Faerie Tale by Signe Pike: A Book Review

If there is even a small part of you that still believes in faeries, a part that still claps when Tinkerbell says to clap, Signe Pike will touch that part of you.

Her first book, Faery Tale: One Woman's Search for Enchantment in a Modern World, dubbed "Eat Pray Love with Faeries" by Inciting a Riot, is a journey through grief, faeries, and the UK.

As a long time fan of faeries and faery lore I was completely entranced by this book. I want to read it again and I can't wait to explore the books she references throughout it. (I added many of them to my wish list before I began this review.) Pike helped me remember things I'd forgotten from my childhood, like groves of trees my sisters and I played in and a tiny doll I believed was a faery. She made me reconsider my love for the word Imagine.

After the death of her father and an odd experience in Mexico, Pike quits her Manhattan job (as a book editor) and goes to Europe in search of faeries, faery lore, and enchantment.

Peppered with beautiful facts, myths and lore, alongside amazing descriptions that make the reader feel like they're traveling with Pike, this book is well worth a read. And a second read. Pike threads the modern into the historic quite well, with references to Yoda and Highlander intertwined through her narrative as the explores ancient forts and sacred pools of water.

There were a few places where Pike's language could have been a little tighter, or her story pulled out a bit further. If she were in a writer's workshop with me I might have moved some of the story around, and I definitely would have edited out a few typos (though I hear that was changed with later printings) but really, it's all minor in the grand scheme of the wonderful book.

A few reviews I've read said this book was specifically aimed at a Pagan audience, but I'm going to disagree with that. Pike has written something that I think much of the world can learn from. Beneath the fantastical examination of what some may consider "supernatural" she is talking about a need to get back to nature. A universal urge to explore the spiritual and to welcome life with a childlike view of it all. Pike has written a faery tale story (with absolutely no princes on white horses, thank you very much!) for everyone.

Even if you don't believe in faeries.

Books Signe Pike suggests:

The Celtic Twilight
(Next on my list!)

Celtic Myths and Legends
(I've read and loved this one, too.

One last thought: If you're a reader and a writer and you're interested in doing a guest post on my blog, shoot me an email at kraysaulis@gmail.com.