Waterstones Call of the Penguins
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Price: £9.99
Brand: Waterstones
Description: The perfect fireside read. Veronica Mc Creedy will capture your heart' TRISHA ASHLEY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Invitation' This gorgeous book has everything! Mysteries, misunderstandings, arguments, reconciliations, kindness, love and lots of PENGUINS!'CLARE POOLEY, author of The Authenticity Project A delightfully feel-good novel from the author of the Richard & Judy Book Club pick Away With the Penguins. Veronica Mc Creedy can't resist the promise of adventure. Nine-year-old Daisy and nearly ninety-year-old Veronica make an unlikely pair of friends. Fiercely independent and impeccably dressed, Veronica has lived an incredible 87 years. Most of them alone, in her huge house by the sea. But with the arrival of brave and resilient Daisy into her life, Veronica finds she has a renewed thirst for adventure - and that they both share a passion for penguins! So when Veronica and Daisy are invited to travel to the other side of the world together and visit the penguins of the southern hemisphere, they both jump at the chance. Veronica had thought her days of new friendships, family and love were over, but perhaps it's never too late for one more adventure? Readers are falling in love with Call of the Penguins!***** 'A life-affirming, warm, comforting book to help you feel cosy'***** 'A cockle-warming joy from start to finish'***** 'Emotional, funny, and uplifting'***** 'This story really warmed my heart'***** 'A book to lift the spirits'***** 'Light hearted and absolutely delightful' The brand-new gorgeously feel-good novel from Hazel, Life and Otter Miracles, is available to pre-order now!.
Category: Books
Merchant: Waterstones
Product ID: 9781784166243
Delivery cost: 2.99
ISBN: 9781784166243
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Author: Nicola in South Yorkshire
Rating: 5
Review: I loved Away With the Penguins, the first story to feature Veronica McCreedy and her adventures with penguins, so I was really looking forward to reading the sequel, Call of the Penguins, in which Veronica has even more adventures with penguins. This time she's not going to Antarctica but to the Falkland Islands to make a television programme with Sir Robert Saddlebow, the fictional equivalent of Sir David Attenborough. She takes Daisy with her, the young daughter of her grandson's friend, and it's quite a trip for both of them. Throw into the mix Patrick, Veronica's grandson, and his girlfriend, Terry, who live and work together on Locket Island, the scene of Veronica's original encounter with penguins, plus Eileen, Veronica's long-suffering housekeeper, and all the cast are back together. It's by no means an easy time for any of them but this is ultimately feel-good fiction and it was an absolute delight to read. Hazel Prior gets the balance of humour just right against serious issues of illness, family discoveries and environmental issues. I laughed out loud many times at Veronica's sharp tongue and her very precise way of speaking and thinking. The settings of Veronica's home in Scotland and the fictional islands in Antarctica and the Falklands are portrayed beautifully and of course, once again, the penguin stars of the story are absolutely charming. I loved the relationship between Daisy and Veronica, the youngest and oldest characters, and the joy they brought to each other. I also really enjoyed the subplot regarding Patrick and his quest for the truth about his origins and his childhood. All in all, Call of the Penguins gave me a lot of pleasure to read. I've now read all three books by this author and I'm very much looking forward to reading more in the future.
Author: Boingboing
Rating: 3
Review: I loved Hazel Prior's first book featuring Veronica McCreedy (Away with the Penguins and it was one I recommended to lots of people. I was excited enough about a follow up that I actually bought the ebook (which is rare for me). It was OK, but a bit disappointing. Sometimes when an author gets a book absolutely 'right' (like Prior did with AWTP), it's tempting to stretch the successful formula into another book. I'll admit that I thought I wanted more of Mrs McCreedy. Sadly, this one just didn't work as well for me. Please don't read this without first reading Away with the Penguins. It really won't make much sense on its own. Veronica's grandson, Patrick, has broken up with Terry the Penguinologist and returned to the UK. Veronica has sent him to Canada in search of his past and his late father. Meanwhile, she's invited to make a documentary with a famous elderly wildlife expert - think David Attenborough with a bit of a bad attitude. All expenses paid, and Veronica's off to Australia and the Falklands, with her young friend and cancer patient, Daisy, to make a show for a sick-kids-wish-fulfilment charity. The penguins are the stars of the show. As Veronica regularly reminds people if times are tough "Think of the Penguins". With Pip the Antarctic Adelie, and new stars Petra the Rockhopper and Tony the Macaroni, there are plenty of cute moments. I didn't buy the gutter press coverage of 'greedy McCreedy' or the revelation of who was leaking stories. I also found the attempt to shove anti-plastics messages down our gullets like a regurgitating mother penguin feeding her young was a bit irritating. And the medical 'situation' with Terry the penguinologist was a bit too far fetched for me. I found the 'voices' of the various narrators to be poorly distinguished. When using multiple narrators, I firmly believe they should write sufficiently differently that I don't have to flick back and check who's who. So all in all, despite lots of lovely penguins, it was a bit of a damp squib.
