like "Friendship and Folly" that not only is about believable, likable characters, but is infused with the Regency era it portrays. This is a story, written in the style of Austen, that concerns itself with everyday events and moves at a measured pace. Ann's love for the Parrys and her Emma-like desire to "improve the lives of her friends" make for a charming story, but I agree with the author's caution that it is not for everyone. Any reader who likes the movie and TV versions of Austen but finds the books themselves rather tedious would definitely struggle with this novel.
The only improvement I might suggest is a cast of characters or family tree or some kind of key that would help the reader keep people straight. With so many similar names Meravon, Merriweather, Merrion, Merivale, etc., it's easy to become confused. That quibble aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this intelligent and engaging novel, and I hope very much that the author continues the Merriweather Chronicles.
Saying this book is "OK" does not do justice to it. The story itself is interesting, but it's the story-telling that is both appealing and jarring about this book. In the first half of the book, the story is regularly interrupted by the voice of the narrator, rather insistently inserting itself into the story, just when you think she (he?) has finished introductions and is ready to let the story tell itself. Some examples are just puzzling, as when the narrator says that she will not attempt to reproduce the Irish brogue of one of the characters, and so doesn't. Then, towards the end of the novel, the writer does just that, leaving the reader to wonder why the change of heart? About half-way through, the author reintroduces characters that were mentioned only tangentially -- and that twelve chapters previously -- causing the reader to go hunting up their relationship to everyone else. Several chapters into a description of the main characters daily lives, we find that these other characters have been about them all the time, just not mentioned.
In the second half, the writing becomes smoother and stops intruding on the reader, except for a few lapses. There are several interesting characters that get a little more development, though at least one key one becomes rather more two-dimensional. At this point, the character through whose eyes most of the story is told finds her actions and intent becoming more and more at odds with the direction the writer is taking the story. This irony was interesting, but rather than gathering sympathy or humor for the character, it only seemed to make a previously sympathetic character rather less so.
In the end, this book was an "OK" read in the sense that it's good points were enough to carry me through the distracting ones. I would not recommend this to anyone who wasn't a forgiving reader. I found An Unmarried Lady to be a much more appealing read.
The beauty of Friendship and Folly is that you wouldn’t know it was written in the twenty-first century just by reading the story. In fact, I’d wager that you’d think you were reading a book written two hundred years ago. Yes, Ms. Allady was that good at evoking the voice of the past and the feel of a historical period. For example she didn’t get out of the story to even drop an explanation or definition of a term or custom; she used all the correct words, dialogue, and syntax (occasionally I had to reread a paragraph to catch the meaning, and then smiled over the insightful thing she was saying, just like a Jane Austen!); and her characterization was accomplished in the same way as in old novels (i.e., memorable and solidly described personalities).
Set in 1805 England, the story is heartwarming because it’s about two friends, Ann Northcott and Julia Parry. Julia is part of a wonderful family that any normal person would wish they were friends with—Ann is consistently grateful for them—because they’re hospitable, fun-loving, genuine, and down to earth. Ann is an only child whose parents are dismissive of her; her mother is only concerned about getting her married, which appears to be a difficult task, since Ann is not especially beautiful and also has a hip injury that affects her walk and prevents her from dancing. (And how could anyone back then get a spouse without being able to dance?)
When the Parrys, through a set of circumstances, decide to go to London for the Season, Ann accompanies them and they meet with several adventures. Clive, Julia’s younger brother, tries to fend off from his sister suitors he deems foolish or foppish. But eventually the family meets a couple of young men who suit their sensibilities, and they welcome them into their circle as “friends” … what follows is an often hilarious series of misunderstandings, false estimations of the young men (mostly on Ann’s part) and a gradual unraveling of their story, and intriguing “anything can happen” visits with amusing acquaintances, all on the whirlwind stage of a London autumn. Ann learns lessons about friendship and meddling—or folly, as she calls it; but she and the members of the Parry family grow only closer together as they are forever changed by their adventure.
The story could be considered slow in some respects, but that’s because it reads like a classic. It’s all about witty dialogue and penetrating insights into personalities and relationships, so the pace is perfect. And there were times when I had to tear through the pages to find out what would happen next. So it definitely kept my interest! I enjoyed the look at characters and situations that Jane Austen perhaps touched on but didn’t explore—among other things, a whole family portrait where the young children actually had names and lines; a look at the Irish rebellion; an endearing character who wasn’t quite right in the head; the ins and outs of a London season; and several unequivocal references to characters’ spiritual beliefs.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Jane Austen (particularly if they appreciate her humor and character insight most of all!).
I love Regency romances and have a high standard for the ones I consider "keepers". I don't really like the Jane imitators and don't usually read them. Forget all of these snide remarks of mine and settle down for a great read with "Friendship and Folly". When you find a book that made you laugh at loud, gnash your teeth, and tear up (not all at the same time) then you know you want to read more of that author. I'm only sorry that this seems to be the only book by Meredith Allady.
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