Dinnie, an overweight enemy of humanity, was the worst violinist in New York, but was practicing gamely when two cute little fairies stumbled... read full description
reviews
Sep 21, 2011
William
rated it: 
That anyone bothers surfing the internet on their own time is absurd. When you are not at work you could be eating, drinking, writing, playing baseball, taking karate, licking someone’s neck, looking at stars, getting into fights or cutting down cell phone towers. What the hell good is sitting down to a high-jacked internet connection if all you are going to do is read Pitchfork the entire night? Get serious about your time, and use those well-paid, or well, paid company hours at your job like t
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(12 people liked it)
Nov 19, 2007
Amanda
rated it: 
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Although I usually do and it's worked out before with random finds that turn out to be amazing, not so in this instance.
Great cover, great introduction by Neil Gaiman, Staff Pick at a great independent somehow does not equal a good book. I thought it'd be cool but it's pretty much just about some Scottish fairies in New York City. I really didn't like the style, which I didn't find particularly skillful. It could have been a lot better. The main thing More...
Great cover, great introduction by Neil Gaiman, Staff Pick at a great independent somehow does not equal a good book. I thought it'd be cool but it's pretty much just about some Scottish fairies in New York City. I really didn't like the style, which I didn't find particularly skillful. It could have been a lot better. The main thing More...
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Nov 30, 2010
Mariel
rated it:
Current editions of The Good Fairies of New York feature an incandescently flourescent blurb from Neil Gaiman. Every subsequent Millar publication features this same quote. It's a lifetime ticket. He can be trusted (unless it's nostalgia based. I'll save those musings for another time, perhaps). There are things that nostalgia will do to perspective and all that (I despise the '90s while other freakazoids somehow miss it). Trusting reviews at all is tricky. I didn't even have the decency to wr
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(12 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
The Good Fairies of New York finds two Scottish thimble fairies transported to lower Manhattan. Morag and Heather, who didn't completely fit in back in the old country, are a bit bewildered by their new surroundings, but make do as best they can. They're not entirely alone-as it turns out, New York is heavily populated by fairies, including Italian, Chinese, and black ones.
They glomp onto some humans; Morag joins Kerry, who suffers from Crohns disease (complete with colostomy bag), w More...
They glomp onto some humans; Morag joins Kerry, who suffers from Crohns disease (complete with colostomy bag), w More...
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Jun 21, 2008
Sean
rated it: 
While not quite as life-changingingly awesome as Lonely Werewolf Girl, this is still a ripsnortingly fun read.
Updated to add: One of the reasons this book didn't completely work for me is that, even though it is set in New York and two of the main characters are supposedly Americans if not New Yorkers, all of the characters seemed British to me. Millar avoided any really obvious faults in vocabulary, but the tone of the dialogue wasn't quite right for New Yorkers.
Updated More...
Updated to add: One of the reasons this book didn't completely work for me is that, even though it is set in New York and two of the main characters are supposedly Americans if not New Yorkers, all of the characters seemed British to me. Millar avoided any really obvious faults in vocabulary, but the tone of the dialogue wasn't quite right for New Yorkers.
Updated More...
Mar 28, 2008
Donovan
rated it:
What a disappointing read. Firstly, the text is huge, so it didn't even give me the benefit at least being a distraction. I finished it in about 4 hours. The characters never evolved and I didn't even like any of them to begin with. Everything just sort of exists in this book, and the reading of it just felt like a snapshot of the world, but it was like a snapshot of someone else's living room with no context. Completely boring because I don't care about that room, I know nothing about it, and i
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(6 people liked it)
Dec 11, 2008
Nate
rated it:
It's not often I stop reading a book, even ones that I end up giving a 1-star to, but I gave up on this one about halfway through. The Good Fairies is just, plain and simply, not well-written. It reminded me of something written by a 14-year-old who has some fun ideas but no concept of how to put them together into a compelling story.
Millar likes to jump between different characters and subplots far more often than is healthy - often he'll introduce a couple of new characters, then More...
Millar likes to jump between different characters and subplots far more often than is healthy - often he'll introduce a couple of new characters, then More...
