A Mad, Wicked Folly

by Sharon Biggs Waller

Overview

In Edwardian London, a girl dreams of being an artist, despite her family's disapproval.

Welcome to the world of the fabulously wealthy in London, 1909, where dresses and houses are overwhelmingly opulent, social class means everything, and women are taught to be nothing more than wives and mothers. Into this world comes seventeen-year-old Victoria Darling, who wants only to be an artist—a nearly impossible dream for a girl.
            After Vicky poses nude for her illicit art class, she is expelled from her French finishing school. Shamed and scandalized, her parents try to marry her off to the wealthy Edmund Carrick-Humphrey. But Vicky has other things on her mind: her clandestine application to the Royal College of Art; her participation in the suffragette movement; and her growing attraction to a working-class boy who may be her muse—or may be the love of her life. As the world of debutante balls, corsets, and high society obligations closes in around her, Vicky must figure out: just how much is she willing to sacrifice to pursue her dreams?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101614419
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/23/2014
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	448
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sharon Biggs Waller moved to England in 2000, where she worked as a riding instructor at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace and as a freelance magazine writer. These days she is a dressage rider and trainer and lives on a ten-acre sustainable farm in Northwest Indiana with her British husband, Mark. She is the author of three non-fiction books, as well as the YA novel A Mad, Wicked Folly.

Read an Excerpt

With Will next to me, the fog no longer seemed ominous; instead, it felt peaceful. The fog blotted out the surroundings and any passersby, making it feel as though we were the only people about.
“So you believe in votes for women?” I asked as we walked.
“I don’t see the point in denying half the population the right to vote.” He shook his head. “It’s daft. So yes, the suffragists have my sympathies. I can’t work out which side you’re on, though.”
“With the women, of course.”
“But you don’t fight with them?” He looked at me, his eyes questioning.
“I’m going to help them with the artwork. I’m not the fighting type.” I twirled my beret around my hand.
He grinned. “And an artist can’t fight?”

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for A Mad, Wicked Folly

• "At equal turns humorous and heartbreaking. . . . A must-have first purchase."—School Library Journal, starred review
"Waller’s intriguingly sympathetic characters, effortless and effective blend of history and romance, passion for her subject, and swift-paced plot make her a new YA voice to watch."—Booklist, starred review

"An enjoyable historical romp."—Kirkus Reviews

"[A] compelling coming-of-age tale that’s as good as any British period drama. . . . The Edwardian world here is so immersive and Vicky so likable that readers will want to put on the kettle on and settle in for a lovely read."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Nominated for the American Library Association's 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List

Editorial Reviews

"An enjoyable historical romp."—Kirkus Reviews — Kirkus Reviews

"[A] compelling coming-of-age tale that’s as good as any British period drama. . . . The Edwardian world here is so immersive and Vicky so likable that readers will want to put on the kettle on and settle in for a lovely read."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Praise for A Mad, Wicked Folly

* "At equal turns humorous and heartbreaking. . . . A must-have first purchase."—School Library Journal, starred review
"Waller’s intriguingly sympathetic characters, effortless and effective blend of history and romance, passion for her subject, and swift-paced plot make her a new YA voice to watch."—Booklist, starred review

"An enjoyable historical romp."—Kirkus Reviews
"[A] compelling coming-of-age tale that’s as good as any British period drama. . . . The Edwardian world here is so immersive and Vicky so likable that readers will want to put on the kettle on and settle in for a lovely read."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Nominated for the American Library Association's 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List

From the Publisher

"[A] compelling coming-of-age tale that’s as good as any British period drama. . . . The Edwardian world here is so immersive and Vicky so likable that readers will want to put on the kettle on and settle in for a lovely read."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

★ 02/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—In 1870, Queen Victoria made the astonishing declaration that women's rights were a "mad, wicked folly." This statement was the inspiration for Waller's impeccable debut novel about a young English woman who is talented, beautiful, passionate, and wealthy. Despite these advantages, Victoria Darling struggles with the harsh limitations imposed upon women prior to and during the Edwardian era of 1901-1910, which curtail her attempts to attend art school. While Victoria does not initially associate with the Suffragette Movement, she ultimately discovers that her fate is intertwined with the cause. The first-person narrative in her earnest voice helps readers to more intimately understand the rampant frustration felt by thousands of women during that time. Waller vividly describes the unbearably restrictive corsets for women, the force-feeding implemented to undermine protesters during hunger strikes, and notable individuals who helped in the movement. At equal turns humorous and heartbreaking, readers will chuckle at Victoria's exploits (climbing out a bedroom window, being stuck mid-curtsey before King Edward in court) and admire the brave sacrifices she makes to pursue her dreams. There is enough detailed information throughout to make this a useful and fascinating book to pair with nonfiction resources about women's history. A must-have first purchase.—Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

School Library Journal

Narrator Katharine McEwan portrays a wide range of personalities of varying ages and stations in this look at women and class in 1909 England. Vicky Darling wants to be an artist but is totally under the control of her wealthy father. Her life changes when she becomes involved in the Suffragette movement and realizes she can be what she wants to be. McEwan deftly captures Vicky; her maid (and eventual friend), Sophie; the snobbish man she's engaged to; and the down-to-earth policeman she loves. Fascinating tidbits about art history and the Women's movement make the story much more than a romance. Audio perfectly captures the myriad voices, accents, and characters in this fascinating slice of the early twentieth century. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2014 - AudioFile

2013-10-20
Vicky Darling is the rebellious, artistically talented daughter of a wealthy plumbing magnate, coming of age in Edwardian England at the height of the women's suffrage movement. The title ironically references Queen Victoria's condemnation of "… this mad, wicked folly of ‘Women's Rights' with all its attendant horrors on which her poor feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feelings and propriety." Vicky's personal struggles to become a respected artist are paralleled with those of the suffragists with whom she becomes closely involved when her arranged marriage with a wealthy scion of a well-bred family falls apart and she is cut off from the family finances. Vicky finally finds true reward when she is accepted into the Royal College of Art on her own merits. Her lower-class lover and sometime "undraped" art model, police constable Will Fletcher, finally agrees to an artistic partnership publishing the "tuppenny novelettes" he writes and she illustrates. Although the modern dialogue is jarring at times and the plot somewhat implausible, the narrative moves swiftly along, and the historical background is painted credibly and with a light touch. The moving and authentic portrayal of Emmeline Pankhurst and her daughters will engage readers with an interest in the history of the women's movement. Author's notes at the end of the book on Edwardian life, the women's movement and the Pre-Raphaelite art movement, on which much of the fine art thread in the book is based, are helpful in establishing the context of the novel. An enjoyable historical romp. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews