Review: The Good Fairies Of New York by Martin Millar

Title: The Good Fairies of New York
Series: N/A
Author: Martin Millar
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Soft Skull Press
Received: purchased
Release Date: April 2006   
Pages: 242
Rating:


What is it About?
Heather and Morlag are fairies that were exiled from Scotland.  They have somehow ended up in New York City for the first time.   They come to meet two humans Kerry and Dinnie.  The fairies can get themselves into enough trouble now they find even more as they made friends with these people of New York.

My Thoughts:

These are one of those stories that you have to read a couple of chapters or more to grasp who is who and what is going on.  There were just so many characters and it seemed there was always some sort of trouble these fairies were into.

My version of the book had a intro by Neil Gaiman which I think gave the book more creditability then some ways it deserved.  Not to say I did not like it.  It just took me so long to finally get into the story and understand what was going on.

You are first introduced to the fairies Heather and Morlag in a drunken confused state and already exiled from there home but you don’t find out that they were exiled until half of the book.  You just know that there are other fairies looking for them but you don’t know why.

The people they attach themselves to, Dinnie and Kerry, are probably not the most upstanding citizens to say the lest but it is New York.  Everyone in New York has a dark side it is assumed.  The fairies aren’t really there to help them become a better person...well that is not true they try but it doesn’t always work out for the best.

Heather tries to teach Dinnie how to play a proper fiddle and Morlag trys to help Kerry collect her flowers for an art piece, stealing items from different areas of New York along the way.  Heather steals for Dinnie to live and Morlag steals for Kerry for pleasure.  The stealing gets the fairies in trouble with more stereotypical fairies, the Italian fairies and the fairies from Chinatown.

The book is very different I will say that.  There are many things left unanswered in the book in the end and it had so much going on. There is a humorous feel to it.  It is definitely tongue-in-cheek.  This probably would be a story I would read again to revisit the characters and find things I probably missed the first time around.


Website:

Official Site of Martin Millar
http://www.martinmillar.com/

High Summer Read - A - Thon Mini Challenge - Travel

This mini challenge is brought to us from Book Snob.

As I said before I am reading The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

In this challenge we are to tell you with picture and  a little description where the book is taking place.

See there are two fairies that have been exiled from Scotland. (I have never been to Scotland this is only place in the book that is mentioned that I have never been but doesn't it look lovely)

These drunken fairies end up in New York City which is some what of a wonder to them.  Have lived in Ireland, Scotland and England.

The Fairies spend time with there new human friends Dinnie and Kerry in central park.  Dinnie and Kerry are only one of the few people in New York that can see fairies.   Some homeless people see them too.  Some of the homeless keep dying while in the park. 10 to count so far.

The one fairy Morlog  who has attached herself to Kerry finds himself in trouble with the "yellow" fairies of New York's Chinatown.

The fairy, Heather, that has attached itself to Dinnie is in trouble with the Italian fairies in Little Italy.

There are a whole bunch of other fairies looking for these two fairies not to mention the spirits.  This book can be a little confusing at time but it is very different.

High Summer Read- A - Thon Mini Challenge - Art

The Mini Challenges have started and the first is from The True Book Addict our host

This challenge we are to post art work relating to the book we are reading.  Since I am reading The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar.  My art is of a fairy with poppies. 

Art by Karen Miles.

 

 

The Poppy flower is very important to a character in the book who is actually not a fairy but an artist.  Her friend who is a fairy is trying to help her find her missing flower to finish her art piece.  

That makes the book sound very simple but in actuality this is a very complex book with many characters.

Neil Gaiman actually did an intro to the version of the book I am reading.

Joining the High Summer Read- A -Thon July 25 - July 31

 

 

http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 The Blog True Book Addict is hosting the High Summer Read - A - Thon from July 25th through July 31st.

I thought I would join and try to catch up on some reading.   So all reviews this week will be of novel or novellas

Here is what I am going to try to get started on reading

The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar

The Paper Garden: An Artist Begins Her Life's Work at 72 by Molly Peacock

The Price of Freedom (Pirates of the Caribbean) by A.C. Crispin

The last is a pretty thick book so hopefully I will get done those.  I would like to do more then three of course but I am going to start with these three and see how i do.