Sep 17, 2008
Renee
rated it: 
Make no mistake, this is getting two stars because Millar was fortunate enough to have Neil Gaiman write his introduction...which, by the end of the book, is the best piece of writing in the whole thing. This is a shame, because I received this book as a present from a really good friend, and was completely ready for a hilarious, light-hearted sort of novel. I really, really tried to like it, and forced myself to sit through the whole thing, sixth-grade writing style and all, despite numerous
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(4 people liked it)
May 31, 2009
Chelsey
rated it: 
I bought this on a whim because it was sitting on a table at Barnes and Noble and it had an introduction by Neil Gaiman. I would say I am an incredibly avid fan of Neil Gaiman, so I bought it.
I wasn't totally disappointed. It was a fun read, and the characters were memorable (especially Dinnie and Kerry), but I felt like some of the storytelling choices the author made were very awkward. You never really read about anything happening, you just heard about it later. You were never pre More...
I wasn't totally disappointed. It was a fun read, and the characters were memorable (especially Dinnie and Kerry), but I felt like some of the storytelling choices the author made were very awkward. You never really read about anything happening, you just heard about it later. You were never pre More...
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Mar 03, 2008
Lori
rated it:
Boy.
Did i have to force myself through this one.
I have to wonder if Neil Gaiman and I were reading the same book. The storyline was completely all over the place. Within a chapter the author bounces from one group of characters to the next, leading me to wonder why he had numbered chapters at all..
The book goes something like this:
Two scottish fairies land in NYC, get drunk, play the fiddle, fight amongst each other and wreak havoc among the lives of Dinnie (A fat crank More...
Did i have to force myself through this one.
I have to wonder if Neil Gaiman and I were reading the same book. The storyline was completely all over the place. Within a chapter the author bounces from one group of characters to the next, leading me to wonder why he had numbered chapters at all..
The book goes something like this:
Two scottish fairies land in NYC, get drunk, play the fiddle, fight amongst each other and wreak havoc among the lives of Dinnie (A fat crank More...
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Mar 05, 2009
Jensownzoo
rated it:
Dry understated humor and spectacular circumstances (who's the last character you know that had a colostomy bag?) combine to make a fairly entertaining ride. Was a little difficult to get into the style at first, but then the pace picked up and carried you right along with it. Will be checking out the author's other works.
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Sep 02, 2008
Shawn
rated it:
The writing style was light and easy to read. This made it a quick read but also left the story very shallow. There were a larger than average number of characters and the story rapidly switched between them. Each time I picked the book up again I had trouble remembering what was happening with all of the characters.
The premise of the book seemed very funny, fairies running amok in New York City, but the delivery was only mildly humorous and overly crass in places. The characters More...
The premise of the book seemed very funny, fairies running amok in New York City, but the delivery was only mildly humorous and overly crass in places. The characters More...
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Nov 30, 2011
Emma
rated it:
A group of Fairies end up in New York and cause all sorts of trouble, mostly by getting drunk and having no concept at all of how not to cause trouble.
I was really expecting to love this book but I actually found it quite disapointing. I think it was a prose thing for me. It was very flat and difficult to read. We get told something relevant to the plot has happened and they get hurried along and it would be nice to have seen some of that stuff happening, you know. None of the characte More...
I was really expecting to love this book but I actually found it quite disapointing. I think it was a prose thing for me. It was very flat and difficult to read. We get told something relevant to the plot has happened and they get hurried along and it would be nice to have seen some of that stuff happening, you know. None of the characte More...
Jan 28, 2009
Icats
rated it:
Get ready for a wild ride. First there is Heather and Morag, Scottish thistle fairies, that only wanted to start the first radical fairy punk rock but end fugitives fleeing to New York. Then there is their task of matching an overweight disgruntled inept violinist with a beautiful free-spirited artist who has pledged her life to complete her flower alphabet to beat out her ex-boyfriend’s production of a Midsummer Night’s Dream in a local community art contest. Unfortunately Heather's and Morag's
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Jan 09, 2012
Alytha
rated it:
I'll try to keep this one spoiler-free. ;)
Here's the amazon blurb, which sums up the plot quite nicely without giving away too much:
Morag and Heather, two eighteen-inch fairies with swords, green kilts and badly dyed hair fly through the window of the worst violinist in New York, an overweight and antisocial type named Dinnie, and vomit on his carpet. Who they are, how they came to New York and what this has to do with the lovely Kerry - who lives across the street, and has C More...
Here's the amazon blurb, which sums up the plot quite nicely without giving away too much:
Morag and Heather, two eighteen-inch fairies with swords, green kilts and badly dyed hair fly through the window of the worst violinist in New York, an overweight and antisocial type named Dinnie, and vomit on his carpet. Who they are, how they came to New York and what this has to do with the lovely Kerry - who lives across the street, and has C More...
