The Folk Keeper

She is never cold, she always knows exactly what time it is, and her hair grows two inches while she sleeps. Fifteen-year-old Corinna Stonewall — the only Folk Keeper in the city of Rhysbridge — sits hour after hour with the Folk in the dark, chilly cellar, "drawing off their anger as a lightning rod draws off lightning." The Folk are the fierce, wet-mouthed, cave-dwelling gremlins who sour milk, rot cabbage, and make farm animals sick. Still, they are no match for the steely, hard-hearted, vengeful orphan Corinna who prides herself in her job of feeding, distracting, and otherwise pacifying these furious, ravenous creatures. The Folk Keeper has power and independence, and that's the way she likes it.
One day, Corinna is summoned by show more Lord Merton to come to the vast seaside estate Cliffsend as Folk Keeper and family member — for she is the once-abandoned child he has been looking for. It is at Cliffsend that Corinna learns where her unusual powers come from, why she is drawn to the sea, and finally, what it means to be comfortable in her own skin. Written in the form of a journal, The Folk Keeper is a powerful story of a proud, ferociously self-reliant girl who breaks out of her dark, cold, narrow world into one of joy, understanding, and even the magic of romance. show less

It's more of a novella than a novel, but it's lovely and creepy and wickedly inventive. The twists are predictable, but the strange world the novel inhabits is both wondrous and terrifying. Corinna is a wonderful protagonist: spiteful, mean, misanthropic, and utterly dedicated to her task as Folk Keeper. She would get along with Merricat from Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

The Folk Keeper is a small book, the story Corinna, a young girl that disguises herself as a boy, Corin, to be able to be a Folk Keeper. Being a Folk Keeper is all she ever wanted to do. But when she is summoned by Lord Merton to be the Folk Keeper of the huge estate in Cliffsend she starts to see that maybe being a Folk Keeper is not all that it's cracked to be. There the Folk are vicious, and her own powers seem to lose strength.

Of course there are some good things to her new life in Cliffsend, Corinna lives with more comfort, and gains a friend, Finian, who is the reluctant heir to Merton Hall – he would much rather be a fisherman or a sailor. And then there are bad things that happen, of course, otherwise there would be no story.

I show more liked Corinna because she is not the sweet little girl one would expect of a children's book. She is angry and vindictive at times, and always makes sure she comes out on top. As I read the book, which is in diary form, I started to realize why she is the way she is. She is an orphan, and a girl, which would mean a life of being a servant. But she decides to pose as a boy, gathering the knowledge of Folk Keepers apprentices in exchange of doing chores, and making sure that wherever she is Folk Keeper, she is essential.

This may seem cold, and in a way, Corinna is cold. But it left an opening for a great duo, between her and Finian, who is the sweetest and most cheerful of people. He has a deeper intelligence, and see things that others don't – not through any special power, but because he cares enough to look.

The action, though, has very little to do with their interaction, and more with Corinna discovering herself. And I also liked that part – there was a bit of darkness in it, with stories of crazy maidens and forays into graveyards in the middle of the night and murder attempts! And all in such a tiny book!

The feeling at the end was of a pleasant book. Not stellar, but it will leave your heart a little bit warmer.

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This is a wonderful book. Normally I dislike books told through letters and journals, as by design the action is taking place before or after the present writing. However, Corin's journal and experiences paint the world around her, her blindspots and insights as important as the events she writes about. Having the story told through her written thoughts, rather than an omniscient perspective in her head, was a critical component that made this book all the more effective. Reading THE FOLK KEEPER felt like nothing so much as a treasure hunt, gathering pieces of Corin and fitting them together to form a whole. Though Billingsley has created a startlingly creative world, she manages to keep it grounded and explainable in a way that makes show more it all the more fantastic. A wonderful fairy tale, I can’t wait to read more by this author. show less

As Corin, Corinna has been able to trade her time and chores for skills and spells. This was essential to her plans, for only as a boy could she become educated and only with education could she become a Folk Keeper. At a young age Corinna learnt that only through power over others could she obtain what she wanted and what she wanted was the cold and dark place where she belonged.

For years Corinna kept her secrets; her secret knowledge, her magic abilities, her convictions that kept her through the tough times. Everything that made Corinna who she is was hidden behind the façade of Corin. But then one day a Lady arrived at the orphanage to fetch her and take her to a new home, here the hard and disciplined Corin is stripped away and show more only the vulnerable and stubborn Corinna is left behind.

The Folk Keeper is a beautifully unique story of a girl searching for her place in the world. Written with poetic language and a descriptive style, this complex story is full of vivid characters, mystery, charm and charms. A tale of transformation, homecoming and murderous plots; this story is just another reason why Franny Billingsley is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. show less

Corinna Stonewall deigned avoid her fate as a servant girl, and knowing that boys have it better, she dons boy's clothing, cuts off her hair everyday (her hair grows two inches every night), and learns the trade of the Folk Keeper. The folk keeper tends to the feared Folk, who lives underground constantly angry and ravenous, spoils the milk, rots eggs and meat, and ruins crops. But when she is summoned to Merton Hall to be its new Folk Keeper, she discovers haunting, dangerous, and liberating secrets that involve the Lord of Merton Hall - and herself.

Packing a girrrl power, fantasy, mystery, and romantic punch, this story will undoubtedly bring you back to the days when you used to beg your mom or dad to read a bedtime story to you. show more However, as soon as you settled into that feeling, Corinna's narration through her journal, Corinna's Folk Record, will have you bristling at her haunting, self-aware, vengeful, and hard-hearted recollection of events past. The imagery and tone of this story will have you turning the pages faster than you would like to reach that final resolution that will surprise, delight, and touch every reader.

From her journal entries, one might infer that Corinna is a strong, fearless young woman. But as the story progresses, one will realize just the opposite - Corinna is a sensitive, insecure, frightened little girl who covers her feelings of ineptitude with hardness. Every inch of her life, every spot of her personality, everything about this story is all about disguises. Corinna hides her fears, and she disguises her gender, and then she eventually learns things about herself which has been disguised by history.

I would just like to comment though, on the flatness of the other character's personalities. Finian and the Lady Alicia would have been more likable had more depth been written into their characters. But then, this story is told through the entries in Corinna's journal, which may explain for the lack of perspective into these other characters.

Until now, I am struggling to find words good enough to describe the enjoyment to be had from this book. I read this a long time ago, and yet when I remember the story, I get all excited, like coming across a beautiful piece of artwork that I could not bear to leave behind. Unfortunately, my copy was lent to a former friend who never returned it to me. I am definitely going to get another copy of this one, and reread it all over again. show less

In this fun and charming retelling of the age-old legend of the seal maiden/selkie, the human world is protected from fierce creatures beneath the earth's surface by "folk keepers." Corinna is one such keeper, who keeps The Folk beneath the Marblehaugh Park estate at bay and from destroying crops and livestock only by plying them with massive quantities of food.

This was one of those books where I was torn between slowly savoring the beauty of the story and prose on each page and feverishly wanting to learn what happened next, and then feeling inexplicably disappointed when the story had ended.