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Pixie
Bloomsbury presents Pixie by Jill Dawson, read by Kristin Atherton
“Pixie”. I like it. “Pixie Pamela”. It’s a good name for sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone.
It’s the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith is a young woman of stark plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.
After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman’s talent, grit and determination.
In Pixie, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.
“Pixie”. I like it. “Pixie Pamela”. It’s a good name for sometimes tiny and invisible. Other times bouncing up to the ceiling to look down on everyone.
It’s the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith is a young woman of stark plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.
After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman’s talent, grit and determination.
In Pixie, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela ‘Pixie’ Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.
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First published March 12, 2026
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About the author
Jill Dawson
42 books100 followersJill Dawson was born in Durham and grew up in Staffordshire, Essex and Yorkshire. She read American Studies at the University of Nottingham, then took a series of short-term jobs in London before studying for an MA in Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. In 1997 she was the British Council Writing Fellow at Amherst College, Massachussets.
Her writing life began as a poet, her poems being published in a variety of small press magazines, and in one pamphlet collection, White Fish with Painted Nails (1990). She won an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry in 1992.
She edited several books for Virago, including The Virago Book of Wicked Verse (1992) and The Virago Book of Love Letters (1994). She has also edited a collection of short stories, School Tales: Stories by Young Women (1990), and with co-editor Margo Daly, Wild Ways: New Stories about Women on the Road (1998) and Gas and Air: Tales of Pregnancy and Birth (2002). She is the author of one book of non-fiction for teenagers, How Do I Look? (1991), which deals with the subject of self-esteem.
Jill Dawson is the author of five novels: Trick of the Light (1996); Magpie (1998), for which she won a London Arts Board New Writers Award; Fred and Edie (2000); Wild Boy (2003); and most recently, Watch Me Disappear (2006). Fred and Edie is based on the historic murder trial of Thompson and Bywaters, and was shortlisted for the 2000 Whitbread Novel Award and the 2001 Orange Prize for Fiction.
Her next novel, The Great Lover, is due for publication in early 2009.
Jill Dawson has taught Creative Writing for many years and was recently the Creative Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia. She lives with her family in the Cambridgeshire Fens.
Her writing life began as a poet, her poems being published in a variety of small press magazines, and in one pamphlet collection, White Fish with Painted Nails (1990). She won an Eric Gregory Award for her poetry in 1992.
She edited several books for Virago, including The Virago Book of Wicked Verse (1992) and The Virago Book of Love Letters (1994). She has also edited a collection of short stories, School Tales: Stories by Young Women (1990), and with co-editor Margo Daly, Wild Ways: New Stories about Women on the Road (1998) and Gas and Air: Tales of Pregnancy and Birth (2002). She is the author of one book of non-fiction for teenagers, How Do I Look? (1991), which deals with the subject of self-esteem.
Jill Dawson is the author of five novels: Trick of the Light (1996); Magpie (1998), for which she won a London Arts Board New Writers Award; Fred and Edie (2000); Wild Boy (2003); and most recently, Watch Me Disappear (2006). Fred and Edie is based on the historic murder trial of Thompson and Bywaters, and was shortlisted for the 2000 Whitbread Novel Award and the 2001 Orange Prize for Fiction.
Her next novel, The Great Lover, is due for publication in early 2009.
Jill Dawson has taught Creative Writing for many years and was recently the Creative Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia. She lives with her family in the Cambridgeshire Fens.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 3, 2026
If you’ve ever wondered who designed the Rider-Waite tarot deck, then this is the book for you. I’ve always known it as the Rider-Waite deck, and have a beloved set of cards myself, but didn’t notice until I read this book that mine is labelled as the ‘RWS Tarot’ with the name Pamela Colman Smith in large letters at the top, and since reading Pixie I couldn’t be more delighted with that.
Pamela Colman Smith is the subject of this incredible book. As often happens, she was a woman erased from history, and in original versions of the cards her name didn’t even appear (and neither did an appropriate amount of money for the work in creating these beautiful designs).
