A Fairy Tale of New York (Donleavy, J. P.) [Paperback]

J. P. Donleavy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Donleavy, J. P. | Publication Date: January 18, 1994

A Fairy Tale of New York is a funny, lusty, and sad novel of comic genius. Returning from study abroad, Cornelius Christian enters customs with his luggage and his dead wife. His first encounter in New York is with a funeral director, with whom he reluctantly takes employment to pay for the burial expenses. In the course of his duties he meets the beautiful Fanny Sourpuss over her millionaire husband's dead body. However, his over-enthusiastic handling of his first corpse lands him in court. Cornelius Christian wanders through the great sad cathedral that is New York, examining the human condition in all its comic pathos and lonely absurdity. Whether lingering in the Automat drinking from half empty coffee cups and stealing baked beans from the plates of customers who go looking for ketchup, or finding love on a street corner only to end up fighting his way out of a hooker's fists, Cornelius Christian, heroic anti-hero, sings of life's goodness in the wake of disaster.

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; 1st Atlantic Monthly Press pbk. ed edition (January 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871132648
• ISBN-13: 978-0871132642
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the funniest books ever written, June 19, 2000

By 

Barry L. D.Winkleman (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fairy Tale of New York (Donleavy, J. P.) (Paperback)

I am actually a publisher and we have a line called Humour Classics, in which we reissue out of print classics of humour. And a book I read many years ago, that I loved (I love all of J.P. Donleavey - he is one of my all-time favourite writers) is Fairy Tale of New York. I was checking on Amazon to see if it was available and in print. It is. But I was amazed no-one had done a review. SO here goes: it's brilliantly funny, it would make a great film. The action sequences in the funeral parlour are superb. His prose style is pure magic. Read it!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of J P Donleavy's best, June 16, 2004

By 

Mr S D'Arcy (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fairy Tale of New York (Donleavy, J. P.) (Paperback)

My Irish father bought this book years ago, one rainy day in a department store, He dragged me up the the top floor, I remember because he was very keen to get the latest J P Donleavy novel. After he had read it, I picked it up to see what all the fuss was about, and I was hooked immediately! After this I moved onto the Ginger Man then all his others, but this one's the best for me, this book is a classic!

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hilarious, January 23, 2003

By 

James W. Tegethoff "jimbowizard" (Brunswick, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Fairy Tale of New York (Donleavy, J. P.) (Paperback)

This is, without a doubt, one of the funniest books I've read. Donleavy's bizarre wit and lyrical style are superb. If you enjoy absurd humor, you will love this book.