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Apr 09, 2010

Cara rated it:

Fortunata has a name with a lot of weight and meaning to it, and unknowingly she will have a profession to fit it. Nothing has been the same since Nata's mother died. Her father can no longer make his legendary beautiful shoes, and they struggle to keep food in their bellies. Things change for them when Nata angers a Captain and they must flee Valenzia. This is where the real adventure begins and we see how she transforms to the All Knowing Fortunata.

This romance, adventure, fantasy More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 10, 2010

Ash rated it:

A magical tale with a perfect heroine, a stuttering but sweet and handsome prince, with a quest to fulfill a prophecy, to find a weapon, to defeat a witch, so that they can retrieve a golden slipper and save a princess. This is obviously no easy quest.

Quick Overview:Fortunata has had a hard few years since her mother died. Her father, once called the finest shoemaker in Valenzia can no longer make a shoe that is anything less than hideous. Since her mother's death her father says tha More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 07, 2010

Abigail rated it:

When Fortunata's mother dies, and her gentle father - believing that the fairies had abandoned him - loses his shoe-making skills, the young girl must grow up fast, shouldering the burden of caring for herself and her befuddled parent. Fleeing the city of Valenzia, after she makes an enemy of Captain Niccolo of the Guard, Nata and her father fall in with a traveling fortune-teller, and her violent companion. With her quick wit, and keen eye for detail, Nata is soon training as a fortune-teller h More...

6 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jul 11, 2011

Hanna rated it:

This book is beautiful. I sat in my bed and started reading it at ten. It's now one 1 o clock, an I have just finished the book, and I have a warm fuzzy feeling inside if me because it was just so amazing and beautiful! Fortunata and her father don't have the best life in the world. In the two years since her mother died, her father, once the most looked after shoemaker in Valenzia, has lost his talent. Nata has to tell people that the shoes are magic just to get them sold. So when nata and her More...

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Mar 27, 2011

Karen rated it:

Fortune's Folly is the tale of young Fortunata, who struggles to make her living on the streets ever since the death of her mother and the loss of her father's shoe making skills. Her father's distraught over the loss of his skills, and Fortunata must take care of him and take the lead in survival. One day, her donkey is stolen and she must follow the traveling fortuneteller Allesandra and her troupe to make a living. From that day on she learns the tricks and trade of fortune telling to make a More...

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Feb 10, 2010

Jane rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 22, 2010

Kim rated it:

I seem to have been on an "original fairy tale" kick lately; not that it's a bad thing, if the books are as enjoyable as this one!

Fortune's Folly is about a young girl, Fortunata, who falls in with a group of performers and is taught the fine art of fake fortune telling. When she makes a prophecy for a young prince, she doesn't know that the specifications of the prophecy must come true in order for him to take the throne. Fortunata finds herself accompanying Leonato on More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2009

Treasa rated it:

Fortunata (who is almost 18, although I spent the first part of the book thinking she was much younger than that) is a somewhat cynical young lady who often reminds herself and those around her that life is not a fairytale. Her father was once the master shoemaker of their town but, since Fortunata's mother's death, he has lost his gift and has become a joke instead. The two leave their home and set out to find a way to make money elsewhere. On the way, Fortunata falls into the job of "all- More...

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Oct 13, 2009

Eva rated it:

After 17-year-old Fortunata’s mother dies, her shoemaker father, once a master of the art, produces such horrible shoes that he becomes a laughingstock. After angering the powerful and cruel Captain Niccolo, Fortunata decides that it might be best for her and her father to relocate. However, they are waylaid by a nasty piece of work named Ubaldo, who makes Fortunata tell faux fortunes – and eventually he drags her to the land of Domo, whose Prince Leonato can’t ascend the throne until he rescu More...

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Apr 06, 2011

Doret rated it:

Fortunata lives with her father in Valenzia. Her mother died last year. There was a time when Fortunata's father was the best shoemaker. He's lost his touch and can only make very ugly shoes. Fortunata father believes the fairies were the reason for his wonderful shoes and when they return everything will okay again.

Fortunata is the logical one, she has no time to believe in magic, fairy tales or happy endings . She must find a way to support them. The two leave Valenzia because Fort More...