Known as Pixie, we follow Pamela through her teens and into her incredible life as an adult, where she mingles with a group of successful and well known friends. This is done superbly well, through the self-depreciating voice of Pixie herself. It took me a long time to read this book because I spent a lot of time googling the real life characters of her story, so I could picture them as I read. Places too are fun to research. Ellen Terry’s home that features in the book is now a National Trust property currently displaying some of Pixie’s artwork.
Tarot cards feature heavily in the book, and this is done not only through the imagination of Pixie herself as she builds worlds in her head inspired by people around her, but also through the titles of each chapter. The chapters are named after the Major Arcana cards, each with their correct corresponding numbers, and this detail was extremely satisfying. There is also a poetic description of each card in Pixie’s naive and childlike tone. I paused each time before I read on because I wanted to study the card alongside the description (all are available as images online).
Through my own searches during and after the book, I came across the discussions around Pixie’s race. Jill Dawson approaches this carefully and sensitively, and in a way that we can make our own mind up. There is controversy too around how Pixie presented herself to those that came to see her storytelling, as a self-identified white woman who spoke Patois and dressed in costume that suggested she was ‘exotic’. But this is also handled with care, with the naivety of Pixie’s world view, her experiences as a young girl who lived in Jamaica, and her confusion around the ways in which others perceived her as ‘different’.
I read this book as an e-ARC, but will be purchasing it in hardback when it is released on 12th March. I have been keen to try grangerising, and I can’t think of anything more delightful than adding images of Pixie’s artwork, photos of her celebrity friends, full versions of poetry included, tarot images. This book will be a treasure I will reread many times.
Pamela Colman Smith is the subject of this incredible book. As often happens, she was a woman erased from history, and in original versions of the cards her name didn’t even appear (and neither did an appropriate amount of money for the work in creating these beautiful designs).
Known as Pixie, we follow Pamela through her teens and into her incredible life as an adult, where she mingles with a group of successful and well known friends. This is done superbly well, through the self-depreciating voice of Pixie herself. It took me a long time to read this book because I spent a lot of time googling the real life characters of her story, so I could picture them as I read. Places too are fun to research. Ellen Terry’s home that features in the book is now a National Trust property currently displaying some of Pixie’s artwork.
Tarot cards feature heavily in the book, and this is done not only through the imagination of Pixie herself as she builds worlds in her head inspired by people around her, but also through the titles of each chapter. The chapters are named after the Major Arcana cards, each with their correct corresponding numbers, and this detail was extremely satisfying. There is also a poetic description of each card in Pixie’s naive and childlike tone. I paused each time before I read on because I wanted to study the card alongside the description (all are available as images online).
Through my own searches during and after the book, I came across the discussions around Pixie’s race. Jill Dawson approaches this carefully and sensitively, and in a way that we can make our own mind up. There is controversy too around how Pixie presented herself to those that came to see her storytelling, as a self-identified white woman who spoke Patois and dressed in costume that suggested she was ‘exotic’. But this is also handled with care, with the naivety of Pixie’s world view, her experiences as a young girl who lived in Jamaica, and her confusion around the ways in which others perceived her as ‘different’.
I read this book as an e-ARC, but will be purchasing it in hardback when it is released on 12th March. I have been keen to try grangerising, and I can’t think of anything more delightful than adding images of Pixie’s artwork, photos of her celebrity friends, full versions of poetry included, tarot images. This book will be a treasure I will reread many times.
July 23, 2025
Dawson beautifully explores the life of Pamela Colman Smith, in all its detail. Not only does this novel provide a new lens to the tarot, but it shines light on the story of a brave & boundary pushing queer woman. Delicious x
March 17, 2026
4.25 stars
Thank you to Tandem Collective UK and Bloomsbury Publishing for the GIFTED copy of Pixie by Jill Dawson which came out on 12th March.
It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.
After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination.
In Pixie, Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.
I've read a few of Jill Dawson's novels now, and I love how they have real people and events at their centre. Pixie is no exception and the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith takes centre stage. Pixie was the artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, which was introduced in 1910.
Extensively researched, and fascinatingly revelatory, this is an engrossing and captivating feminist, sapphic historical fiction title, which I enjoyed immensely.
