The story moves effectively and easily. Events unfold dramatically and deliberately, and even though the conclusion is certain, the way the story progresses keeps the drama centered and the characters involved. Shifts in perspective help to build greater nuance, providing insights into specific developments or alternative takes on actions. The book’s tone and atmosphere are well established. Tensions between European nations are highlighted, with everything getting worse as the novel progresses. The sense of dread is palpable. Some Damn Fool Thing is excellent and nuanced historical fiction.

Clarion Forward Reviews

The backbone of the story is really the inexorable march toward World War I and the impact it has not only on the novel’s protagonists, but also France and Europe. Whitaker skillfully captures the crisis of impending world war and the national anxiety this created for a whole generation of young French men and women whose lives were permanently altered by its arrival. The author’s knowledge of the era’s geopolitical particulars is beyond reproach.

J. William Whitaker’s The Toll of Folly is a rousing historical novel set in France and Germany, that follows the struggles, fears, and triumphs of four friends at the beginning of WWI..

Split into three sections, the book juggles its plot points and characters with aplomb, tackling a convoluted period of
history with deft credibility. The plot is tight, its tension turned up until it explodes.

The Toll of Folly is a stirring historical novel.

 

Clarion Review

 

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The Toll of Folly is a gripping historical novel, the second in a series that follows the lives of four
Parisians during WWI’s first few months.

No knowledge of the previous book is needed. Author J. William Whitaker smoothly orients readers
as he introduces and follows his characters and their situations:

Whitaker expertly captures the sense of the war’s devastating violence, and the author’s well-drawn protagonists’ lives are rich with drama, and intersect in unusual ways.

The novel offers compelling characters, a dramatic backdrop, and easy-flowing chapters,
which historical fiction fans may appreciate.

 

Blue Ink Review