Jul 27, 2011
Ubalstecha
rated it:
A fun tale of two Scottish fairies who find themselves in New York after committing a heinous crime against the clans. After a fight, Morag and Heather separate and end up with a pair of neighbours. Innitially Heather tries to teach her human friend to play the fiddle, while Morag helps her human friend gather flowers for a celtic alphabet. During these adventures, the fairies run afoul of the Italian and Chinese fairies of New York.
Meanwhile, the rest of their party, including three Irish f More...
Meanwhile, the rest of their party, including three Irish f More...
Jun 28, 2011
Algernon
rated it:
This one touched the right buttons for me. It's a fairy tale tale for the new kids on the block : irreverent, subversive, sexually liberated, rich in pop culture references. It should also come with it's own soundtrack albums - one for New York punk bands and one for traditional Scottish tunes. I am tempted to take notes and hunt for the records mentioned here when I get around to re-reading the book.
The general tone is one of carnival parade / commedia dell' arte with colourful characters More...
The general tone is one of carnival parade / commedia dell' arte with colourful characters More...
Feb 18, 2011
MB
rated it:
Finished reading The Good Fairies of New York (1992, 2006) by Martin Millar last night. The Good Fairies is a humorous urban fantasy, similar in genre to the work of Christopher Moore, but even further out. Although Moore’s sense of humor is pretty odd, Millar’s is downright strange.
The Good Fairies is mostly about two Scottish thistle fairies, Morag and Heather and their adventures in New York. Not that they know they are in New York (for a while they think they’re in Glasgow) or wh More...
The Good Fairies is mostly about two Scottish thistle fairies, Morag and Heather and their adventures in New York. Not that they know they are in New York (for a while they think they’re in Glasgow) or wh More...
Dec 16, 2010
Cortney
rated it:
My friend Carla dropped this one in my lap at the bar awhile back, because she thought I'd really like it. I mean, it has fairies and sex and colostomy bags and punk shows in it, so what's not to like? And I did like it for all of those reasons. That's kind of where the book fails somewhat, though. It skims the surface of all these neat things and instead of going deep, deep into this sort-of-fantasy-but-also-uber-gritty world, it relies on its coolness to get by. I would have loved more depth o
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Jan 30, 2010
Clawfoot
rated it:
I can't help but feel a bit betrayed. Neil Gaimen himself wrote a glowing introduction to the book, and promised me that it would be funny and engaging and wonderful. It was not.
The style was disjointed and haphazard, jumping from scene to scene that were sometimes as short as a few sentences. Doing so occasionally can sometimes be quite effective, but when the entire book is like that, it leaves me feeling like I've just read a long string of teasers, and the book itself had no m More...
The style was disjointed and haphazard, jumping from scene to scene that were sometimes as short as a few sentences. Doing so occasionally can sometimes be quite effective, but when the entire book is like that, it leaves me feeling like I've just read a long string of teasers, and the book itself had no m More...
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Oct 30, 2009
Rebekah
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 11, 2009
Elevate Difference
rated it:
Having recently moved to New York City, one of my first excursions was to the Strand Bookstore. Late one evening in May, I walked into the shop and, feeling slightly overwhelmed but giddy with excitement, I ventured into the maze of tables and shelves surfeit with books.
Within ten minutes, I happened upon a book entitled The Good Fairies of New York. The title caught my attention: fairies? New York? The titular connotations suggested that the book would be a type of urban fantasy. Se More...
Within ten minutes, I happened upon a book entitled The Good Fairies of New York. The title caught my attention: fairies? New York? The titular connotations suggested that the book would be a type of urban fantasy. Se More...
Jul 18, 2009
Katy-Del
rated it:
The book begins in the apartment of the worst violinist in New York. Two very inebriated fairies fly in his window, one of them vomits and appologizes. The other says, "Don't worry. Fairy vomit is no doubt sweet smelling to humans." Bwa ha ha!
In the intro, Neil Gaiman says: "This book is for every fiddler who has realized, half-way through plaing an ancient Scotish air, that the Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" is what folk music is really all about, and gon More...
In the intro, Neil Gaiman says: "This book is for every fiddler who has realized, half-way through plaing an ancient Scotish air, that the Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" is what folk music is really all about, and gon More...
Apr 26, 2009
Alana
rated it:
I've known about this book forever, and for some reason always assumed I wouldn't like it.