The character of Pixie is beautifully developed. When we first meet her, she is a very naive and decidedly unwordly young girl, who loses both of her parents by the time she enters her twenties. An only child, she has lived a fairly itinerant life moving from Manchester to Jamaica to America to London, and she's been sheltered from the tensions of her parents' marriage and their ultimately impecunious situation.
But, as the novel's events unfold, we see her awaken to her reality, and her talents, and she starts to blossom. She claims her own artistic, financial and sexual independence, within a society where men determine and control everything, with the help of a number of strong feminist role models including the clairvoyant housekeeper Alice, the actress Ellen Terry, her daughter Edy and partner Christopher (Christobel), and Florence Farr.
This beautifully written novel, with evocative and vivid descriptions, is studded with a parade of well known artistic, literary and cultural names, all dominant in the fin-de-siècle movement, and all informed and brought to life by Jill Dawson's superlative characterisation.
Exploring themes of ambition, fame, feminism, sexuality, spiritualism, race, class, culture and art in the first decade of the 20th century, this is a truly fascinating, thought-provoking and immersive read.
It also offers the reader a big insight into the subject of tarot cards: the different decks and their history, the meanings of the cards and all the attendant symbolism.
After decades of obscurity for Pixie, with Waite and Rider taking credit for the tarot deck which she worked on, even removing her name from its title, there is a strong sense of an historic injustice being redressed here. Pixie's mother's deathbed prediction that one day millions of people will know of her gifts, is justly and satisfyingly realised by Jill Dawson's brilliantly achieved 12th novel.
Thank you to Tandem Collective UK and Bloomsbury Publishing for the GIFTED copy of Pixie by Jill Dawson which came out on 12th March.
It's the turn of the twentieth century and Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith is a young woman of stark contradictions: plucky yet naïve, artistically gifted despite lacking classical training, fascinated by the esoteric but sceptical of the world around her.
After the deaths of her beloved mother and her troubled but well-intentioned father, Pixie finds herself in the complex, political world of fin-de-siècle art, trying to get her stunning work seen and to forge a name and a path for herself in life. Across Jamaica, Devon, London and Brooklyn, Pixie is a novel of epic proportions, a tale of the twists and turns, séances and secrets, successes and devastation, of one young woman's talent, grit and determination.
In Pixie, Jill Dawson renders the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith, artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith tarot deck, in arrestingly vivid detail, breathing life into a story that is instantly knowable, but has, until now, eluded popular imagination.
I've read a few of Jill Dawson's novels now, and I love how they have real people and events at their centre. Pixie is no exception and the real-life figure of Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith takes centre stage. Pixie was the artist, publisher and illustrator of the still-iconic Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck, which was introduced in 1910.
Extensively researched, and fascinatingly revelatory, this is an engrossing and captivating feminist, sapphic historical fiction title, which I enjoyed immensely.
The character of Pixie is beautifully developed. When we first meet her, she is a very naive and decidedly unwordly young girl, who loses both of her parents by the time she enters her twenties. An only child, she has lived a fairly itinerant life moving from Manchester to Jamaica to America to London, and she's been sheltered from the tensions of her parents' marriage and their ultimately impecunious situation.
But, as the novel's events unfold, we see her awaken to her reality, and her talents, and she starts to blossom. She claims her own artistic, financial and sexual independence, within a society where men determine and control everything, with the help of a number of strong feminist role models including the clairvoyant housekeeper Alice, the actress Ellen Terry, her daughter Edy and partner Christopher (Christobel), and Florence Farr.
This beautifully written novel, with evocative and vivid descriptions, is studded with a parade of well known artistic, literary and cultural names, all dominant in the fin-de-siècle movement, and all informed and brought to life by Jill Dawson's superlative characterisation.
Exploring themes of ambition, fame, feminism, sexuality, spiritualism, race, class, culture and art in the first decade of the 20th century, this is a truly fascinating, thought-provoking and immersive read.
It also offers the reader a big insight into the subject of tarot cards: the different decks and their history, the meanings of the cards and all the attendant symbolism.
