was nice to revisit Veronica McCreedy and the penguins, As with the first book in this series, it is a nice easy read with lots of interesting facts and information about Antarctica and the various breeds of penguins they visit in this story.
There are several ongoing stories also running through/revisited from bookTerry and Patricks romance,year old Daisys illness and of course Patrick and Veronicas sad background story.
Not to mention the constant reminder about plastic and its devastating consequences to sea life, It was nice to fill in parts of the ongoing story lines, All in all an enjoyable read which incorporates lots of lifes intricacies, I just found Veronicas parts a bit slow and tedious at times in this book.
It was wonderful to follow up on Veronica McCreedy in this sequel to 'How the Penguins Saved Veronica' by Hazel Prior,
Eightyseven year old Veronica is invited by Sir Robert Saddlebow, whose docuseries on wildlife encouraged her interest in penguins, to be copresenter in a documentary featuring seabirds.
As 'penguin ambassador' she is to present segments featuring penguins in Australia and the Falklands, Nineyearold Daisy, who was staying with Veronica while recuperating from her chemotherapy treatments and is on the road to recovery, is granted her wish to travel to see the penguins and joins her in the Falklands accompanied by her mother Beth, to present a small feature for the 'I Wish' initiative.
Both Patrick and Terry eventually join her there too,
Patrick , Veronica's grandson, having broken up with Terry
and having quit his work with Terry and her team in Antarctica is on a quest to find out as much as possible about his late father a quest Veronica supports, wanting to know more about her long lost son who was who had been forcibly taken away from her as an infant and given up for adoption.
Patrick's search takes him to Canada and back, His exploration into his father's life is an emotional journey that results in moments of pause and reflection on his life choices and forces him to rethink his priorities.
The narrative is shared between Veronica, Terry and Patrick, This is a novel about friendship, family and belongingness , adventure and openness to new ideas and experiences and of course, penguins! It was so much fun getting to follow up on Pip and Sooty and meeting Petra and Tony the Macaroni.
The vivid descriptions of nature and sea life are breathtaking and the author draws our attention to the issues pertaining to environmental consciousness and how the negligence and carelessness of humans in disposing of nonbiodegradable pollutants especially plastic in water endangers wildlife and disturbs the ecological balance.
Entertaining, heartwarming and thought provoking with an interesting cast of characters human and penguin!, Call of the Penguins is a lovely story that should not be missed.
As Veronica says , "I have found that one's happiness very much depends on where one chooses to put one's focus, I would do well to follow my own advice and at all times remember the penguins, " I was thrilled to receive an early digital copy of this delightful, beautifully written book, The lovely previous book 'Away With the Penguins' also published with the alternate title 'How the Penguins Saved Veronica is one of my favourites, I was pleased when I learned there would be a second chance to meet the wonderful, memorable, and unique characters once more, 'The Call of the Penguins' can be read as a standalone, but readers' enjoyment would be enhanced by also reading the first book for a better understanding of what led them to the present situation.
This book contains humour, human drama, heartache, romance, family history, genealogy, dark secrets, mystery, misunderstandings, emotions on edge, temper flairups, kindness, adventure, excitement, a tangled family tree, illness and love of penguins, It also carries an important environmental message, and what we can do to improve our planet,
What we know about Veronica At the age of, Veronica was a stubborn, cantankerous, feisty woman who lived alone in an imposing mansion except for a daily hired woman, Eileen.
Veronica had been friendless for most of her long life and had no known living relatives, After a lifetime of disappointment and loss broke her spirit, she learned to expect the worst in people, She is a very wealthy woman who became entranced watching a documentary film describing research on Adelie penguins by an underfunded threeperson team on Locket Island in Antarctica.
Her concern over the plight of the penguins resulted in her deciding to use her vast wealth to save them by funding the project, but only if they agreed to allow her to visit the Antarctic base to decide if the project was worthwhile.
She was an unstoppable force in her determination, Her excitement in actually seeing the colony of penguins herself awakened an adventurous spirit,
Both books feature resilience and redemption and the theme that it is never too late to change one's perspective, behaviour and attitude,
This book begins with Veronica, now age, at home at her imposing estate, Enchanting memories of the captivating penguins and people she met on the journey fill her with pleasure, but she also has dark secrets and losses from her distant past.
