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The Fool's Journey
Dubbed “Little Lizzie Borden” by the tabloids, a young girl took refuge in a series of private sanitariums, moving from one to another when the paparazzi found her. The hiding continued after her release at eighteen, until finally she disappeared entirely with a new name, identity and persona—or so she thought. When the past catches up to her and threatens to destroy her new life and chance at happiness, she must make a run again or face down the demons that haunt her still? Only a passage along the well-worn road of the Fool’s Journey will tell.
298 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 21, 2011
"THE FOOLS JOURNEY" BY MARY CHASE
Deirdre Kildeer is a poet that teaches at the local college. When her world seems to begin changing for the better, winning the Dovinger Prize for poetry, and coming up for tenure, she is taking a stroll through the market with a friend and is attacked from behind. The attacker is never seen but they escape with a piece of her... a lock of her auburn hair. Who could it be and what secrets about Deirdre might they know? Better yet what secrets is she hiding?
This book is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing from page one and the ending is so surprising you'll be amazed to find out who the culprit really is and the reason behind it all. Not to mention the fun of a budding love story.
Mary Chase's writing style reminds me of some of mysteries best writers. A wonderful book that will hold you in its grasp and keep you turning the page well into the night.
My rating: 5 Ravens
Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunit...
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
Deirdre Kildeer is a poet that teaches at the local college. When her world seems to begin changing for the better, winning the Dovinger Prize for poetry, and coming up for tenure, she is taking a stroll through the market with a friend and is attacked from behind. The attacker is never seen but they escape with a piece of her... a lock of her auburn hair. Who could it be and what secrets about Deirdre might they know? Better yet what secrets is she hiding?
This book is a thrilling mystery that will keep you guessing from page one and the ending is so surprising you'll be amazed to find out who the culprit really is and the reason behind it all. Not to mention the fun of a budding love story.
Mary Chase's writing style reminds me of some of mysteries best writers. A wonderful book that will hold you in its grasp and keep you turning the page well into the night.
My rating: 5 Ravens
Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud / http://www.greatmindsliterarycommunit...
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
November 28, 2011
When I started reading this story, I couldn't put it down. It is really good writing and the story paced really well. I never got bored or wanted to rush though any part of the book (a rarity for me for usually one or the other occurs). The characters are all interesting and Comstock would release just enough information to hold my interest and make me want to find out more. It was interesting to read about university life from the side of the professors and I wonder if the real world is anything like that? (minus the deaths, of course!) The issue of child abuse is delicate to handle and this was handled very well from the victim's standpoint. I would definitely read more stories by this author.
October 15, 2016
A strange but couldn't put it down book
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this. The beginning was all disjointed and jumped around but I kept reading it. Eventually it all sorted itself out and the answers came out and it made sense. Read it for yourself to decide.
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this. The beginning was all disjointed and jumped around but I kept reading it. Eventually it all sorted itself out and the answers came out and it made sense. Read it for yourself to decide.
February 21, 2012
As a modern day depiction of Lizzie Borden, Deirdre Kildeer has spent her life running and hiding from the events of her childhood. She shot her abusive father when she was 13 years old, saving her mother from death at his hand. Now she’s living in the old servants’ quarters of a Queen Anne mansion-made-apartment building, making great strides in the recognition of her poetry, and is teaching at a local university. Then mysterious events begin to spiral out of control, leaving Deirdre terrified and unsure. She has the support and help of her spiritual cleaning lady, Rosa Ruiz, and Rosa’s detective/law student son, Manny. But will she come to the bottom of things before her background publicly alters the quiet life she’s worked so hard to build? Or will she become fodder for a fake poet’s scheme to steal her work and drive her to insanity and death?
With its twists, unique idea and gripping story, The Fool’s Journey is an exciting and fun read.
Plot: Mary does a great job of transitioning the story from one scene to the next, and I really enjoyed the originality of the plot. The book follows a comfortable rhythm and reaches its climax at just the right moment. The story could have been deeper and more developed, but it all flows well enough to keep the reader on track and interested.
Characters: I was a little disappointed in the character development with The Fool’s Journey. I felt that Deirdre could have used a lot more depth, particularly in explaining where she’s been since her father’s death and why certain events frighten her so much (they are definitely creepy things, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t quite explain why Deirdre nearly faints of fear when they happen). Other characters could have used more development and personality as well.
Setting: Seattle is gray and rainy, and Mary definitely portrays that in the book, but not to the extent that a local reader would be put off. She does an excellent job of setting the scene for a rainy day without making the reader bored, and her descriptions are natural and easy to visualize.
Originality: I’m going to start by saying that this was a very unique idea. Although Mary may have developed the story more for my taste, her combination of a poet’s life and struggles with the creepy Lizzie Borden story was a completely new one to my knowledge.