After decades of obscurity for Pixie, with Waite and Rider taking credit for the tarot deck which she worked on, even removing her name from its title, there is a strong sense of an historic injustice being redressed here. Pixie's mother's deathbed prediction that one day millions of people will know of her gifts, is justly and satisfyingly realised by Jill Dawson's brilliantly achieved 12th novel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Pixie
I have owned a copy of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck for many years and yet knew nothing about the talented woman who designed the cards. There is no mention of her on the deck but over recent years she has been finally credited for her beautiful designs and her name, Pamela Colman Smith, has finally come out of the shadows.
‘Pixie’ is a fictionalised account of her life and the title comes from the nickname given to her by her father. It’s written in the first person and the author’s use of the slang from that time and the background detail made it a very lively and entertaining read. I sensed that Pamela was very unusual, perhaps neurodivergent and uncertain of her place in the world. She was a female artists and had to struggle to have her work accepted. Pamela also had the rare talent of synaesthesia. This allowed her to see colours and shapes when listening to music and I thought that the author conveyed this very well.
The book begins in Jamaica as Pamela’s mother lies dying. She has a great secret to tell her daughter but dies before doing so and this has echoes throughout the book. Pamela returns home to New York with her father expecting to resume her art studies at the Pratt Institute. To her horror, she discovers that she will not be returning to Pratt after all. But her determination to be an artist on her own terms keep her focussed and she sells several paintings in an exhibition of her work. She’s earning her own money but comes up against sexism and the role of women artists which is something that will dog her throughout her life.
She and her father, Charles, then sail to England where Pamela becomes involved with the theatrical world with Ellen Terry, Sir Henry Irving and Bram Stoker amongst others by designing their posters and programmes. They accept her and become almost a family to her. She is queer although, after her father’s death, an uncle sends $100 and advises her firmly to find a husband.
The scenes within the theatre world were really colourful and Pixie also becomes involved with seances and the spiritual worlds as well as publishing her own magazine, ‘The Green Sheaf’. This lasted a year and afterwards she established ‘The Green Sheaf Press’. Pixie was in the epicentre of London’ bohemian life and in 1901, she joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn which was a secret society that was fascinated by ritual magic and it was the poet, W B Yeats who introduced her. It was here that she also met Arthur Waite who commissioned her in 1909 to produce the drawings for the Rider-Waite Tarot pack. For the Major Arcana he gave her direction but the Minor Arcana cards were her own invention. It took six months for her to create the cards and she was paid a flat fee of £17.14.07. It was the only money that she would ever receive from it. The section in which Pixie describes her process for creating the cards really gave the reader an understanding of her creative process. Each chapter heading has the name of a tarot card and with Pixie’s thoughts about it underneath.
Despite success in New York in 1907 with Arthur Steiglitz, the renowned photographer, it did not last and she was soon struggling again. But she was always driven to create. When I finished this book I had to know more about this fascinating woman and it is a real shame that she lies in an unmarked grave in Bude, Cornwall.
She was a complicated woman, fully aware that she did not easily fit into society, and that her work was seen as ‘peculiar and too personal’. I felt that ‘Pixie’ brought her to life again.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
I have owned a copy of the Rider-Waite Tarot deck for many years and yet knew nothing about the talented woman who designed the cards. There is no mention of her on the deck but over recent years she has been finally credited for her beautiful designs and her name, Pamela Colman Smith, has finally come out of the shadows.
‘Pixie’ is a fictionalised account of her life and the title comes from the nickname given to her by her father. It’s written in the first person and the author’s use of the slang from that time and the background detail made it a very lively and entertaining read. I sensed that Pamela was very unusual, perhaps neurodivergent and uncertain of her place in the world. She was a female artists and had to struggle to have her work accepted. Pamela also had the rare talent of synaesthesia. This allowed her to see colours and shapes when listening to music and I thought that the author conveyed this very well.
