The Folk Keeper

Welcome to the world of Corinna Stonewall! In this world, vicious beings called the Folk lay waste whenever possible by killing livestock, ruining crops, even attacking the humans at times, unless a Folk Keeper- a magic user- trained to keep the Folk at bay is constantly keeping watch, making sure the Folk are well fed, taking the wrath of the Folk upon himself whenever the Folk are restless. In this world, orphans are of little value, and even lesser valued are those who are born girls. So, for our protagonist Corinna, who is a girl, AND was abandoned as a child in front of a "Foundling House", things couldn't get any worse. But Corinna is smart. And she is determined. Determined to find a place for herself in this God forsaken world even if it meant disguising herself as a boy, and learning bits and pieces of magic however possible, and become a Folk Keeper!

Life of a Folk Keeper is not an easy one. There's always the fear of things going south, and when they do, the Folk do not differentiate between a chicken and a human being. Food is food, and the Folk couldn't care less. But even so, the Folk Keepers are respected, and they are given food and lodging, and for Corinna, that's all she ever wanted. Peace and quiet, some food and a roof overhead. And some RESPECT! Respect and recognition. So, when Corinna (or Corin - as she went by disguised as a boy) is offered the position of a Folk Keeper in Cliffsend, she has no reason to turn it down.

In Cliffsend, Corinna meets a boy called Finian. Here she also meets Sir Edwards, and Lady Alicia, and Taffy, the old hound. But above all, she meets the real Corinna. Essentially, The Folk Keeper is a story about a young girl finding herself, establishing her identity, growing up and accepting who she really is, and who she is meant to be. There are obstacles, both internal and external, in her journey of self discovery, which are depicted in this book through characters such as Sir Edwards, who will do anything in his power to keep Corinna from learning the truth about herself, or giving her the things that are rightfully hers to take. And of course, the Folk. The Folk are always ready to tear her apart, make a feast out of her. Corinna has to deal with both Sir Edwards and the Folk simultaneously, while trying to figure out a way to survive and become who she is meant to be.

In the beginning, we see Corinna as a feisty little thing who is ready to take revenge on anyone who manages to piss her off. She is quiet, but knows to hold a grudge. She also knows the ways of the World. And she is arrogant. There is a quote quite early on in the book, where Corinna is thinking to herself, "Everyone is afraid, only I am powerful". This pretty much shows her views of the World. She is very good at looking down on others, but to me, it seemed like a defense mechanism. She created a barrier between herself and the rest of the World because that was the only way she knew to protect herself. She never knew love, people only ever mistreated her. But as the story progressed, Corinna met people who showed her kindness; like Finian, and also the old dog Taffy, who surprisingly grew attached to her. While in the beginning she was wary of Finian as well as Taffy, pretending not to care, or even dislike them, eventually she starts to accept that even she can learn to care for others besides herself.

This was the first time I read a coming of age book quite like this one. The entire time I was reading this book, I was sitting at the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. Will the Folk devour her? Will Sir Edwards manage to kill her? Is she ever going to realize that there is something special in the way Finian treats her? But more importantly, will she ever realize that she herself has fallen for Finian? Will she realize who she is? As the reader, I think I knew from pretty early on who the real Corinna was, but it wasn't until much later that Corinna herself realized it. The tension between her and the Folk, and between her and Finian, and between her and Sir Edwards, kept rising and rising, and I kept waiting and waiting, and then finally all the missing pieces of the puzzle fell in place, and the whole picture came to light.

At the end of the day, this really was a story about growing up, and finding one's true self, and then accepting it. Do not not read this book because you think of this as a children's book. I assure you, it is much more than just that. And last but not the least, I loved Franny Billingsley's style of writing, and I presume, much of the joy derived from reading this book had to do with her way of telling a story. She is, at least from what I gathered after reading The Folk Keeper, a mighty story teller!

Book details:
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1999
Format: Hardcover
Source: University of Denver Library, Denver, Colorado, USA

Reader reviewed by Michelle

The Folk are creepy goblins that live in the cellar.  If they get angry, they could destroy the whole town.  Corrina Stonewall writes a journal that describes her life and her times in the cellar drawing the anger of the Folk.  But only boys can be Folk Keepers, and when Lord Merton takes her away to his estate, she risks being exposed.

Being a girl is the least of Corrina's secrets.  She is never cold, she always knows the exact time, and her white hair grows two inches every night in her sleep.

The beautiful writing and great atmosphere pull the reader along as Corrina discovers who she really is, and decides whether to stay with the people she has come to care about.

Reader reviewed by Katie

The Folk Keeper is a great book. Don't be put off by the semi- confusing beginning. Everything is explained throughout the course of the book. Corinna turned herself into a boy so that she could be the folk keeper at the orphanage, the person who feeds and controls The Folk. This is a nessecary job, because the Folk have the power to ruin crops and kills herds of cattle. Corrina, disguised as Corin, is comfortable and self-confident in her job, because she has power over others, the power of fear. But it all crumbles when she meets a strange old man who is dying and wants her to go to his estate to become folk keeper. She begins to learn about her past, and her own powers.