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Away with the Penguins

The heartwarming and uplifting Richard & Judy Book Club pick

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Away with the Penguins

By: Hazel Prior
Narrated by: Nigel Pilkington, Nicolette McKenzie, Ayoola Smart
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Veronica McCreedy is about to have the journey of a lifetime . . .

Veronica McCreedy lives in a mansion by the sea. She loves a nice cup of Darjeeling tea whilst watching a good wildlife documentary. And she’s never seen without her ruby-red lipstick.

Although these days Veronica is rarely seen by anyone because, at 85, her days are spent mostly at home, alone.

She can be found either collecting litter from the beach (‘people who litter the countryside should be shot’), trying to locate her glasses (‘someone must have moved them’) or shouting
instructions to her assistant, Eileen (‘Eileen, door!’).

Veronica doesn’t have family or friends nearby. Not that she knows about, anyway . . . And she has no idea where she’s going to leave her considerable wealth when she dies.

But today . . . today Veronica is going to make a decision that will change all of this.


Readers love Hazel Prior!

‘Oh I so adored this beautiful, unique book!’

‘A complete pleasure from start to finish.’

‘A touching, absorbing and uplifting story.’

‘Tender, heartwarming and sensitively written.’

© Hazel Prior 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Animals Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction Comedy Feel-Good Heartfelt Funny
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Critic reviews

This year's Eleanor Oliphant . . . Funny, bittersweet and wholly original.
A glorious, life-affirming story. I read it in a day. I’m going to buy it for so many people this year!
I love this gorgeous book. Unflinching, stubborn, funny and moving, Veronica is an unlikely heroine who will sneak in and capture your heart.
A warm and witty journey of self-discovery. Prior proves that it’s never too late to become the person you were meant to be.
A warm-hearted and life-affirming tale about ageing, human kindness, old-fashioned values and protecting our planet.
A touching, uplifting tale.
Love is not simple; it is the most complex of all the experiences we encounter. Caring for an orphaned penguin liberates the love Veronica had withheld for decades. At the age of eighty-six, the world is all at once at her feet. I commend this novel as a work of art, written in a prose so fluent that it all but reads itself to you. And the creation of the character of Veronica, just by itself, deserves high praise.
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this book. Feel good and couldn’t stop listening. I loved the readers of each part being different and I was very invested in each character.

Feel good

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Mrs McCreedy, aged 85, lives alone in Scotland with her helper visiting. She is what is often described as “a character”. Her thoughts turn to who or what to leave her considerable wealth to when she dies, as a result of which her life changes in so many ways, including meeting penguins.

This is a wonderful heart-lifting story about Veronica McCreedy, the people she meets and, of course, penguins. Through her quest for a worthy recipient of her monies, we learn about Veronica’s life, and what has shaped her. It took me a few chapters to get into, but after that the variety of characters came alive and I was charmed, and amused, by this gentle, but interesting story.

I listed to the audio version and the various narrators sound exactly as you would expect the characters to be. Fantastic!

5*s from me, because the characters and story were interesting and the story beautiful. Also I learnt a little about Adélie penguins. I enjoyed the book so much that this morning I have been looking into holidays to visit the Adélie penguins – not to be, but I enjoyed the dream!

Charming, beautiful and uplifting

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loved it. something for everyone. one of the best audio books that I have listened to.

ten out of ten

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I absolutely loved this story and the great readers so sorry it ended totally joyous

Refreshing

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this is a really nice story, great if you want a pick-me-up or are feeling a little in a rut. however the ending is a little too neat for my personal taste

lovely story

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