The book begins in Jamaica as Pamela’s mother lies dying. She has a great secret to tell her daughter but dies before doing so and this has echoes throughout the book. Pamela returns home to New York with her father expecting to resume her art studies at the Pratt Institute. To her horror, she discovers that she will not be returning to Pratt after all. But her determination to be an artist on her own terms keep her focussed and she sells several paintings in an exhibition of her work. She’s earning her own money but comes up against sexism and the role of women artists which is something that will dog her throughout her life.
She and her father, Charles, then sail to England where Pamela becomes involved with the theatrical world with Ellen Terry, Sir Henry Irving and Bram Stoker amongst others by designing their posters and programmes. They accept her and become almost a family to her. She is queer although, after her father’s death, an uncle sends $100 and advises her firmly to find a husband.
The scenes within the theatre world were really colourful and Pixie also becomes involved with seances and the spiritual worlds as well as publishing her own magazine, ‘The Green Sheaf’. This lasted a year and afterwards she established ‘The Green Sheaf Press’. Pixie was in the epicentre of London’ bohemian life and in 1901, she joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn which was a secret society that was fascinated by ritual magic and it was the poet, W B Yeats who introduced her. It was here that she also met Arthur Waite who commissioned her in 1909 to produce the drawings for the Rider-Waite Tarot pack. For the Major Arcana he gave her direction but the Minor Arcana cards were her own invention. It took six months for her to create the cards and she was paid a flat fee of £17.14.07. It was the only money that she would ever receive from it. The section in which Pixie describes her process for creating the cards really gave the reader an understanding of her creative process. Each chapter heading has the name of a tarot card and with Pixie’s thoughts about it underneath.
Despite success in New York in 1907 with Arthur Steiglitz, the renowned photographer, it did not last and she was soon struggling again. But she was always driven to create. When I finished this book I had to know more about this fascinating woman and it is a real shame that she lies in an unmarked grave in Bude, Cornwall.
She was a complicated woman, fully aware that she did not easily fit into society, and that her work was seen as ‘peculiar and too personal’. I felt that ‘Pixie’ brought her to life again.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Jill Dawson tells the story of Pamela Colman Smith, famous as the illustrator of the best-known Tarot deck, from the death of her mother in Jamaica to her decision to make a life in Cornwall with Nora Lake.
The account is in the first person, with chapter titles following the names and order of the Major Arcana. Each chapter has an epigraph describing a version of the card (not always following the published RWS artwork). These are cast as if the card's archetype is speaking to the reader directly. I quite liked this conceit in principle, but the relation between title, description and the contents of the chapter was not always clear. Imagery associated with the cards is also scattered throughout the novel, but for my taste sometimes feels a little clumsy or gratuitous.
Pamela comes across as an endearing character with a distinctive voice, albeit sometimes overly dramatic in her reactions. She seems a lot shyer and more naive than I would have imagined from the one biography I have read, but Dawson may have found material supporting this in her archival research. I would have liked her author's note at the end to go into a lot more detail on her sources and on what she has invented for the story vs taken from fact.
I enjoyed the often irreverent portraits of other well known figures in the overlapping occult, theatre and literary worlds. I appreciated the novel's awareness of race, gender and class dynamics in the interactions within these groups, while sometimes finding the execution a little heavy-handed.
The novel does reflect some of the key unanswered questions about Pamela's life, including her ethnicity, sexuality, possible neurodivergence, personal views on the occult, and reasons for her attraction (and eventual conversion, after the time frame covered by the book) to Catholicism. Most of these questions do not receive definitive answers, however.
The exception is sexuality; this is an expressly sapphic reading, drawing conclusions from Pamela's friendships with well known sapphic women and/or trans men (not yet distinct categories at the time, but rather both labelled "inverts") and the literature circulating in that milieu. I learned a lot about the writings of Ida Craddock and Florence Farr, amongst others. Pamela's developing sexuality is a key theme, and given this choice, I wish the story did not break off where it does. I would have loved to see more of Pamela and Nora's life in Cornwall, finding ways to reconcile their sexuality with their newfound Catholicism and to support themselves, however poorly, as independent women.
