So my 12th. book for the 20 Books of Summer reading challenge is Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior. I decided that quite a few of my choices this year would be travelling or holiday type books and this is about a journey that's as far south as you can go without actually finding yourself on the Antarctic continent.
Veronica McCreedy is eighty-five and lives alone in a mansion on the Scottish coast. A woman comes in to 'do' for her but basically Veronica's existance is a lonely one. She drinks a lot of tea, is obsessive about doors being closed and likes to watch wildlife documentaries. She also has a lot of money. As in 'millions'. Who or what to leave it to? Her only son has died and as far as she knows there were no children. But were there? She decides to check. And gets something of a shock.
Watching another wildlife documentary one evening, this one from an island in the Antarctic ocean, Veronica is overcome with sympathy for the plight of the Adélie penguins on said island. There's a scientific research base there where three scientists are living, studying these fascinating birds. An idea occurs to Veronica, she could go there to see if this would be a good project to leave some money to. As might be expected the scientists are not crazy about the idea of an eighty-five year old woman landing herself on them. In fact they're decidedly 'un'crazy to the point of being hostile. But Veronica McCreedy is a woman used to getting her own way...
Well, I know I love armchair travelling but this Antarctic adventure is a departure even for me. Locket Island where most of the book is set does not exist but we've all seen documentaries of penguins on these islands in Antarctica so it's very easy to picture it in your mind. I enjoyed all the penguin details and Patrick, the baby penguin, that is fostered is very cute.
Veronica is no sweet old lady character. She's cranky and obstinate and very used to getting her own way. You can't help but admire her but she does go through some character progression, learning quite a lot along the way. Plus, there are reasons why she is like she is and these are slowly revealed in the form of a diary. So in a way this is a bit of dual-timeline story.
The scientists on the station are a mixed bunch, nice and not-so-nice so this is not a sacharine-sweet tale. And there's real life in this book especially back in the UK and in Veronica's history. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers.) All in all, this was a very enjoyable read for me. The setting was a real departure, as was its wild-life theme, and I loved the fact that the main protagonist was a very elderly, cranky old lady.
I assumed this was a standalone and then discovered that it's not! There's a sequel, Call of the Penguins, which, needless to say, I've already bought for my Kindle.
14 comments:
This sounds like a delightful change for me. I'm happy you shared with us Cath. I looked and our library has a few books by this author (not this one) but, How the Penguins Saved Veronica (2020) which might be another from the series?? There are a couple others which could be standalones. I love elderly protagonists these days.
What a fascinating setting for the story, Cath! And Veronica sounds like a very interesting character with her own history that's worth exploring. It's nice, too, to have the protagonist be a person who's - erm - no longer in her twenties. I'm sure the work the scientists are trying to do is also interesting. I can see how it'd all make for an engaging read.
Diane: Away with the Penguins and How the Penguins Saved Veronica is the same book. They renamed it for the American market I believe. Not sure why.
Margot: Yes, I have to say the setting really was fascinating. Veronica very much has a history and it's only spoilers which make me keep it to myself. It makes such a change when the heroine is not in the first flush of youth and actually 'has' a history like that.
I love reading books set in Antarctica! And Veronica sounds like a crazy, fun kind of character. And my library has a copy...though with a different name. Why do publishers do that? Away With the Penguins is a perfectly good title; they really didn't need to change it for the American market. But oh well. I'm just glad my library has it so I can read it now, too. Lovely review! :D
Not my usual type of book at all, however I have just read a book about another cranky, elderly lady and thoroughly enjoyed it('The Locked Away Life' by Drew Davies - my review Friday August 5th), so I have added both books to my 'wish list'.
It wasn't until I checked out the author on FF, that I realised why her name sounded familiar. Hazel is also a freelance harpist and we have been to an event at which she has played, she really is very good. So now I have added her debut novel 'Ellie And The Harp Maker' to my list as well!
Lovely post and a great find! :)
Lark: Yeah, I'm slowly getting into polar exploration books too. Possibly that might be my winter 'subject'. :-) I have no idea why publishers change the names of books like that, it's silly. I know 'Away With the Penguins' is a play on 'Away With the Fairies' but you say that in America I think? Or at least understand the concept. And even if you don't the title is still perfectly understandable. Glad you enjoyed the post.
Yvonne: A few years ago I would've said the same, that this is not my usual type of book either. But I seem to have changed things over the last couple of years and am more willing to try someing a bit different. I rarely regret it I have to say. Oh goodness, how interesting that you've been to see the author play the harp! And she lives on Exmoor apparently, I must keep an eye out for events in any local bookshops as I would happily go to see her speak.
Thanks for your kind words. :-)
I love travel books, novels or nonfiction, so this one jumped out at me because you made it sound like so much fun. I plan to look for it here. I'm reading a travel memoir right now called We Came, We Saw, We Left about a middle-aged couple who gave themselves nine "lag months" to travel around the world on a budget plan with their three teenaged children. I love the way they just stop in a place and hang around until they feel as if they "understand" it and its people. Nice review, Cath.
Sam: It's odd, the cover of this book indicates some kind of chick-lit type of book but it's very far from being that. There are real people in it with real problems and no one inherits a villa in Italy. LOL
I'll look up We Came, We Saw, We Left as it sounds like my kind of thing.
Thanks for your kind words.
I don't know how I missed this post this weekend, although we did spend all day Saturday involved in preparing for and waiting for delivery of a chair for the living room. The first time I saw reference to this book was at the first video I watched at Bookworm Adventure Girl. It sounded good and I love to read about Antarctica so I got it shortly after that. I did not even connect it to Away with the Penguins, which was on your 20 Books of Summer list. The cover on the US edition also looks like a chick lit book and I had to convince myself that it would be a worthwhile purchase. I will be getting the next book also. (And maybe the 1st one she wrote.)
Tracy: Well it's hard to spot every post sometimes, especially when you have a lot going on. I feel sure I too am missing things right now, plus I don't always have time to comment on every post I would like to. It's life. :-)
I hope you enjoy Away With the Penguins when you get to it. The author lives near here on Exmoor and set her first book there I believe.
Cath, I see now that I did not even say (in my comment above) that I had already read the book -- under the title How the Penguins Saved Veronica. I finished it towards the end of July and I loved it. I hope to review it but who knows, I never get around to reviewing everything.
Tracy: No I didn't pick up on that but no problem. :-)
Yes, as you could no doubt see from my Books of July post, I too have not reviewed everything. I've given up trying to be honest. I now read more books per month than I ever used to, I've gone from 5 or 6 to 9 or 10 and I don't have the hours in the day to write reviews of all of them. And book blogging is meant to be fun not a chore so I think we can be allowed to organise it whichever way we want.
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