The Book Depository Call of the Penguins by Hazel Prior
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Price: £10.98
Brand: The Book Depository
Description: Call of the Penguins : Paperback : Transworld Publishers Ltd : 9781784166243 : : 11 Nov 2021 : Veronica Mc Creedy will capture your heart.' TRISHA ASHLEY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Christmas Invitation 'So beautifully written by a born storyteller' LORRAINE KELLY Meet the heroine everyone's talking about. The Book Depository Call of the Penguins by Hazel Prior - shop the best deal online on thebookbug.co.uk
Category: Books
Merchant: The Book Depository
Product ID: 9781784166243
MPN: 9781784166243
GTIN: 9781784166243
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.