Away with the Penguins

The heartwarming and uplifting Richard & Judy Book Club pick

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

Reseñas de la Crítica

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.

delightful read

what a gem.of a book. loved every minute of it. likeable characters and a great story

Simply delightful

Lovely feel good story. Light and entertaining, beautifully read by 3 narrators. I will be looking for more books from this author

Lovely gentle story in an unusual setting

A refreshingly different story partly because of its location in Antarctica , partly because the central character is a feisty 86 yr old curmudgeonly lady but mainly because of the 5,000 penguins.
Veronica , a very wealthy lady with no family embarks on a hazardous stay at a penguin research station in Antarctica , on a whim , after seeing a TV programme about the Penguins.
She goes there in order to see for herself if they merit being recipients from her Will to the tune of several millions .
The story is about the people at the research station, Terri , grumpy Mike & Dietrich , an adopted penguin Patrick/ Pip & Patrick , & the long lost grandson she didn’t know she had.
We learn of her life prior to this expedition from diaries entrusted to Patrick & we learn the reason for her feistiness & independence.
An unusual but entertaining story.

Unusual, funny, relevant and very enjoyable

I found the different characters well thought out and described. The story line is very relevant for these times of climate change and penguins are just amazing! Great read.