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Title details for Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce - Available

Some Kind of Fairy Tale

A Novel

by Graham Joyce
John Lee
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Some Kind of Fairy Tale is the mesmerizing new novel from acclaimed author Graham Joyce.

Twenty years ago, sixteen-year-old Tara Martin disappeared from a small town in the heart of England. Now, her sudden return and the mind-bending tale of where she's been will challenge our very perception of the truth.

For twenty years after Tara Martin disappeared, her parents and her brother, Peter, lived in denial of the grim fact that she was gone for good. Then suddenly on Christmas Day, the doorbell rings at her parents' home, and there, dishevelled and slightly peculiar looking, Tara stands. It's a miracle, but alarm bells are ringing for Peter. Tara's story just does not add up. And, incredibly, she barely looks a day older than when she vanished.

Award-winning author Graham Joyce is a master of exploring new realms of understanding that exist between dreams and reality, between the known and unknown. Some Kind of Fairy Tale is a one-of-a-kind journey every bit as magical as its title implies—and as real and unsentimental as the world around us.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 10, 2012

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781483067995
      • File size: 286919 KB
      • Duration: 09:57:44

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Tara Martin returns to her English village after a twenty-year absence, claiming she's been gone a mere six months. Her parents, brother, and boyfriend cannot believe her tale even as she presents evidence of her time in Fairyland. Narrator John Lee shows the mutability of reality as he gives equal credence to Tara and her doubters. He keeps open the question of reliability that increases the novel's dramatic tension. He handles large blocks of dialogue with a clipped, rapid-fire style that advances the story. His authoritative narration works especially well with the clinical reports of Tara's psychiatrist. Sometimes it's not easy to differentiate the voices in dialogue as his characters sound too similar. Still, Lee's rich, British voice is right for this adult fairy tale. C.A. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 21, 2012
      Joyce (The Silent Land) blends reality with fantasy in this modern-day fable. When 35-year-old Tara Martin shows up on her parents’ doorstep two decades after she disappeared, unkempt and looking oddly as if she’s barely aged, her older brother, Peter, a farrier married with four kids, can’t hide his hurt, angry feelings—but they grow even stronger when Tara offers a preposterous story about riding away with a man on a white horse as an explanation for her disappearance. Peter breaks a 10-year silence with his former best friend, Richie Franklin, who as Tara’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance was the main suspect, to let him know that Tara’s back. The two men haltingly take up their friendship where it left off, and Richie realizes that he still loves Tara. As Tara accepts counseling with an eccentric psychiatrist and a stranger lurks about, Peter and Richie begin to wonder if her fantastical story may actually hold some truth. Though Joyce envisions an intriguing realm nestled against our own, what’s most compelling are his characters’ chaotic emotions and reconnections as they struggle to cope with what they can’t understand. Agent: Doug Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic.

    • Library Journal

      November 15, 2012

      Tara Martin disappeared from her small English town 20 years ago. On Christmas Day, she just as mysteriously returns, dirty, confused, and insisting she has only been gone for six months after being taken by a fairy. Her brother Peter finds it all suspicious, even though Tara looks no older than the day she vanished. Peter insists she undergo tests and psychiatric counseling, but the results support Tara's claims. Then Peter's neighbor reveals that she had the same experience. John Lee does a credible job with the narration, giving the characters proper regional accents. His female characters are not as successful, as he relies on a slightly higher pitch that he drops occasionally during a longer piece of text, though this does not detract from the enjoyment. VERDICT Recommended for those who enjoy changeling stories or explorations of fairy tales. ["A captivating blend of fantasy and reality that will keep readers guessing till the very end. Recommended for fans of Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child and those readers who enjoy fairy tale variations, fantasy, or psychological exploration," read the review of the Doubleday hc, LJ 6/1/12.--Ed.]--Suanne B. Roush, Osceola Fundamental H.S., Seminole, FL

      Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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