Customer Reviews

Urban Fairytales

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Urban Fairytales is comprised of thirteen easy to read short stories of varying themes. Ms. Fair opens with `Erica's Tale,' in which Esther makes her debut as the mysterious shopkeeper mixing potions and powders at the House of Meditation. From time to time in various stories, we hear more of Esther and The House of Meditation as those in need make their appeals to her. For readers intrigued by the occult you will get a fix in Urban Fairytales. There are strange occurences in some stories while in a few others lonely souls manage to find a love connection. There is also an element of mystery and suspense as some characters find themselves in dreadful predicaments, while others are full of spite and then there are those bent on exacting revenge.

There were a few places that I felt the build up outweighed the actual payoff and more could have been done in that area. In general, I commend Ms. Fair for her efforts because bringing a story together in so few words is most definitely a challenge and a skill to master. She has done well in creating stories that capture your attention and holds it right through the last story. Urban Fairytales is a good book to curl up with on a lazy Sunday afternoon and with its quick pacing you may find that you've ran through the whole book before you call it a night.

Marian E.
APOOO BookClub

This book is delicious and will leave you wanting a second serving. Each short story embraces you as your imagination runs. As each story ends you may find yourself spending a few moments crafting the `next phase' of a character's journey in life. You can relate to many of the characters as if they are your sister, brother, cousin, or even grandparents. The stories are warm, with an underlying message of love, faith and hope! It's a wonderfully refreshing book. I am looking forward to reading more stories written by this young, innovative author!

Lealie

I had the great pleasure to meet the author at the Queens Book Fair and was introduced to her book. We had a delightful conversation about life.
Well, I read the book and was amazed at the characters on how they were introduced. It made you ponder, think and sigh as you read each story.
With careful reading it makes you wonder do we have a character within our families? or crossed the path of someone such as the characters she written about.
I do recommend the book and it should be presented to the high school level because there is so much information that can be interpret.

URBAN FAIRYTALES is a collection of thirteen captivating short stories that combine mystical powers, love, circumstance and mystery. Each story is tinged with a presence of voodoo - these mystical elements combined with the conversational tone of each story creates an interesting page-turning read.

In "Erica's Tale", Donna Fair introduces us to Esther, a patois-speaking island woman who is both revered and feared. Just in the power of her gaze, Esther has commanding abilities to cast a spell or cure an ailment. Esther is the proprietor of a store referred to as the House of Mediations. She has a powder, potion or spell for any circumstance and many of the short stories in URBAN FAIRYTALES intertwine Esther and the House of Mediations. "Dealing with the Hand You've Been Dealt" is a tale of a young teenage girl named Wendy who lives with her father Joe. Seemingly Joe and Wendy are coming out of a daze after the sudden loss of Vivian, Wendy's mother. Unbeknownst to Joe, he falls victim to Edwina, a gold-digging good-for-nothing woman. It seems that Edwina has invoked one of Esther's potions to wreak havoc in Joe and Wendy's life. When things turn out to be a matter of life and death, will Joe and Wendy be able to weather the storm?

All in all, these thirteen stories spin a unique tale, contain intriguing characters and offer the element of surprise. The author uses creative dialect that builds the conversational tone of the book and helps to shape the characters. At times, the characters in the stories are intertwined so even though this is a collection of short stories, the reader still receives a sense of overall connection throughout the book. If you're looking for a delightful book that veers from the beaten path, then look no further than Donna Fair's URBAN FAIRYTALES.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I absolutely LOVE this book! My family and I traveled to and from Florida reading this book aloud, and it was better than the radio or any dvd! Everyone was so into the book, that we didn't even want to stop reading at rest stops! The characters are great and seem SO real. We laughed, we cried, and went through every emotion with every character! You will love this book! And the author is a wonderful woman! She autographed my book at Potomac Mills (a mall in Virginia)!