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Rating: 
Summary: Ellis is superb.
Review: I have read only four of her books, but each one is a masterpiece. Once again Ellis creates an uncanny brilliant story, best described as 'supernatural comedy of manners'. The spiteful interactions of all her characters are spot on and funny. This is combined with the eerie story of being attacked by the fairy folk. Excellent authoress, excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: "I find the country peculiar."
Review: In the novel "Fairy Tale" by Alice Thomas Ellis, seventeen-year-old Eloise and her boyfriend, Simon have abandoned suburbia in their quest for a better and more meaningful lifestyle. They live in a cottage in a remote area in Wales. Thanks to money from Eloise's father, the young couple doesn't need to worry about money. Simon works odd jobs, and Eloise sews exquisite nightgowns for some of the local shops. Clare--Eloise's lonely mother--lives in London. She's divorced and hoping to "meet a man." Clare drinks a little too much, and she relies on her very sensible best friend, Miriam, to bolster her moods. Miriam is single, practical, and very no-nonsense, so when bizarre events begin to take place at the cottage, first Miriam, and then Clare descend upon the cottage to see just what is going on with this bohemian situation. Miriam senses that "there's something funny going on," and her character is at the very heart of this novel. Comic relief is provided by the marvelous relationship Clare and Miriam share. Miriam is the hardened skeptic who realizes--rather surprisingly--exactly what is afoot. Meanwhile, Clare drifts along obliviously in her own little world--distracted by her rather negligible problems. Other novels by Alice Thomas Ellis tinge on the supernatural ("The Inn at the Edge of the World" & "Unexplained Laughter"), but "Fairy Tale" is just as its title suggests--about the Fairy Race. It seems that the cottage and its inhabitants are pivotal to the survival of the Fairy Kingdom. This is not, however, a children's story by any means--this is a very dark tale of "a world careless of mankind, more terrible than malice in its indifference." The author's presentation of the Fairy Race is inspired and does not follow the norms. "Fairy Tale" is quite unlike any other Alice Thomas Ellis book I've read, but I did not enjoy it one iota less for that. The book maintains the author's usual standard, and it just represents a change of pace--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: "I find the country peculiar."
Review: In the novel "Fairy Tale" by Alice Thomas Ellis, seventeen-year-old Eloise and her boyfriend, Simon have abandoned suburbia in their quest for a better and more meaningful lifestyle. They live in a cottage in a remote area in Wales. Thanks to money from Eloise's father, the young couple doesn't need to worry about money. Simon works odd jobs, and Eloise sews exquisite nightgowns for some of the local shops. Clare--Eloise's lonely mother--lives in London. She's divorced and hoping to "meet a man." Clare drinks a little too much, and she relies on her very sensible best friend, Miriam, to bolster her moods. Miriam is single, practical, and very no-nonsense, so when bizarre events begin to take place at the cottage, first Miriam, and then Clare descend upon the cottage to see just what is going on with this bohemian situation. Miriam senses that "there's something funny going on," and her character is at the very heart of this novel. Comic relief is provided by the marvelous relationship Clare and Miriam share. Miriam is the hardened skeptic who realizes--rather surprisingly--exactly what is afoot. Meanwhile, Clare drifts along obliviously in her own little world--distracted by her rather negligible problems. Other novels by Alice Thomas Ellis tinge on the supernatural ("The Inn at the Edge of the World" & "Unexplained Laughter"), but "Fairy Tale" is just as its title suggests--about the Fairy Race. It seems that the cottage and its inhabitants are pivotal to the survival of the Fairy Kingdom. This is not, however, a children's story by any means--this is a very dark tale of "a world careless of mankind, more terrible than malice in its indifference." The author's presentation of the Fairy Race is inspired and does not follow the norms. "Fairy Tale" is quite unlike any other Alice Thomas Ellis book I've read, but I did not enjoy it one iota less for that. The book maintains the author's usual standard, and it just represents a change of pace--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: Contains a Scene of Superb Comic Genius
Review: There are some comic moments in novels that I never forget and that make me smile and laugh when I recall them. This novel has one of those great moments in it. Part of the fun of the novel is in the slow move from realism to the supernatural. The story begins with a couple trying to make a living on a small farm in Wales. The novel's beautiful descriptions of Wales, of the quaint cottage, and the picture-postcard romance of the young couple's country life lull us into the fantasy of a return to older days and times when country people believed in fairies. The strange happenings in the Welsh countryside begin simply, and we are slowly sucked into the weird, eerie atmosphere of the novel. The addition of two wordly women to farming couple's life adds more tensions as social values clash. Humor and social satire increase along with the tension until you reach a most magnificent climax and enjoyable denoument.
Rating:
Summary: Contains a Scene of Superb Comic Genius
Review: There are some comic moments in novels that I never forget and that make me smile and laugh when I recall them. This novel has one of those great moments in it. Part of the fun of the novel is in the slow move from realism to the supernatural. The story begins with a couple trying to make a living on a small farm in Wales. The novel's beautiful descriptions of Wales, of the quaint cottage, and the picture-postcard romance of the young couple's country life lull us into the fantasy of a return to older days and times when country people believed in fairies. The strange happenings in the Welsh countryside begin simply, and we are slowly sucked into the weird, eerie atmosphere of the novel. The addition of two wordly women to farming couple's life adds more tensions as social values clash. Humor and social satire increase along with the tension until you reach a most magnificent climax and enjoyable denoument.
Rating: 
Summary: self-indulgent
Review: This book has a premise--that fairy folk are interfering in the world of humans--and not much else. The plot takes fully half the book's length to get going, and results in only one real event. That would probably be okay, if the rest of the reader's time were spent with the fairies, or immersed in Welsh culture, or in historical flashbacks. Sadly, though, we are treated to the dreary company of three not-very-likeable women: an insufferable young artisan, her neurotic mother, and the mother's dull friend. If, however, you have read and liked this book, I'd like to recommend Kathryn Davis' "The Walking Tour." Also set in Wales, with a slight element of the supernatural, and a bit more life to it.
Rating:
Summary: self-indulgent
Review: This book has a premise--that fairy folk are interfering in the world of humans--and not much else. The plot takes fully half the book's length to get going, and results in only one real event. That would probably be okay, if the rest of the reader's time were spent with the fairies, or immersed in Welsh culture, or in historical flashbacks. Sadly, though, we are treated to the dreary company of three not-very-likeable women: an insufferable young artisan, her neurotic mother, and the mother's dull friend. If, however, you have read and liked this book, I'd like to recommend Kathryn Davis' "The Walking Tour." Also set in Wales, with a slight element of the supernatural, and a bit more life to it.
Rating:
Summary: kinky take on a fairytale
Review: This story is so cute and kooky that it deserves a read. Young Eloise, living in the Welsh countryside is bored just sewing old fashioned flowing dresses and begins thinking about having a baby. She goes off for a walk one day through the fields and returns with a baby that she insists is her own. And it just gets odder from there! This is just a wonderful read, perfect for settling down in a comfy spot on a wintry day and devouring.
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