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Sep 10, 2010

Mimi rated it:

If you are looking for a fairy tale or simple fantasy novel, then I would recommend this book. The overriding theme seems to be that while magic does exist in the sense that love is magic, other than that you make your own fortune. The father is paralyzed by his belief in magic, because he is unable to believe in himself. He believed all of his talent came from fairies, and now that they are "gone," he cannot create the beautiful shoes he once crafted. The daughter does not believe in More...

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Sep 08, 2009

Valerie rated it:

I loved this book. It was what some would call charming. It was clean, funny, magical, and best of all happy.

Nata, as her father calls her, is very down to earth. She stopped believing in magic ever since her mother died. And who could blame her because her life has been anything but a fairytale. All she has left in the world is her father, who is so kind and believing, but near useless since he can't make a decent shoe. So it is up to Nata to keep them surviving and in order to do s More...

10 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 02, 2008

Kate rated it:

I SO wish this book had been around when I was ten years old (never mind that you were probably, like, four at the time). FORTUNE'S FOLLY is the kind of book that made me a reader -- the kind of book I would have disappeared with into my room for hours on end, until I knew everything would be okay, because these characters from another time and place feel so very, very real.

Thankfully, I haven't grown up all that much. I still love stories like this, and most of all, reading this More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2009

Bridget rated it:

I feel like this is a younger, less violent, sister to Graceling and The Hunger Games. Fortunata is so aggressively self-reliant; she just struck me as the sort of girl who could grow up into a Katsa or Katniss if the circumstances required. Plus she’s smart and resourceful and funny. I love how the story suggests that trusting yourself and working for what you want will get you a happy ending you might not have even dared to dream about.

With all the best bits of fairytales popping-u More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 19, 2009

Sarai rated it:

I like to be surprised by a book, even though I may know what to expect of certain characters or the general pacing, etc. This book was all right, but absolutely no surprises at all.

Fortunata's father was once a celebrated shoe maker, but after the death of her mother the magic has left his work. Facing starvation, they must travel to places where her father's shoes are not known so that he will have a chance to sell them, as his recent creations have been laughable at best. Traveli More...

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Sep 06, 2010

Mackenzie rated it:

This is a book of my favorite genre; a fairy-tale retelling. It included all the elements necessary for a good fairy tale and moved them about so that you can't quite guess how it's going to end. You hope for a happy-ending, but can't quite tell if it will turn out. This is not a retelling of any one fairy tale, not really a retelling at all, but you get that feeling of a fairy tale and at times sense a resemblance to a classic which promptly goes right out onto another field of action.
More...

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Oct 28, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

As I've said before, I love well-done reinterpretations of old favorites. This book has so many references to the classics that I was immediately in love--and the great thing is, nothing feels stale! The story itself is new and fun to read, and the classic faerie-tale references that pepper it add an extra treat for the reader.

I loved Fortuna. She was easy for me to relate to, because who hasn't landed themselves into one big hot mess? I loved trying to figure out how she was going t More...

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Apr 15, 2010

Janeen-san rated it:

Nothing has been the same since Fortunata's mother died and her father lost his once great shoe-making skills, but she managed by telling fake fortunes. Then one day she is tricked into telling a fortune for a stuttering prince. If she does not complete the fortune in time, her dear father will be executed. Surviving with her cleverness and wits alone, she goes out the make her prophecy come true.

I'm glad this book was written in first person. It let me into Fortunata's mind, and More...

2 comments like

Aug 11, 2010

Patience rated it:

It was my good fortune to pick this book from the new 2010-2011 book list! It is a delightful fairy tale written in a manner which soothed the senses. The story line was both absorbing and intriguing. Fortunato has a dear relationship with her Father who is a shoemaker. Unfortunate events put both of their lives in peril which is the impetus for her to embark on a journey bred of fantasy and lies. She falls into the role of a clever fortune teller with the life of her Father at stake. The se More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 17, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

I often like fairy tale retellings, but I was a bit leary of this one. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised...

Fortunata finds herself supporting her father and herself after her mother passes away and her father loses his talent at making shoes. He claims that "the fairies have left" him. When they try to move to another town and start over, she finds herself trapped in a web of lies and danger; now she must ensure that her false prophecy comes true or her father's life More...

