OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Art Fairy" by Floras Athena.]

This is the story of Oris, a primary school kid, who aspires to create happiness for the world by becoming a great musician like Mozart and Beethoven. He loves music and has great potential, but the nourishment of his art is hindered by a load of miseries. At home, he is brutally beaten by his parents for having bad grades and for not earning money for them through his music. At school, he has to endure the mental and physical torture of the bullies for being poor and hideous. One day, these bullies beat Oris so savagely that he is almost dead, but Art Fairy rescues him. She promises him a fairer world where his dreams can come true, but he has to give something in exchange for his happiness as everything in the world has a price.

Art Fairy by Floras Athena is a beautiful combination of fantasy and reality. The author has created two parallel worlds in the book. One is the real world where dreams are shattered by the miseries of life, and the other one is the happy and peaceful world of Art Fairy where all dreams come true. The contrast between the two worlds highlights the obstacles that hinder the progression of artistry.

In her book, Athena condemns the education system because it is the major obstacle in the way of developing talents. She is of the opinion that childhood is the best time to develop talents, but kids are busy cramming for exams because they are pressurized to have the top grades. In this senseless race of grades, they have to pay utmost attention to cram for exams. And consequently, the talents are left unattended. The author also criticises the parents who taunt their children for bad grades and are always comparing them to other children. Such behaviour demoralizes children, and as a result, they are unable to nourish their real talent.

The thing I like is that the main focus of the author is not to criticise but to suggest a way to cultivate talents. The author lays stress on devoting more time to develop talents instead of cramming for exams. She considers it important to read the biographies of great artists to seek inspiration. And the most important thing is to practice a lot as there is no excellence without practice.

The thing I don't like about this book is the excessive use of metaphors and similes. These literary devices are meant to add beauty to a piece of writing, and they can be very effective, but the author uses them so frequently that they lose their effectiveness. They seem not only monotonous but also strange at times. Moreover, the story frequently jumps back and forth in time which is a bit annoying.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I deduct one star for the excessive use of metaphors and similes. I am not giving it 2 stars because a book with such an amazing theme doesn't deserve less than 3 stars. The book certainly has some errors, but they don't interrupt the flow of the story.

I would recommend this book to parents and educators. It might also appeal to the readers of Greek mythology as the book contains a different version of the myth of Narcissus. Although it is the story of a kid, I won't recommend it to kids because there is a massive amount of profanity and violent scenes.

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Art Fairy
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This sounds like a great read. I like the discussion about the education system as well. Often kids feel so much pressure to achieve certain grades that they don't really learn concepts and how to think critically but how to take test instead. Love the fantastical elements that are included as well. I will have to add this to my list of reads.
Thanks for the review!

Someone said that the creative adult is the child who survived, in this case quite literaly considering that the protagonist's parents are of the kind who's ugly inside. Despite the flaws you pointed out, this seems a beautiful novel advocating a healthy growth that also means developing your talents rather that becoming yet another drone. Thank you for your review!

Most geniuses had to go through misery during childhood. However, the ones who scale through that becomes great and renown. Oris looks to me like one of the ones who pushed their way through significance. Albeit, by paying a heavy price.

This seems to be a very good book. Of course, using too many metaphors is wrong. It's like too many seasonings in a dish.Thanks for great review!

it's true that recognizing someone's talent starts from childhood, although the parents should have a big role on developing it. It kinda bothered me that all those things happened to a kid, but I guess it is a reality for some people. As someone who plays a musical instrument since childhood, this is definitely interesting for me. I also like that the author emphasized on PRACTICE because there's really no way around it. I hope Oris kept his music. Thanks for the review!

Drilling the notion 'you must pass exams' into children's minds most of the time leaves them demotivated and lose the morale to pursue passion and talent. Don't get me wrong, I believe kids should excel in their school work but this should be hand in hand with nurturing their talents. Thanks for the insightful review.

When I read the first para I though the Art fairy proposed a Faustian deal. The premise sounds interesting but I agree with your discomfort over excessive use of similes and metaphors. Thanks for an honest review.

I will not be reading this book because of the mental and physical abuse. Thank you for the detailed review. The book sounds great, I just read something where a child gets hurt.

Being an artist myself I can totally agree with the dilemma posed in the book where a child is forced to choose the path of education over a chance to develop the one thing that sets them apart from the crowd. Having a financially unstable home doesn't help either. I think I'll have a lot to relate with the story's protagonist, Oris. Love the alternate universe angle of the book as well. I will have to add this to my list of reads.
Thanks for the insightful review!

Your review is very kind. I agree that the theme of the book is outstanding, but I'm surprised no mention was made of how rough the language is. This clearly has been translated from another language, and quite imperfectly at that, making it difficult to follow in places. The premise of the book, though, is very good. It's too bad the author wasn't able to get a better translator because there are a lot of good points.

Thank goodness for your review because the opening pages were an absolute puzzle to me. Sentences were constructed very poorly in this, and when you mentioned metaphor and simile usage, I wholeheartedly agree. I got lost, and the message I think this author was trying to convey got lost. Thank you for further insight into the sad story of Oris. I think it’s an important one about not squelching creativity in kids, but the writing style is not for me.

Thanks for the review. The book sounds interesting and it true that recognizing someone's talent start from childhood.

It sounds like Art Fairy is a great way to present discussion on the educational system, family troubles, and even bullying.

This sounds like a unique premise. I like that it covers art while also encompassing realities of an unhealthy home life and the issues with education. I sure hope the main character is able to live out their dream as a musician. Thanks for the wonderful review!