The Fool’s Journey receives a total of four stars, and I really appreciated this book. Although the biggest thing that I think it needs is more story and character development, the book is a solid and smooth read, and kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to discover what would happen next.
With its twists, unique idea and gripping story, The Fool’s Journey is an exciting and fun read.
Plot: Mary does a great job of transitioning the story from one scene to the next, and I really enjoyed the originality of the plot. The book follows a comfortable rhythm and reaches its climax at just the right moment. The story could have been deeper and more developed, but it all flows well enough to keep the reader on track and interested.
Characters: I was a little disappointed in the character development with The Fool’s Journey. I felt that Deirdre could have used a lot more depth, particularly in explaining where she’s been since her father’s death and why certain events frighten her so much (they are definitely creepy things, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t quite explain why Deirdre nearly faints of fear when they happen). Other characters could have used more development and personality as well.
Setting: Seattle is gray and rainy, and Mary definitely portrays that in the book, but not to the extent that a local reader would be put off. She does an excellent job of setting the scene for a rainy day without making the reader bored, and her descriptions are natural and easy to visualize.
Originality: I’m going to start by saying that this was a very unique idea. Although Mary may have developed the story more for my taste, her combination of a poet’s life and struggles with the creepy Lizzie Borden story was a completely new one to my knowledge.
The Fool’s Journey receives a total of four stars, and I really appreciated this book. Although the biggest thing that I think it needs is more story and character development, the book is a solid and smooth read, and kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to discover what would happen next.
September 29, 2011
I wish I could give this book 3 1/2 stars
Click for Review
Click link to see my review on www.UFReviews.com
Synopsis: Deirdre Kildeer is a woman with a secret past that she doesn’t want anyone to find out about. She believes she has finally escaped her past and carved out a new life for herself as a professor. But what begins in celebration quickly turns into fear as the past she thought she has left behind comes back to haunt her as well as threaten the life she has made for herself.
Review: The book centers on Deidre, who at face value just appears to be a young professor and poet who is working her way up the academic ladder. While her story begins with the celebration of being awarded for her work in poetry it quickly takes a bizarre turn. While shopping and having lunch with her friend Panda, a stranger in the market cuts off a chunk of her hair. And from there the events of her life just keep getting stranger.
After the incident at the market, Deirdre starts to allude that she has some heavy secrets in her past that she does not want to come to light. She seems to suddenly come under attack from both long lost family members as well as members of the academic community where she teaches at, and both could result in her secret coming out.
Thankfully, Deirdre is not alone throughout the story; she has several friends who try to help her along the way, as well as her housekeeper, Rosa, who ends up being a mother-like figure to her. Rosa and her nephew Manny end up being people Deirdre can trust and provide a much-needed sense of relief for her. These two characters are the only ones that Deirdre really lets her guard down around, and it is within those scenes where the reader really gets to know her.
Overall, I think the book starts off a little slow for my taste. There is a lot of build up to finding out what the secret Deirdre has been holding on to is, and about half way through when you find out what it is, it makes her more likable as well as helped make me want to know what was going to happen to her, and ultimately to root for her. There is a little bit of mild romance in the book, although it felt a little bit unfinished. If you are looking for romance this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a quick, enjoyable read with some mystery thrown in then I think you will like this book. Also if you are a poetry lover the book is laced throughout with poetry references and poems, and they are intertwined in the plot quite well. Overall, I liked it.
Click for Review
Click link to see my review on www.UFReviews.com
Synopsis: Deirdre Kildeer is a woman with a secret past that she doesn’t want anyone to find out about. She believes she has finally escaped her past and carved out a new life for herself as a professor. But what begins in celebration quickly turns into fear as the past she thought she has left behind comes back to haunt her as well as threaten the life she has made for herself.
Review: The book centers on Deidre, who at face value just appears to be a young professor and poet who is working her way up the academic ladder. While her story begins with the celebration of being awarded for her work in poetry it quickly takes a bizarre turn. While shopping and having lunch with her friend Panda, a stranger in the market cuts off a chunk of her hair. And from there the events of her life just keep getting stranger.
After the incident at the market, Deirdre starts to allude that she has some heavy secrets in her past that she does not want to come to light. She seems to suddenly come under attack from both long lost family members as well as members of the academic community where she teaches at, and both could result in her secret coming out.
Thankfully, Deirdre is not alone throughout the story; she has several friends who try to help her along the way, as well as her housekeeper, Rosa, who ends up being a mother-like figure to her. Rosa and her nephew Manny end up being people Deirdre can trust and provide a much-needed sense of relief for her. These two characters are the only ones that Deirdre really lets her guard down around, and it is within those scenes where the reader really gets to know her.