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Jul 14, 2009

Kathy rated it:

This was a very cute book. I liked the overall plot and how the author wove in different fairy tales throughout her story. Fortunata is a very clever girl and it was fun watching her learn the art of fortune-telling and eventually end up on a made-up quest. The story moved along nicely and was well written. I liked Prince Leonato, he was sweet and kind. He does come across a bit naïve though and I kind of felt he was missing something. The villians were entertaining, and of course the quest they More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 17, 2009

Angela rated it:

This was a fast and very entertaining read that got better and better as the story progressed. It is definitely more on the Middle Grade side of YA, but still enjoyable to me as an adult. However, I am most excited to read it to my girls when they get a little older.

Fortunata is a great character - full of spunk and determination to do what needs to be done. I loved all of the different fairy tales whose various trademark elements found their way into this story. FORTUNE'S FOLL More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 09, 2011

Reading Vacation's Mom rated it:

The first thing I noticed about this book were the unusual names for the characters. It was especially fun that Fortunata became a fortune teller. I enjoyed the many times that magic came into the story. My favorite was when Prince Leonato’s golden slippers fit Fortunata.
This was a book that was hard to put down. It definitely kept my attention and it is a story that I will remember for a very long time.
The happy ending was well written and made me smile. I like how everything tied up like More...

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Dec 19, 2009

Susann rated it:

A fun and absorbing read that left me cranky every time my subway arrived at my stop, because it meant I had to put the book away. I enjoyed the references to other fairy tales and the plot twists that made me wonder just how Fortunata would muster her wits. The Prince was indeed charming, and I liked how his charm was based on his innate capacity for joy and delight, rather than just his good looks and Princeliness. I also relished Fagan's fantasy version of Italy, which made me want to head to More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 19, 2010

Ann rated it:

Fortunata and her father fall on hard times and must travel with a heartless group of performers to make a living. Fortunata is taught the art of fortune telling and makes her living thus. But, when she finally has to tell a very grand and important fortune she must make sure the fortune comes true or risk her father's life.

There were some good things about this book that I really enjoyed. The endings were far less predictable than I'd expected, and for that I was grateful (and su More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 04, 2010

Chandra rated it:

Fortune’s Folly is the story of Fortunata – the daughter of a widowed shoe maker who is down on his luck. The magic that helped him craft his famous shoes died along with his wife and so he and his daughter find themselves struggling to survive. A bad situation turns worse when they are captured by a band of traveling criminals who coerce Fortunata into being a prophetess – a professional teller of lies. She temporarily accepts her fate until she can find a way to escape with her father, but More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

May 07, 2010

Kathryn rated it:

It's taken me awhile to formulate my review for this one as I have a lot of mixed feelings. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book but not nearly as much as I hoped I would. Interestingly enough, some of the things I most enjoyed at certain points were also things that frustrated or annoyed me at others. For example, I thought the premise of Fortunata having to lie and tell fortunes to keep her and her father alive was really interesting--but I felt she carried those lies farther than she needed More...

13 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jul 27, 2009

Catherine rated it:

The first thing that came to mind about describing this novel is that Fortune's Folly is "absolutely darling". The characters are wonderful and vibrant, and the world is the same. The prose is suitable for the age to which is it is targeted (middle-grade) but does not talk down to them and is just as interesting for an older reader like myself.

Fortune's Folly is well aware of its status as a fairy tale story and is filled with all sorts of little references that I loved spo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 05, 2011

Cindy rated it:

Themes: Magic, Fortune telling, love
Setting: fictional fairy tale land

Despite her auspicious name, Fortunata is very much down on her luck. Her mother has died and her father is too wrapped up in grief to pay any attention to his cobbler's shop. He's waiting for the elves to come back with their magic and make things right. But Fortunata knows better - her mother was the magic, and nothing can bring her back. After they run into trouble with a local bully of a Captain of a Guard, More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Laurie rated it:

Do you like Fractured Fairy Tales? Did Shrek make you laugh yourself silly? Do you adore plucky heroines who are intelligent, capable, but humanly fallible?

Do yourself a favor and read this book. Give it to any of your daughters, nieces, cousins, or in fact any person who loves an adventure full of warm humor and delightful misdirection.

It's categorized as young adult, but how many grown ups do you know who couldn't put Harry Potter or the Hobbit down? This one's for adve More...

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