Tales from Aulora - Softcover

Helen Quinn lives in Newbridge, Co Kildare with her teenage son and a cat called Mystery. Tales from Aulora is her first novel and Helen is rising with the birds to complete her second.

I read everything and anything from crime to thriller, comedy to romance, Irish fiction to the wonderfully unusual books of Alice Hoffman. Tales from Aulora is one of the most unusual books that I have read in a long time. I loved it. It's a series of eight interconnected stories. The book is about Aulora - better known as the secret world of wish-making where Bill and Bob and a cast of hundreds look after the wishes that come from around the world. Tales from Aulora focuses on the work of Bill and Bob who look after wishes that arrive from Britain and Ireland into their department. The eight stories in this book are eight human wishes that span from the middle ages to the present. They deal with issues such as laziness, unrequited love, body image and self-esteem, embarrassing parents and much more. My favourite story is the Tale of a Dying Girl and the beautiful and tragic relationship between a very sick young girl and a new arrival to the village who is misunderstood and who pays the ultimate price! I cried when I read this for the first time and I cry now each time I re-read it. In the background of these eight human wishes is the story on Aulora where dark forces are at play in the background as the Aulorians go merrily about their business. I won't say any more as I don't want to ruin the epic scenes in the book. This book has something for everyone and if you have ever wondered if you wishes are heard or where they go, then this is the book with the answer. Helen Quinn's debut novel is definitely one for the reading list for Spring, Summer,Autumn or Winter. I love her gift for dialogue. The characters jump off the page and within a short while you feel like they are friends. I love the way Helen handles darkness mingled with hope and affirmation in her stories. The characters are real, they are human, they have faults and yet some have extraordinary redeeming qualities. I speak about the characters on earth as well as on Aulora when I say that. Helen's book deserves to be read. The characters deserve to be given life and let's face it, as adults, on any given day, we could all do with a little bit of magic in our lives. I wonder how Bill and Bob are getting on with my latest wishes ....... Brenda Drumm --Goodreads