This one was so bloody lovely for me! / I love penguins they’re my favourite animal and I really enjoy Hazels writing.

It’s easy going and so easy to get lost in along with an important message throughout.

I got to 14% of this book and just had no interest to continue. Unfortunately I couldn’t take to MC Veronica who was entitled, grumpy and unlikeable.

Having heard so many good reviews it was a shame but life is too short to read books your not enjoying.

You don’t get many books that will warm your heart more than this one! I absolutely loved reading about Veronica McCreedy and her adventures to see the penguins in the Antarctic. Yes some may say that parts of this novel are a little unbelievable but I’m not one to get into the nitty gritty of things and quite happy to accept things at face value.

I thought that Veronica was a great character and a real advocate for the older generation, proving that anything is possible. Whilst she is frustrating and stubborn in the beginning, this stubbornness soon pays its dividends when she gets to spend time in the Antarctic surrounded by penguins. What could be more endearing in a book that an elderly lady taking a baby penguin under wing and caring for it so lovingly!

This book is full of charm and hope and it had me grinning from ear to ear on many an occasion! A brilliant heartwarming read that is the perfect pick me up, especially on a cold, dark night after a days work.

If you read just one book this year let it be Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior. It’s such an adorable story. It is funny, with some suspense thrown into the mix and a bucket load of emotion. It’s a hug in a book. I absolutely loved it & urge everybody to read it. You can’t help but smile through so much of it. I give this book a resounding 5 stars!!

I am a huge fan of the main character. She isn’t perfect but she has a great attitude.
This book is a heartwarming read and is a great uplifting book

What a wonderful book. There is basically three stories woven into one, Veronica 86, rich with no obvious heir and an interest in helping to save penguins. Patrick, her newly found grandson who she doesn’t particularly like. The Penguins and scientists based in Antarctica who need funding for their ongoing research. The stories take us on journey into the past and the present to see what makes a person who they are and how they react to situations. Throw in some facts about penguins and it makes an enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House, UK for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I’m not sure what I was expecting with this novel, but I have found it quite surprising. I think one of the main things that I wasn’t expecting was the amount of voices which tell the story. The main 2 voices are Veronica (the octogenarian who travels to the Antarctic to study penguins) and her grandson Patrick (who has only just found out he does actually have a living grandmother). Ultimately the main story centres around their relationship and the history of how they’ve become to be who they are.
I did struggle initially to get into the story, but after the shaky start, I was soon gripped and I was fascinated as parts of the story unfurled.
It’s a funny and heartfelt read, and I’ve read it in the middle of winter which has helped me feel the cold of the Antarctic (or a nod to it as I don’t kid myself that our cold is anything like the cold of the Antarctic.
I think if you enjoyed Lillian Boxfish takes a walk, I think you might enjoy this also. I certainly did.

This delightful story tells the story of Veronica, who at 85. As a child Veronica got pregnant and was forced to give her baby away due to being unmarried and young, as was common at that time. She decides to trace her child, but unfortunately he has died but did leave a son. She gets in contact with him but their first meeting does not go well and Veronica does not approve of his lifestyle so has second thoughts about leaving him anything and looks to find a suitable charity to give to.

Veronica watches a wildlife programme about penguins and is taken with them and with the help of her home help and the internet to find a penguin charity/project to leave her money to.

Veronica being Veronica decides that she needs to visit the facility before making her decision.. Unfortunately, the project is located on Locket Island in the Antarctic which is not really set up for visitors let alone a 85 year old one. The journey is a difficult one involving planes, ships but she doesn’t let that stop her. She plans to stay for 3 weeks they want to get her back on the boat as soon as possible. She stays and manages to make friends with the penguins and some of the crew, but will the journey and conditions be the death of her and will she reconcile and get to know her grandson?

Heartwarming story about the eccentric Veronica, who lives alone & is unsure what to do with all her wealth, that is, until one day she chances upon something that will turn all this around

My attention was caught by the penguins, and was charmed to find they play a staring role in this lovely warm book.

Loved Veronica, a real character. 86 and feeling it in some ways more than others - she's not had the easiest life, but we see things changing for her over the course of the story. Patrick too, as I learnt more about him as the story developed. It's interesting to see their relationship change.

Well written and easy to read.

