The Modern Fairies

Pollard's future, as a novelist, is very bright indeed

The i, praise for DELPHI

'Brilliant ... Born of searing eloquence and sinister wit'

Jackie Polzin, author of BROOD, praise for DELPHI

This feels impressive ... What good fiction is meant to do

New York Times, praise for DELPHI

Vivid as fireworks ... Both terrifying and exhilarating

Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of A GHOST IN THE THROAT, praise for DELPHI

Elegant and decadent, vulgar and clever, enchanting and dark. The love child of Angela Carter and Anaïs Nin - the book I really really needed

Sarah Perry, author of ENLIGHTENMENT

Funny, filthy, dancingly clever ... A delectable confection of many-layered pleasures. A story of stories, storytellers, and the lurking dangers of fairytales, set against the lavish decadence of 1600s Versailles. I gobbled it all up

Joanna Quinn, author of THE WHALEBONE THEATRE

The Modern Fairies gives us intimate access to the most prestigious of private Parisian salons. In a novel both aching and cruel, sumptuous and tender, Pollard’s beautiful writing leads us along winding pathways. Through its prickling branches to exquisite clearings of hope, this book consumed me.

Katie Hale, author of MY NAME IS MONSTER

Original, fantastical, historical, and unputdownable

Karen Joy Fowler, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY BESIDE OURSELVES

Lush and gossipy, rich and wonderfully indulgent. The Modern Fairies is wickedly playful yet lingers, with emotional truth, long after reading. A feast of a novel. I dare you to read it!

Molly Aitken, author of THE ISLAND CHILD

[A] luxuriously told romantic comedy

The Idler

Pollard vividly and powerfully evokes the tumult, passion, and creativity of this bygone era, crafting a tale that's both timeless and timely

Booklist

Those in search of a bawdy fairy tale should look no further

LA Times, Books to Read This Summer

A delightfully raunchy romp ... This magnetic revisionist historical deserves a wide readership

Publishers Weekly

Cold, clever, and glittering, this beautiful novel resembles both the court and the stories it depicts

Kirkus

Pollard [has a] sure touch, seamlessly blending humour and disgust ... a novel with oodles of charm

John Self, The Times

A captivating work of historical fiction from a poet with an imagination perfect for the job ... Riotous ... Pollard, known for her evocative verse, brings a fresh perspective to age-old myths and legends with her inimitable wit. The prose is as luxurious as the subject matter, with the politics of the day and underlying tensions used to brilliant effect

Glamour

Pollard evokes the intrigue, sophistication, scandal and danger of 17th-century France in this bawdy, brilliant book, as dark and delicious as the chocolate served at the modern fairies’ salons

The Irish Times

Compelling ... Vibrant ...The author’s sentences sing on the page with wit and intelligence ... This memorable novel reminds the reader of the enduring power of storytelling to transform and even save lives, then and now

The New York Times

Freewheeling and ingenious ... I was captivated

Marina Warner, New Statesman Books of the Year