The Modern Fairies

Pollard’s (Delphi) latest historical novel illuminates the glittering salon of Madame Marie d’Aulnoy, where fairy tales are told as an amusing release from the tensions in Louis XIV’s court. The salon, whose members were known as the Modern Fairies, eventually admitted men, including Charles Perrault, who later published many of these same tales. The participants have sparkling conversations, employing the stories as a safe way to discuss the happenings at court. Then it becomes clear that Louis has installed a spy in their midst, and the participants realize that their sanctuary may turn deadly. Each chapter centers on one fairy tale; listeners will likely be familiar with some, but certainly not all. Pollard seamlessly intertwines details from the fairy tales as she examines the real history and the lives of the women and men in the salon; the author’s note is fascinating. Kathryn Drysdale narrates with fervor and vivacity and seems equally at ease with the scenes of coarse sexuality as with the court formality. The spy is voiced with great menace, and the vulnerable women who are sentenced to death are portrayed with sensitivity and pathos.