Overall, I think the book starts off a little slow for my taste. There is a lot of build up to finding out what the secret Deirdre has been holding on to is, and about half way through when you find out what it is, it makes her more likable as well as helped make me want to know what was going to happen to her, and ultimately to root for her. There is a little bit of mild romance in the book, although it felt a little bit unfinished. If you are looking for romance this is not the book for you. If you are looking for a quick, enjoyable read with some mystery thrown in then I think you will like this book. Also if you are a poetry lover the book is laced throughout with poetry references and poems, and they are intertwined in the plot quite well. Overall, I liked it.
May 25, 2013
Mary Chase also writes Regency romances and her familiarity with 19th Century England shines through here as she weaves a mystery around a young female poet/professor with a past, clues in Tarot cards, and Robert Browning's chilling dramatic monologue "Porphyria's Lover".
Someone is out to harm Deirdre just as she's about to get tenure at her northwestern urban university, and she has a number of people willing to keep her from harm -- but she can't let them get too close lest they discover the violent secrets of her past, when she lived another life under another name. I won't tell you what that secret is -- I wish I hadn't known when I read it because I imagine it would have been even more suspenseful that way. Suspects emerge quickly, and as an academic myself I easily recognized several of the key ones, including the creepy male student whose every gesture shows contempt for you and all that you dare to think important, and the oily misogynist older colleague who never misses an opportunity to show you how much smarter he is even (especially?) if he is not. And I won't give away the real culprit, either. For that, you'll have to pick up the book and enjoy the ride. And you will. The characters are complex and believable and by the time you hid the midpoint of the novel, you won't want to put it down.
Someone is out to harm Deirdre just as she's about to get tenure at her northwestern urban university, and she has a number of people willing to keep her from harm -- but she can't let them get too close lest they discover the violent secrets of her past, when she lived another life under another name. I won't tell you what that secret is -- I wish I hadn't known when I read it because I imagine it would have been even more suspenseful that way. Suspects emerge quickly, and as an academic myself I easily recognized several of the key ones, including the creepy male student whose every gesture shows contempt for you and all that you dare to think important, and the oily misogynist older colleague who never misses an opportunity to show you how much smarter he is even (especially?) if he is not. And I won't give away the real culprit, either. For that, you'll have to pick up the book and enjoy the ride. And you will. The characters are complex and believable and by the time you hid the midpoint of the novel, you won't want to put it down.
July 1, 2012
Having recently visited Seattle, I decided I should read this book - which has been sitting on my Kindle for a while. Deidre is a well developed character, slightly aloof and shielding herself in her poems, ever aware of the dark secret that she carries. Despite this, I found her easy to relate to. Her best friend, Panda, is quite the opposite, and in some ways feels much like a caricature. Things change for Deidre after a strange encounter in the Pike Place Market and when relationships with a fellow colleague start to reach straining point. Has her secret been discovered? I enjoyed watching her come out of her shell and develop a friendship with Manny, although I did feel the shopping spree was a wee bit OTT. The suspense built nicely, and the climax was suitably dramatic and not entirely predictable. All up, an enticing and enjoyable read.
March 7, 2014
Awesome imagery of every day things. But never enough to interfere with the smooth progress of the story line. It's like delightful designs of Jack frost on old window panes, interesting but not obscuring the view. Thank you for soon a delightful morning read. Please do another like it. Even use the same characters.
Awesome imagery of every day things. But never enough to interfere with the smooth progress of the story line. It's like delightful designs of Jack frost on old window panes, interesting but not obscuring the view. Thank you for soon a delightful morning read. Please do another like it. Even use the same characters.
Awesome imagery of every day things. But never enough to interfere with the smooth progress of the story line. It's like delightful designs of Jack frost on old window panes, interesting but not obscuring the view. Thank you for soon a delightful morning read. Please do another like it. Even use the same characters.
January 27, 2014
An intriguing mystery that would especially appeal to poetry lovers, as there is a lot of poetry interspersed throughout the story. I found it odd that the Ruiz family, Dierdre's housekeeper and nephew who come to her aid, indulge in New Age activities like tarot cards and Christian symbols such as rosary and sign of the cross at the same time. In my experience, Christianity and New Age are incompatible.
May 3, 2012
Seattle is setting for a mystery with more than one dimension. Descriptions make you feel a part of action. Familiar with area & author caught each area correctly. You cannot go wrong getting this for a summer reading.
August 17, 2012
I enjoyed the serendipity, the connectedness, and the unrelated randomness of the events in the book. Yes! All of those things together. The first half of the book was deliciously mysterious. It was a fun, quick read.
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October 21, 2012Amazon Freebie 10/20/2012
November 12, 2012
I would have given this 3.5. This was pretty good, but a little too much romance for me and a little too New Age, but still a good read.
July 12, 2013
great read
August 24, 2013
Literary romantic suspense. Very good.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews