Sir Philip's Folly

The Poor Relation, Book 4

By: Marion Chesney, M. C. Beaton

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Just when everything at the Poor Relation Hotel seems to be running smoothly, Sir Philip brings in another poor relation, Mrs. Budge. When Sir Philip presents his paramour, Lady Fortescue swears great oaths and says the woman is probably related to half the costermongers in London and certainly does not possess one rich relative. Mrs. Budge does nothing but eat all day and refuses to do any work around the hotel. Worst of all, Miss Tonks seems to be taking the romance between Sir Philip and Mrs. Budge quite hard.

In the middle of all this commotion, a certain Lady Carruthers and her daughter Arabella come to stay at the hotel. Lady Carruthers is a widow trying to pass herself off as much younger than she actually is. To this end she dresses poor Arabella, who is all of 19, as a young schoolgirl and refuses to bring her out. It is up to the poor relations to deal with the lazy Mrs. Budge, find Arabella a husband, and trounce her terrible mother!

©1993 Marion Chesney (P)2012 AudioGO

Another worthy read in this marvelous series

Where does Sir Philip's Folly rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

You will finally get to know Sir Folly - not as heartless as he seems to be yet, yet a very very clever, unpredictable man. Wonderful if you can get the book on sale - if not - it is worth a credit.

Any additional comments?

I would not read this book as a "stand alone book" as the series almost works a bit like a puzzle piece. Try to read this series in order, and if it a fun read, nothing to deep, yet entertaining and will ease your mind. Book harmonizes well with the other books in the series. Narrator is great!

This series is so much fun!

I have been having a blast listening to this series! The story is funny, witty and zany and the cast is endearing, I love them all. Hats off to Davina Porter, she has brought them all to life!

I'm on to book 5!

fabulous

MC Beaton delivers yet again. The Poor Relation series is my favorite. I've listened to it several times. thank you

A Light Enjoyable Novel With Quirky Characters

I have read other books in this series and each one is pleasant and enjoyable. A light wholesome theme with lots of quirky characters. Sir Philip is one of the most quarrelsome of the lot. It takes place in a hotel run by the poor relations of a wealthy family. The four main characters are ‘stuck’ with running the hotel to make a living. Once they were high society but now are ‘tradesmen’ working. There is lots of the British class system on display and Davina Porter, the narrator, distinguishes among the characters with her ability to play all roles. She is a superb narrator. So, if you want to just relax and enjoy a simple storyline give this series a try. I recommend starting with Book 1 so you know how these four people wound up running a hotel.

Pure Fun!

These books, although generally predictable, are just a fun listen!
M. C. Beaton gives just enough twists to keep it interesting, and I don't think it is possible for Davina Porter to give a poor performance! Sir Phillip certainly did fall from grace, but considering his age and circumstances, except for his last decision, who could blame him.
As always, the owners of the Poor Relations Hotel rally to support each other and a few new friends. I truly hope Ms. Tonks gets her happy ending in the next book!