Customer Reviews

The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence (From the World Voices)

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I received my copy of Ernest Dempsey's new book "The Blue Fairy and Other Tales of Transcendence" earlier this week. I was planning on reading a couple of stories per night. Well, it just didn't work out that way. After I read the first three stories, I just couldn't put it down. So as the night progressed, so did my reading. I've almost finished reading the entire book. Only a few short stories to go. Ernest has done a phenomenal job on this book. Even though the stories all focus on death in some way, they're still written very differently. This is definitely a book that you'll want to read over and over again and never get bored. It's also full of life lessons that will make you think about how you're spending your life while you're here on this earth. I can't wait to finish the book this weekend, especially if the other stories are anything like the stories that I've read thus far. This book is a definite must-have and I can't wait to see what Ernest surprises us with next.

Book Title: The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence
Author: Ernest Dempsey
Publisher: Loving Healing Press
ISBN: 9781932690927
Reviewed by Michele Tater for Review the Book

"Death ends a life, not a relationship."
~Robert Benchley

Even though life and death are intertwined as a everyday occurrence, most people and cultures have a fear of dying and what happens after we die. Although the death of his Aunt affected him at a very young age, the author Ernest Dempsey, has used that experience to examine the event of death from the perspective of the survivors.

In his book "The Blue Fairy" Mr. Dempsey writes 25 short stories that includes several different example of the dying and grieving process. Each story gives the reader a glimpse into people's lives when they have been touched by death and shows how they are able to handle it. The old says of "everyone handles grief differently" comes to life in these beautiful written tales. This is not a morbid or even a sad book, it is just a look into a subject few people want to talk about even when they are in the grieving process.

I found that life lessons, not necessary death lessons, are found in each story. It showed how to look at death as a part of life and living. We must be prepare for aspects of the process we will not understand, for example a need for someone to die or how someone else death was in vain. As we are not all the same in life nor are we all going to leave this life the same way. The people we leave behind are the ones that will have to come to grips with their lost while you just cease to be a part of their lives. One of the stories, was about the concept of "death" even when a person is alive. They are living life just going through the motions and not breaking out of the rut they have made for themselves. Another story shows also how someone can be obsessed with death; when, why and how it will happen, that they too can not live a full life.

Living with the idea that death may be just around that corner can scare many individuals, but it is the truth. In this book I feel readers can get a new prospective on "living" through the many looks of death. It is not a depressing book it is actually a book of hope that all who read it will chose to live life; really live life.

I finished Ernest Dempsey's, "The Blue Fairy: Tales of Transcendence" about a week ago and I enjoyed all of the stories, especially `Oblivion' and the title story, `The Blue Fairy'. In fact, I wondered if 'The Blue Fairy' wasn't about Dempsey's aunt, as the stories are based on real life.

When I first started the book, I was sure that reading 25 short stories all about death would be depressing, but it wasn't. Instead of focusing on the pain of what you lose when a loved one dies, these stories encourage you to remember, and carry with you, the love and friendship that you shared.

Any reader who loves short stories will enjoy this book, and I look forward to reading some of Ernest Dempsey's other books as well.

"The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence" by Ernest Dempsey is a great collection of short stories regarding death. The stories give the reader a chance to experience death through the eyes of others. Each character is touched by a death and the way they approach that death gives insight to the reader. There is nothing sad or upsetting about the stores, rather thoughtful and encouraging.

I have never been comfortable with the subject of death. After reading this book, I have a new perspective on the subject. This is one book I will add to my collection and refer to it when the time arises. I recommend this book to everyone, because every reader will be able to identify with one or more of these stories.

In The Blue Fairy, Ernest Dempsey has crafted short but thoughtful stories that deal with the issue of death. In most of the stories, there is a character who has (or is) faced with death, whether it be their own or someone else's. That character however is never distraught or upset; instead they usually lend insight to another character and indirectly, to the reader. Through this format, Dempsey shares his advice and experience about death with the readers.

This is a very insightful and thoughtful book; it encouraged me to think about death in ways I never have before and emphasizes accepting it as a part of life instead of getting stuck in grief. You won't want to put it down once you have finished all the stories. Recommended for all.

Ernest Dempsey creates a wonderful collection of short stories with "The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence." Each of these short stories has a theme of death, but they are not all sad and depressing and they teach life lessons. My favorite was "An Innocent Crime." Each story is different, though they share the same underlying theme, Dempsey gives each story something different. As you read through these shorty stories you will reflect on life and death. You will think of those you have lost and reflect on those who you still have in your life. I know each story brought new things for me to think about. Death affects everyone and everyone will find a story they most relate to. Stick this book in your purse or car and read them as you have time but don't expect to be able top read just one. Thank you Ernest Dempsey for creating these stories.

I have often heard that "death is something we must all face" or some version of that, but what I assume most of us think of in hearing this, is of our own death. However I think it is also equally important to consider the other side of death, this side.

I found this book to be a vary interesting, different, and honest look at the dubious subject of death. The books collection of short stories made me present to this other, vary real side of it, of what it is to be left behind, and the sometimes rocky and strange road it is to except it. Having lost two vary important people in my own life I appreciated the rawness of Dempsey's stories. I found his characters reaction refreshingly human and his stories brutally truthful. The Blue Fairy and other tales of transcendence

Dempsey's previous books are: "The Biting Age" (short stories reveling in satire and wit), "Two Candles" (poetry), and "Islands of Illusion" (poems).

Dempsey's "Blue Fairy" is dedicated to his beloved Aunt Farhana, who died at 35 in childbirth. His description of how this deeply affected him and radically changed his life forms the moving preface of the book. The book itself tells 25 stories that present us with a diverse cast of characters in a range of situations. All face the same fact of life: death.

-how one woman commemorates the death of someone who died for her.
-a surprising act of a woman about to die.
-a mourner who wishes he could stop time.
-parents who have to decide which child to save.

And...21 more. Dempsey is not sentimental, maudlin, nor too removed from his characters and their difficult situations. He presents us with a clear-eyed view of the many faces death shows us. For such a young man, this is a noteworthy achievement. My wish is that in another book Karim may write about Pakistan and the world he and his family live in there.

Janet Grace Riehl, author "Sightlines: A Poet's Diary"