The account is in the first person, with chapter titles following the names and order of the Major Arcana. Each chapter has an epigraph describing a version of the card (not always following the published RWS artwork). These are cast as if the card's archetype is speaking to the reader directly. I quite liked this conceit in principle, but the relation between title, description and the contents of the chapter was not always clear. Imagery associated with the cards is also scattered throughout the novel, but for my taste sometimes feels a little clumsy or gratuitous.
Pamela comes across as an endearing character with a distinctive voice, albeit sometimes overly dramatic in her reactions. She seems a lot shyer and more naive than I would have imagined from the one biography I have read, but Dawson may have found material supporting this in her archival research. I would have liked her author's note at the end to go into a lot more detail on her sources and on what she has invented for the story vs taken from fact.
I enjoyed the often irreverent portraits of other well known figures in the overlapping occult, theatre and literary worlds. I appreciated the novel's awareness of race, gender and class dynamics in the interactions within these groups, while sometimes finding the execution a little heavy-handed.
The novel does reflect some of the key unanswered questions about Pamela's life, including her ethnicity, sexuality, possible neurodivergence, personal views on the occult, and reasons for her attraction (and eventual conversion, after the time frame covered by the book) to Catholicism. Most of these questions do not receive definitive answers, however.
The exception is sexuality; this is an expressly sapphic reading, drawing conclusions from Pamela's friendships with well known sapphic women and/or trans men (not yet distinct categories at the time, but rather both labelled "inverts") and the literature circulating in that milieu. I learned a lot about the writings of Ida Craddock and Florence Farr, amongst others. Pamela's developing sexuality is a key theme, and given this choice, I wish the story did not break off where it does. I would have loved to see more of Pamela and Nora's life in Cornwall, finding ways to reconcile their sexuality with their newfound Catholicism and to support themselves, however poorly, as independent women.
March 25, 2026
A brilliant story of an inspiring, courageous, vibrant woman, told with warmth and heart
‘I’ve just finished a big job for very little cash! A set of designs for a pack of Tarot cards 80 designs… some people may like them.’ Pamela Colman Smith wrote this to her friend after receiving the commission to design the Rider-Waite Tarot deck that is familiar to us all. As more than 100 million copies of the deck have been sold worldwide, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people did like them!
And I like this book very much. Jill Dawson brings to life another women forgotten in history, with vibrancy, beauty and heart.
This is a profoundly feminist book. Pamela Colman Smith – Pixie to her friends – defied the expected tradition of the time. Her uncle strongly recommended she marry to secure her future, but she chose not to. Even though she lived from job to job and was often worried about money, she wouldn’t give up her own ambitions. She was extremely modern in that way and I was on her side, willing her on throughout.
I love the little details, such as how she described WB Yeats as a ‘rummy critter’. And Jill Dawson describes each setting so vividly, I felt as though I was there – from her mother’s bedside in Jamaica, to the Lyceum theatre, the salons where she performed, to the fresh air of the gardens at Ellen Terry’s country garden.
Each chapter begins with a poem about one of the Major Arcana cards, 22 in total, each of which perfectly represents the emotional and symbolic theme of that chapter. These poems are a joy to read, and, in effect, give us two books for the price of one!
Pixie never got the recognition or financial reward she deserved. Her father told her it was unseemly to take about money and that he would have taken her to the bank to show her how the money side of things worked if she was a boy, but she wasn’t so he didn’t. Her name wasn’t credited on the Rider-Waite deck – now renamed the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It’s an injustice that she didn’t get the recognition or payment she deserved in her lifetime. By bringing Pixie to life in this novel, Jill Dawson is helping give her the justice she so rightly deserves.
All of Jill Dawson’s books are works of art, and Pixie is as brilliant, thought-provoking, and beautiful as them all.
‘I’ve just finished a big job for very little cash! A set of designs for a pack of Tarot cards 80 designs… some people may like them.’ Pamela Colman Smith wrote this to her friend after receiving the commission to design the Rider-Waite Tarot deck that is familiar to us all. As more than 100 million copies of the deck have been sold worldwide, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people did like them!
And I like this book very much. Jill Dawson brings to life another women forgotten in history, with vibrancy, beauty and heart.