It seems the joy from her recent adventure must sustain her in her old age, Her housekeeper still extends a helping hand and friendship, Veronica is caring for ayearold girl, Daisy, who is recovering from chemotherapy after a long illness, She is a loud, exuberant child, enthusiastic and delightful despite her serious illness, She and Veronica have formed a special bond,
A much honoured and respected producer of nature documentaries is heading to Australia and the Falkland Islands to film sea birds and environmental issues, He wants Veronica to participate in the filming of the sections about penguins, She does not hesitate in agreeing to another chance to see
her beloved, fascinating penguins, Unknown to her, Daisy has written to a TV show that grants wishes to children suffering from serious illnesses, Daisy's wish was to accompany Veronica on her journey, She is excited that the TV show granted her request,
We also learn what has been happening on Locket Island, the Antarctic base Veronica previously visited, The threemember research team added a fourth worker, This was Veronica's previously unknown grandson, whose existence was only recently discovered, He is a man in turmoil and has left the island and his romantic relationship in a fit of anger and misunderstanding, Veronica funds his travel to Vancouver, Canada to learn about his father who deserted him and led to his life in foster homes, The man was also Veronica's lost son and both have been tormented by the mystery of his life,
it is up to Veronica to attempt to untangle broken relationships and work on new friendships while watching Rosie's delight in observing the penguins and her own joy in encountering them again.
The emotional toll of the human relationships is causing her much stress, interfering with her part in the filming in the Falklands, Will she return from her journey with more happy memories The ending back home strongly hints that there may be more adventures and more penguins in her future.
If so, I can't wait!
I highly recommend this lovely book, The atmospheric writing imparts a vivid sense of the settings and paints a strong visual picture in the reader's mind,
Many thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the ARC in return for my honest review, “Penguins, I remind her, are not only a source of endless entertainment they are an example to us all, They are well worth seeking out, ”
Call of the Penguins is another wonderful tale of family, second chances, and penguins as we rejoin eccentric octogenarian Veronica McCreedy, whose adventures in Antarctica delighted Hazel Priors readers in Away With the Penguins aka How the Penguins Saved Veronica.
Eighty seven year old Veronica expects shes had her last adventure now she is back home in Scotland after her time on Locket Island, until she is contacted by wildlife documentary presenter Sir Robert Saddlebow who invites her to join him as a cohost on a show he is filming in Australia and the Falkland Islands.
Veronica is thrilled for the opportunity to be back among penguins, and the trip goes smoothly until she receives devastating news from her grandson,
Patrick, having abandoned both his job and his girlfriend at the Locket Island research station in a fit of pique and paranoia, is in Canada at the behest of his grandmother hoping to learn more about the man they both loved and lost.
Patrick is shocked when he discovers the reason his father left both him and his mother, forcing him to reconsider his past, and his future,
Its a joy to be among the penguins again in Call of the Penguins, While we are updated on the Adelie colony, and the growth of Pip, on Locket Island through Terrys perspective, Prior introduces us to new breeds including Little Penguins, the Gentu and the Macaroni, however its a Rockhopper, given the name Petra, on Boulder Island in the Falklands, that steals the show.
Yet there is plenty of angst to be found among the pages of this sequel, Prior gives us rich, authentic characters that lead the reader on quite an emotional roller coaster, Patrick and Terrys breakup leaves the future of the Locket Island project in doubt, and Terry is faced with a difficult decision, Patrick is tempted to return to his old ways as he is confronted by a secret about his father, which in turn upsets his grandmother, Veronica lashes out when she learns said secret, jeopardising her friendship with Sir Robert, and nine year old Daisy, who has joined Veronica in the Falklands thanks to a charity foundation that fulfils wishes by ill children.
Unsurprisingly, Call of the Penguins also imparts clear messages about the varied threats to the health of our natural environment, In particular Prior explores the effects of plastic pollution in our oceans and the risks it poses to the wellbeing of penguin populations,
Despite the many serious issues raised in this novel, Call of the Penguins is ultimately a celebration of connection, resilience and hope, Told with warmth, humour and sensitivity, this is a lovely uplifting read,
I loved Hazel Prior's first book featuring Veronica McCreedy sitelinkAway 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 sickkidswishfulfilment charity.
The penguins are the of the show, As Veronica regularly reminds people if times are tough "Think of the Penguins", With Pip the Antarctic Adelie, and new 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 antiplastics 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, .
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