|
The Tale of Briar Bank: The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter | 
| Author: Susan Wittig Albert
Publisher: Berkley Hardcover
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $11.97
You Save: $11.98 (50%)
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 62767
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0425223612
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780425223611
ASIN: 0425223612
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New. 100% money back guarantee. All books shipped from Strand Bookstore, New York City, USA.
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Beloved childrens author Beatrix Potter, wearing the hat of amateur sleuth, returns in this delightful series with legsand tails.(Publishers Weekly)
Near Sawrey, the seat of Miss Potters country home, is abuzzMr. Wickstead has died under a tree limb. The villagers are certain that his death had to do with a treasure he dug up last spring. But why was he in the wood on a frigid night? And what of the claw marks on the limb? And what was that treasure? As per usual, the towns animals know more than the Big Folk. And only Pickles, Wicksteads fox terrier, knows exactly what happened.
Meanwhile, Miss Potter wonders: can she acknowledge her fondness for Mr. Heelis and remain loyal to the memory of her fiance? She has no time to muse, what with helping the denizens of Sawrey, human and animaland the little matter of murder.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
A fine, fun story based on a classic literary figure December 15, 2008
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Susan Whittig Albert's THE TALE OF BRIAR BANK: THE COTTAGE TALES OF BEATRIX POTTER tells of a country house retreat where Miss Beatrix Potter has retreated, and a death villagers are sure has to do with a treasure discovery. The town's animals know more than the Big Folk: only the loyal fox terrier knows for sure, but Bailey Badger and others - even the local dragon - also know parts. Miss Potter is also involved with romantic and parental troubles: can she add a murder investigation into the mix? A fine, fun story based on a classic literary figure, perfect for mystery collections seeking something different.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
So very satisfying! November 29, 2008
Catriona White
I absolutely loved this 4th book in the Beatrix Potter series! Although they are all superb, I think this and the first one have a slight edge as my favorites. The 3rd one was just a little less satisfying....somehow I couldn't get into the concept of a duck sitting on tortoise eggs. But this one is sheer delight from beginning to end. The talking animals, the charming badger sett, the very real humans, the evocation of the English village of the early 1900s--all perfectly on key. This series reminds me of the many wonderful British children's books I read back in the early 1960s. They have the same mix of gentle mystery and magic, beautiful countryside, and yet moral relevance to our time. (In this book, there's a problem for a veterinarian who extends too much credit to his customers!). And yet these books are written for adults, without having to have "adult" material. Wonderful--I can't say enough for these.
Charming story, and series October 15, 2008
PJ (North Carolina)
Enjoyable, entertaining, and light-hearted, the mysteries in this series are good clean fun. A great escape that comforts instead of shocks or terrifies.
Dragons Abound October 10, 2008
Story Circle Book Reviews (www.storycirclebookreviews.org)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A true storyteller puts your mind to work and pulls you into the story. Susan Wittig Albert is a master at this skill with her latest offering in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series. The Tale of Briar Bank is laced with local gossip and conversation. No person (or animal) is neglected; no voice is considered too small and insignificant. Each chapter draws the reader deeper into the story while we remain "safely hidden behind the penny postcard rack."
In early 1900's England, there be dragons! They are very tricky creatures and appear in varied guises. Beatrix Potter has made her escape, albeit temporary, from her dreary life in London with its resident dragon, only to find more dragons waiting in her pleasant heart-home of the Land between the Lakes. A record early snow storm grants her a brief reprieve from returning to the life her parents and society would choose for her, leaving Miss Potter in Near Sawrey with time to contemplate her heart's desires, catch up on local gossip, help out a few friends and maybe solve the mystery behind the strange rumors and unusual circumstances of the death of an antiquities collector.
A unique blend of history and mystery unfolds as the inhabitants of the small, old fashioned village go about their gossipy ways. Which eligible male was seen with one of the ladies? Is there romance in the air with more than one couple? Where is the treasure the antiquities collector was rumored to have found? Will the villagers be isolated because the ferry is broken and the roads impassable? If only the animals could talk...no,wait...they can! The Big Folk (humans) can't understand them, but the talking animals offer dimensions of the story that just aren't possible when the narrative is conveyed only through human characters. Join Beatrix Potter, the village residents and the animals of the Land Between the Lakes as they band together to solve the mystery of Briar Bank. And try to count how many dragons appear in this fun cozy that will entertain teens, adults and all Beatrix Potter fans.
by Rhonda Esakov
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
engaging whimsical historical mystery October 9, 2008
Harriet Klausner
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Her reception from her disapproving parents is so icy; Beatrix Potter decides to cut off her visit and leave London immediately. She returns to her home Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. Ironically she gets trapped in a blizzard that reminds her of the frozen welcome of her family.
Beatrix learns that neighbor Hugh Wickstead was killed in an accident when a tree limb fell on him. Some locals believe he died due to the curse of an ancient treasure trove he found. Beatrix knows humans are inane allowing their imagination to come up with ridiculous stories. She turns to the more honest animals to help her investigate how Hugh died.
The latest Potter Cottage Tale (see THE TALE OF CUCKOO BROW WOOD and THE TALE OF HAWTHORN HOUSE) is an engaging historical mystery that uses personification to combine fact and fantasy into a fine mystery. The fun in the TALE OF BRIAR BANK lies with that convergence as Beatrix talks to the late Hugh's fox terrier Pickles; co-star as a store owner in THE TALE OF GINGER AND PICKLES. This is a fun entry in a delightfully charming series.
Harriet Klausner
|
|
|
Can't find the right gift? Try a Gift Certificate
| |