A wonderful story of love, regret, heartbreak and a love for Penguins. Mrs M is a very lonely old lady who has started to forget things. However after watching a tv programme about Penguins and how there habitat and research surrounding them is in trouble due to lack of money. She decides that at the tender age of 86 she needs to visit Antarctic. We get to find out about her past, the love of her life and the reasons why she Is who she is. A little difficult to get into but please persevere as you won’t be disappointed

At 85 Veronica McCreedy thinks her life is almost done. Perhaps it was not the one she ever imagined but there you are. That is until she sees a documentary on Adelie penguins and decides that is what she wants to do, see these penguins for real and to make a lasting impact on the world. If helping other poor creatures than so be it.

What she doesn't know that is perhaps Veronica is helping more than the penguins. Her very isolated life is kept busy with litter picking, telling Eileen her carer come companion of sorts to shut doors, the crossword in the Telegraph and wildlife documentaries.

The image that is painted of Veronica to begin with is a women who may well be determined, dogged in her ways but one whose mind is perhaps starting to fail her. The loss of the glasses, the mirrors needing to be removed (and then rehung) is written so beautifully that you cannot really believe the author then transports this woman to Antarctica.

Because that is where Veronica ends up, on the South Shetland Islands, accessible via a ship that docks every three weeks at a project for Adelie Penguins where three researchers have the basic facilities, food and tolerance for each other. They do not want anyone else and certainly someone who could perhaps end their days thousand of miles from anywhere.

Veronica makes an impact not just on the other researchers but also she starts to see some parallels in the life she has led with this penguins that she has grown fond of.

Miles away in Bolton, is Patrick. Initially thought of as a waste of space, a drain on the benefit system not stuck to anything, of little purpose now that his girlfriend has dumped him, who whiles away his days growing weed and trying to survive. But Veronica McCreedy enters his life too.

After a false start, Patrick becomes fascinated with Veronica and diaries reveal what happened to her in her past. When an email from one of the researchers startles Patrick into some action, he finds himself in this remote place with an old woman he barely knows, hand raising a baby chick penguin.

Can everyone reconcile themselves to their actions of the past and the events that may have shaped them and can this now move everything forward to a better future.

This book takes your breath away, the cold of the Antarctic so richly described you can almost feel it biting your nose as you watch Veronica amongst these penguins, learning about life and survival. This is a quiet book, the noise is absorbed in the snow that surrounds them all.

I came away from the story where I felt I knew Veronica's life fully, there were no more secrets to be discovered and that she recognised that what happened to her was continuing to happen not just to Patrick but also these delightful penguins she fell in love with.

I don't know what I was expecting from this book, the story that is contained delighted, humoured and humbled me in equal measure and was a great surprise and truly original.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Digital for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Away With The Penguins by Hazel Prior fascinated me from the get-go. Something about this book pulled me in. The title and the synopsis hooked me when I read them. I loved the illustrated covers, as well. I was also intrigued by the penguins and how they fit in with the story. When I picked this book up, I had no idea I will be gobbling up the whole story in one sitting. It was that good.

Away With The Penguins is a beautiful book of friendships, family, second-chances, and healing. It tells the story of our two protagonists, a grandmother, and her grandson, who meets for the first time very much later in life. The story unfolds from the dual-perspectives of Veronica and Patrick. Veronica is living a solitary life at her mansion in Ayrshire. A box from the past brings back memories that threaten the unraveling of secrets long buried. A walk through her past life takes Veronica on a journey of discovery. She finds out she has a grandson and decides to make his acquaintance. The initial meeting leaves them both disappointed. Patrick has been living a carefree life free from the stresses of adulthood. He is living life aimlessly, taking one day at a time and in no hurry to change the Status Quo. The two meet and decide that getting to know one another is not a good idea. Veronica is searching for a cause to champion and comes across a documentary on Penguins that will stir up her interest. She wants to leave a legacy that will be worthwhile and accepts that her grandson is not the right candidate to be left with her money. A trip to Antarctica to see the research center for Penguins will change her life in ways she never envisioned. Patrick also finds himself changing, and life will take them on a journey either of them expected.