This is a profoundly feminist book. Pamela Colman Smith – Pixie to her friends – defied the expected tradition of the time. Her uncle strongly recommended she marry to secure her future, but she chose not to. Even though she lived from job to job and was often worried about money, she wouldn’t give up her own ambitions. She was extremely modern in that way and I was on her side, willing her on throughout.
I love the little details, such as how she described WB Yeats as a ‘rummy critter’. And Jill Dawson describes each setting so vividly, I felt as though I was there – from her mother’s bedside in Jamaica, to the Lyceum theatre, the salons where she performed, to the fresh air of the gardens at Ellen Terry’s country garden.
Each chapter begins with a poem about one of the Major Arcana cards, 22 in total, each of which perfectly represents the emotional and symbolic theme of that chapter. These poems are a joy to read, and, in effect, give us two books for the price of one!
Pixie never got the recognition or financial reward she deserved. Her father told her it was unseemly to take about money and that he would have taken her to the bank to show her how the money side of things worked if she was a boy, but she wasn’t so he didn’t. Her name wasn’t credited on the Rider-Waite deck – now renamed the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It’s an injustice that she didn’t get the recognition or payment she deserved in her lifetime. By bringing Pixie to life in this novel, Jill Dawson is helping give her the justice she so rightly deserves.
All of Jill Dawson’s books are works of art, and Pixie is as brilliant, thought-provoking, and beautiful as them all.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
#NetGalley #Pixie #Bloomsbury
Pixie is a bit of a niche read that tracks the journey of Pamela from a young girl dealing with her mother's death and the subsequent changes that follow. A story that is often untold, Pixie looks at the artistic prowess and life of Pamela Coleman Smith who, unfamously, created the drawings for the Ryder-Waite-Smith tarot deck and thus contributed hugely to the story and development of magic in British history. A historical ficiton piece which is undoubtedly feminist in sentiment, this is a clear and powerful way to give voice to the contribution Coleman Smith made, and reclaim her narrative as an important female in history.
The voice and standard of writing is undoubtedly adept and from the start of the novel, Dawson builds the characters - especially the protagonist - robustly and with depth. Pixie, as she comes to be called, is intriguing and readers are easily drawn to her plight because of this character building and equally the attention paid to the world in which she journeys through.
Though not my usual topic pick, I could appreciate the clarity and hope this novel wishes to purvey, and though i didn't necessarily enjoy it personally, purely on an interest level, it is undoubtedly entertaining and well written, and all the more attractive if this is in your area of interest.
Pixie is a bit of a niche read that tracks the journey of Pamela from a young girl dealing with her mother's death and the subsequent changes that follow. A story that is often untold, Pixie looks at the artistic prowess and life of Pamela Coleman Smith who, unfamously, created the drawings for the Ryder-Waite-Smith tarot deck and thus contributed hugely to the story and development of magic in British history. A historical ficiton piece which is undoubtedly feminist in sentiment, this is a clear and powerful way to give voice to the contribution Coleman Smith made, and reclaim her narrative as an important female in history.
The voice and standard of writing is undoubtedly adept and from the start of the novel, Dawson builds the characters - especially the protagonist - robustly and with depth. Pixie, as she comes to be called, is intriguing and readers are easily drawn to her plight because of this character building and equally the attention paid to the world in which she journeys through.
Though not my usual topic pick, I could appreciate the clarity and hope this novel wishes to purvey, and though i didn't necessarily enjoy it personally, purely on an interest level, it is undoubtedly entertaining and well written, and all the more attractive if this is in your area of interest.
March 13, 2026
Jill Dawson's 'Pixie' is a sprawling novel about the real-life artist, writer, and occultist, Pamela 'Pixie' Colman Smith. I had never heard of her until the novel, but Dawson's novel creates such an engaging portrait of this woman that I wanted to know more about her after reading 'Pixie'. 'Pixie' is my kind of book. It's about an innocent ingenue coming into the art world and the repercussions of that conflict. I love that sort of thing, and Dawson does it so deftly. She has such an eye for the precise detail that will illuminate character (a clothing choice, a particular word used, etc.)