I was wrong.
*************
(ETA now that I see how love-hate most of the reviews are.)
The writing style is really disjointed and choppy and sometimes repetitive. The random facts you get when first introduced to characters might not necessarily be the most important ones (or maybe they are), and so when the BIG facts are dropped it can really twist your gut. I g More...
I was wrong.
*************
(ETA now that I see how love-hate most of the reviews are.)
The writing style is really disjointed and choppy and sometimes repetitive. The random facts you get when first introduced to characters might not necessarily be the most important ones (or maybe they are), and so when the BIG facts are dropped it can really twist your gut. I g More...
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Mar 26, 2011
ALPHAreader
rated it:
‘The Good Fairies of New York’ tells the dreamy tale of a fairy troupe who converge on a terrible New York violinist named Dinnie. Heather and Morag, along with their winged-friends Brannoc, Maeve, Padraig, Petal and Tulip have a plan for Dinnie and his across-the-way neighbour, Kerry. These eighteen-inch fairies pack quite the punch and have a cunning strategy for war that would put Sun Tzu to shame . . .
‘The Good Fairies of New York’ was actually published in 1992, but has been re More...
‘The Good Fairies of New York’ was actually published in 1992, but has been re More...
Sep 13, 2010
Xenophon
rated it:
Like the other Martin Miller novel that I've read, Lonely Werewolf Girl, the characters of The Good Fairies of New York are largely unsympathetic. One lead character is accurately described as an "enemy of humanity." The other human lead is a chronic thief consumed with vengeance. The fairy lead characters are a pair of bickering imbeciles. Thus, I had much trouble caring what happened to any of them. By the end, I was almost rooting that they all get killed off.
Furthe More...
Furthe More...
Jan 11, 2010
karen
rated it:
The Good Fairies of New York is full of punky -- but cute! -- fairies and interesting people. Sometimes it feels like Millar is trying a little too hard to make his characters interesting, but the story's good enough that I don't care.
On a petty note, holy crap, the TYPOS in this edition! It's one of those books I want to mark up and send to the publisher (or maybe the editor?) along with an invoice for my time.
The story is compelling and moves quickly, and Good Fairies i More...
On a petty note, holy crap, the TYPOS in this edition! It's one of those books I want to mark up and send to the publisher (or maybe the editor?) along with an invoice for my time.
The story is compelling and moves quickly, and Good Fairies i More...
Mar 11, 2009
Terri
rated it:
First line: "Dinnie, an overweight enemy of humanity, was the worst violinist in New York, but was practicing gamely when two cute little fairies stumbled through his fourth-floor window and vomited on the carpet."
With a first line like that, a recommend from Nymeth, and an introduction by Neil Gaiman ... well ... I just had to read this book!
The Good Fairies of New York is an urban fantasy of a different sort. It is a comedic look at the gritty urban landscape. More...
With a first line like that, a recommend from Nymeth, and an introduction by Neil Gaiman ... well ... I just had to read this book!
The Good Fairies of New York is an urban fantasy of a different sort. It is a comedic look at the gritty urban landscape. More...
Nov 22, 2010
Shane
rated it:
I really enjoyed this story; apparently more than the editors did, however.
I had a great time getting sucked into Millar's New York, and the overlapping stories of the various fairies of the city. I wish that the editor had the same appreciation for Millar's characters that I did.
It appears that the editor enjoyed the first half of the novel, but, maybe relied on spell check for the second half. I am speaking from my personal experience when I say, the invention of spellcheck is both More...
I had a great time getting sucked into Millar's New York, and the overlapping stories of the various fairies of the city. I wish that the editor had the same appreciation for Millar's characters that I did.
It appears that the editor enjoyed the first half of the novel, but, maybe relied on spell check for the second half. I am speaking from my personal experience when I say, the invention of spellcheck is both More...
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Oct 18, 2011
NerdyKid
rated it:
Hard drinking lesbian punk fairies, the worst fiddle player in New York, the ghost of Johnny Thunders, and an idiosyncratically simple prose style reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut – I can imagine if I hadn’t encountered Martin Millar before, I’d at least find this fresh and unusual. As it is, he’s one of my favourite authors, and I have to say, I can’t think of a Millar I’ve read that isn’t better than this.
One of the most delightful things about his other novels are the settings – ‘90s Brixt More...
One of the most delightful things about his other novels are the settings – ‘90s Brixt More...