The setting is beautiful, with the story taking place in different locations, taking us along for the ride. The change of scenery was good, and I enjoyed how each location beautifully complimented the progression of the novel. The pacing was great, and I found myself unable to stop. And the writing is engaging and humorous with a fabulous cast of characters. The story is full of life and warmth that will seep into your soul. Its characters especially, the main characters with their quirkiness and eccentricities, will steal your heart.

The message of this book is also thought-provoking. With a strong emphasis on nature and the environment, Hazel has managed to deliver a story with lots of heart and charm wrapped up in a beautiful package of preservation of our environment. The way everything ties together beautifully helps immensely.

Overall, the story was beautiful, well written, and wonderfully packaged. The readers will leave with their hearts full and a smile on their faces after reading Away With The Penguins. The heartwarming ad uplifting story of a grandmother and her grandson reuniting will stay in my heart forever with the backdrop of penguins. Away With The Penguins tells us the story of survival, succeeding against all odds, reuniting with loved ones, and second-chance at life. I gave the book 4.5 - 5 stars. I highly recommend picking this book up, if you want a charming and heart-warming story.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading.
Away With The Penguins by Hazel Prior is a very entertaining book about penguins, life and love. It is Veronica’s story, Patrick’s story and the story of penguins. Veronica’s life story is told throughout the book and is at times a very sad and lonely experience and she, with the help of Eileen, her cleaner, friend and carer finds out that she has a grandson, Patrick. Patrick’s story is also sad at times and he finally finds a family member , that he never knew existed.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and also finding out about penguins and their lifestyle.
Thoroughly recommended.

What a warm and cosy book!

I was instantly drawn to it as I love penguins, and we adopt to help them through the WWF and it did not disappoint.

I just loved Veronica what an interesting, eccentric and also relatable character.
Patrick, you learn to have empathy for him as we learn more about his story.
I love how the story unfolds revealing more about the past and how they both develop.

Also informative about our planet and the penguins too!

Overall, a great read!

I loved this book. It is a heartwarming read about changing your life, family and new beginnings. There is also the clear message that we need to make changes to save the planet. The stars of the story are of course the penguins.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A lovely warm and cosy book. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mrs McCreedy and travelling with her to meet her penguins. The story flowed easily between Mrs Mcreedy and her grandson Patrick and you were easily led through their own storylines and learnt all about their pasts and how both of them were able to make peace with their pasts and move forward. Eccentric old ladies come to mind when you read through the book, but you come to wish the best for all of them especially Pip. The book shows how we all can get stuck in a rut and it is good to try new things and have new adventures out of our comfort zones because this makes life more fun and interesting. This is the first book I have read by Hazel Prior but it won`t be my last. I liked the way that she wrote with humour and feeling making the characters nicely rounded.

A nice read but I was a bit disappointed, and I'm not really sure why. I'm pretty sure lots of people will love this, there are some great elements including; cute baby penguins, a cantankerous old lady and her newly discovered grandson, but I felt something was missing.

What a delight to be asked to review this book. It was a lovely read. I have also noted it has been listed as a choice of Radio 2 Book Club. Good choice!

This is the story of Veronica McGreedy, a wealthy widowed lady in her 80's who spends her time watching wildlife documentaries and is fascinated by the penguins in Antarctica. She is lonely, looking back on her life and discovers that she has a long lost grandson. She visits him unexpectedly but is so disappointed by how he has turned out. but there are reasons for this.

She takes stock and decides to take a trip to visit the penguins and the research programme out in Antarctica, even at her age of 85. Once there, she is absolutely enthralled by the penguins and finds a way to stay there for longer than her 3 weeks (the time it takes for the ship to call again).

At the same time she sends her grandson a locked box to look after...... he opens this and discovers more about his past.

The rest of the story is heart warming and lovely - you must give it a go; you'll love it and penguins!!

Veronica Macreedie. is a lonely solitary friendless figure who is debating how to utilise her accumulated wealth. Two things emerge , an interest in penguins and the finding of an unknown grandson. She sets off to find both. Her first encounter with her grandson is fruitless as he appears to be a ‘down and out waster’ so she embarks on a hazardous journey to Locket Island with its team of scientists studying penguins. She is stubborn and curmudgeonly and the scientists are not happy with her presence. The penguins act as a catalyst in this story of human relations and bring together the disparate group of people including her grandson. Veronica has a way forward in her waning years.
Enchanting story