Unhappily Ever After

As children, we are told common fairy tales, all seemingly having happy ever afters. When we grow up, we realise that's not how life works and crave those stories that reflect the messy truths of life.

In these detailed retellings of folk tales aimed at adults, discover stories of abandoned men, fools who meet a sticky end, a person still waiting for death, and more. Some in these stories live happily ever after, but not all, as that's just not real life.

Tom Phillips retells and expands some of the favourite folk tales he has discovered and told over his many years as a storyteller, making them more gritty and real by giving them room to breathe.



Tom Phillips is a professional storyteller who aims to bring traditional stories to young and old. Whether telling stories to children in a school or adults at a heritage setting, folk tales are a constant. He has appeared on several podcasts discussing them and, in 2023, led a panel discussion about the importance of folk tales at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. He is the author of Leicestershire Folk Tales for Children and Forest Folk Tales for Children, both published by The History Press.

Detailed retellings of folk tales offering an antidote to ‘happily ever after’.