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A Tipsy Fairy Tale
A Coming of Age Memoir of Alcohol and Redemption
In the wake of his mother’s passing, Peter Murphy’s childhood plunged into chaos. Suffering from neglect, abuse, and a lack of stability, he endured a series of hardships. Murphy was kidnapped at gunpoint, broke half a dozen ribs in a freak accident, and found himself indebted to the Mafia. While as a young teen he turned to painkillers and alcohol to cope, he also developed an unexpected affinity for poetry that eventually transformed his life.
This memoir follows Murphy’s journey as he deciphers the grief, shame and loss that permeated his childhood. Still a young man, he left the violence of New York for the bloodstained streets of Northern Ireland during the height of The Troubles. As he unraveled the mystery surrounding his mother’s death, he reached his lowest point living in a Welsh commune, with little hope of escaping the throes of substance abuse. Written with poetic insight, Murphy’s story is one of redemption, recovery, and finding faith in hardship.
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Advanced Praise for A Tipsy Fairy Tale
“This poignant memoir accentuates through a love of poetry, nature, and human nature which the speaker cannot help but honor.”
Yusef Komunyakaa, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Neon Vernacular, New and Selected Poems
“Murphy writes with the candor of a man who has struck a truce with his demons and taken poetry for his spiritual practice.”
Gregory Pardlo, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author of Air Traffic, A Memoir of Ambition and Manhood in America
“A harrowing, hopeful, and unexpectedly funny book.”
Paul Lisicky, author of Later: My Life at the Edge of the World, a Memoir
“I read it straight through―how can he possibly survive?―astounded by his persistence and courage. You will be too.”
Terese Svoboda, author of Roxy and Coco and The Long Swim
“Peter Murphy’s memoir is pure pleasure.”
Jay Parini, author of Borges and Me, an Encounter
“Peter Murphy floods us with tenderness in this powerful memoir, opening the heart of the reader while taking us inside poverty, cruelty, and addiction. Surprisingly, this same voice brings a wealth of funny stories, offering us a way to be more human, more included.”
Jan Beatty, author of Dragstripping
“Murphy shows us how all who feel lost can be found, or rather, find themselves. A book that inspires, whatever our age and circumstance.”
Mimi Schwartz, author of Good Neighbors, Bad Times Revisited: New Echoes of My Father’s German Village
“This candid confession is just about the perfect advertisement for the notion that poetry might just save your life.”
Alan Bilton, author of The End of The Yellow House
“All of a sudden you’re inside the book, flying into the ocean via this weird mind-meld…and you forget that people are liars, and before you know it, you’re halfway through the story and you believe in humankind again.”
Harrison Scott Key, author of How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told
“A rollercoaster read bursting with gritty realism interweaved with flashes of expressionistic chaos―a trip into the dark beauty of our memory lanes―hold on tightly.”
Patrick Jones, author of Fuse / Fracture (Poems 2001-2021)
“Murphy . . . marvelously deploys the ‘you’ voice to convey disassociation and gallows humor of his coming of age and addiction-recovery journey . . . Evocative observations and relatable struggles characterize this poetic remembrance. Our Verdict: GET IT.”
Kirkus Reviews