Dawson's 'Pixie' is so engrossing that you feel that you are reading a biography because Dawson brings you into the mind of this woman. She gives Pamela Colman Smith such depth that I grew to care so much about the fictionalised version of Colman Smith. Dawson also does a good job of placing Pamela's sexuality within the historical and cultural context. So often, this can be done in a very clunky and dismissive way, but Dawson gives Colman Smith's sexuality the respect and honour it deserves.
I would heartily recommend this book, as Jill Dawson's 'Pixie' is a wondrous and beautiful novel.
Dawson's 'Pixie' is so engrossing that you feel that you are reading a biography because Dawson brings you into the mind of this woman. She gives Pamela Colman Smith such depth that I grew to care so much about the fictionalised version of Colman Smith. Dawson also does a good job of placing Pamela's sexuality within the historical and cultural context. So often, this can be done in a very clunky and dismissive way, but Dawson gives Colman Smith's sexuality the respect and honour it deserves.
I would heartily recommend this book, as Jill Dawson's 'Pixie' is a wondrous and beautiful novel.
February 14, 2026
The Tarot designs of Pamela Colman Smith are well known to me, but I didn’t know anything about her history. This was an interesting reimagining of her life - her inspirations, beliefs and desires - and the story behind how she came to design the cards.
It’s a very bohemian, lesbian, feminist, mystical scene, peopled with actors, writers and activists of the time.
The chapters were divided into the major arcana cards, appropriately.
As with all historical fiction, much artistic licence was taken - there is no definitive proof of whether her parents were really both her parents, or whether she was mixed race or not - but it added an extra dimension to the story.
I’m glad to have learned more about this interesting female icon.
It’s a very bohemian, lesbian, feminist, mystical scene, peopled with actors, writers and activists of the time.
The chapters were divided into the major arcana cards, appropriately.
As with all historical fiction, much artistic licence was taken - there is no definitive proof of whether her parents were really both her parents, or whether she was mixed race or not - but it added an extra dimension to the story.
I’m glad to have learned more about this interesting female icon.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Many thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me the proof of ‘Pixie’. Pixie tells the story of Pamela Colman Smith, most well known today for her artwork on The Rider Waite Smith Tarot cards. I can’t adequately express how much I loved this book! I really felt like I was in the exciting and colourful world that Pixie inhabited. Not only do I now feel like I know her personally, I’ve also learnt so much about what being a queer, outspoken and ‘different’ woman in that era must have been like. Meeting Ellen Terry and Bram Stoker along the way were just a couple of the bonuses! Read this book!
March 16, 2026
thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an arc of this book.
as a tarot reader I found the concept of this book really intriguing. I was excited to read it.
unfortunately I found myself zoning out while reading and I dont really remember much about the book.
maybe it would be better suitable for people who have an interest in Tarot. I however have 25 years of knowledge and use of the cards so maybe that's why I didnt enjoy it as much.
it was well written and I think others would really enjoy so I would recommend 😊
as a tarot reader I found the concept of this book really intriguing. I was excited to read it.
unfortunately I found myself zoning out while reading and I dont really remember much about the book.
maybe it would be better suitable for people who have an interest in Tarot. I however have 25 years of knowledge and use of the cards so maybe that's why I didnt enjoy it as much.
it was well written and I think others would really enjoy so I would recommend 😊
February 2, 2026
I had never heard of the titular Pixie before but enjoyed this story of her life. The prose really brought her to life and was so immersive.
Each of locations (Jamaica, USA and England) felt distinctive and it’s always nice when Manchester is an important location!
The challenge of being a female artist more than century ago was clear but so was her refusal to bow to others viewpoints and conviction in her way was refreshing.
The meaning of the tarot cards was a bit lost on me but apart from that I had a good time reading this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the arc
Each of locations (Jamaica, USA and England) felt distinctive and it’s always nice when Manchester is an important location!
The challenge of being a female artist more than century ago was clear but so was her refusal to bow to others viewpoints and conviction in her way was refreshing.
The meaning of the tarot cards was a bit lost on me but apart from that I had a good time reading this.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the arc
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