Sunday, June 15, 2008

The Good Fairies of New York-- Martin Millar-- Review

The Cottingley Fairies, Photograph from 1917


The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar is the story of two tiny winged fairies who end up in New York after a drunken evening. They end up in the house of Dinnie, a drunken, nasty, fat slob who can barely play the violin. They
discover that Dinnie has a magical fairy violin and scheme to get it.

Across the street is a very beautiful girl, Kerry who is a singer, artist, painter, sculptor, and shoplifter. Morag decides to move in with Kerry and help her out. Morag steals money from banks to help Kerry pay the rent.

Meanwhile, across the street, Morag is teaching Dinnie to play the violin. He also promises to make Kerry fall in love with Dinnie if he gives Morag the magic violin. Thus Morag begins a program of reforming Dinnie starting with making him wear
a pony tail, listen to alternative rock, become a vegetarian, lose weight, and stop watching the sex channel late at night.

Meanwhile the other fairies from Scotland are looking for Heather and Morag. They are in central park talking to the squirrels and other wildlife. The fairies are constantly fighting, making love, stealing, drinking, and carrying on.. It can be a bit saucy at times. It is all done in a humorous manner. This book would be part of the adult book collection, not the teenage collection.

There is a bag lady, Ghanaian fairies, Chinese fairies, Italian fairies, Scottish Fairies, English fairies, and the ghost of an electric guitarist.

This book is a combinations of a low rent love story, comedy, and urban fantasy. There is a rather unique style. If you like Terry Pratchett, you might like this book. It is not a very serious book at all. Neil Gaiman wrote the introduction to the book.

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