Hazel Prior

A rich, heartwarming and completely charming debut that reminds us that sometimes, you don't find love--love finds you. Dan Hollis lives a happy, solitary life carving exquisite Celtic harps in his barn in the countryside of the English moors. Here, he can be himself, away from social situations that he doesn't always get right or completely understand. Ellie Jacobs is a lonely housewife, her days filled with walks and poetry she writes in secret. One day, she comes across Dan's barn and is enchanted by his collection. Dan gives her a harp made of cherry wood to match her cherry socks. He stores it for her, ready for whenever she’d like to take lessons. Ellie begins visiting Dan almost daily, drifting deeper into his world. But when she accidentally discovers a secret, she must make a choice: keep it from him and risk their friendship, or change the course of their lives forever?

Veronica McCreedy can't resist the promise of adventure . . . Nine-year-old Daisy and nearly ninety-year-old Veronica make an unlikely pair of friends. Fiercely independent and impeccably dressed, Veronica has lived an incredible 87 years. Most of them alone, in her huge house by the sea. But with the arrival of brave and resilient Daisy into her life, Veronica finds she has a renewed thirst for adventure - and that they both share a passion for penguins! So when Veronica and Daisy are invited to travel to the other side of the world together and visit the penguins of the southern hemisphere, they both jump at the chance. Veronica had thought her days of new friendships, family and love were over, but perhaps it's never too late for one more adventure?

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.’

Verônica McCreedy leva uma vida solitária. Aos 85 anos, ela começa a se perguntar para quem deixará sua enorme fortuna. Até que, após ver um documentário sobre um centro de estudos de pinguins na Antártica, resolve passar uma temporada do outro lado do mundo - um local congelante e isolado, que muitos consideram inóspito. Diante da descoberta de um parente vivo, das novas amizades feitas, do desenterro de traumas passados e dos pinguins que precisam de ajuda, Verônica terá que decidir-se se ainda há tempo para abrir seu coração e criar laços antes que seja tarde demais.

A curmudgeonly but charming old woman, her estranged grandson, and a colony of penguins proves it's never too late to be the person you want to be in this rich, heartwarming story from the acclaimed author of Ellie and the Harpmaker. Eighty-five-year-old Veronica McCreedy is estranged from her family and wants to find a worthwhile cause to leave her fortune to. When she sees a documentary about penguins being studied in Antarctica, she tells the scientists she’s coming to visit—and won’t take no for an answer. Shortly after arriving, she convinces the reluctant team to rescue an orphaned baby penguin. He becomes part of life at the base, and Veronica's closed heart starts to open. Her grandson, Patrick, comes to Antarctica to make one last attempt to get to know his grandmother. Together, Veronica, Patrick, and even the scientists learn what family, love, and connection are all about.

Nineteen-year-old Phoebe and her widower father Al have recently moved to Devon, to a small cottage with a river at the end of the garden. Struggling with her own closely guarded issues, Phoebe doesn't go out much. Instead, she spends her time at home, watching detective dramas and playing detective herself - trying to deduce from Al's deliveries as a courier what kind of lives her neighbours lead. But when they find an abandoned baby otter on the riverbank, it's just the push Phoebe needs to finally step into her new community. Taking the little one to the local otter sanctuary and witnessing the uncomplicated joy of its fellow creatures, she feels a burgeoning sense of happiness that she has not experienced in a very long time. However, Phoebe soon starts to suspect that something is amiss at the sanctuary - and she will need to put all her sleuthing skills to good use if she wants to save the otters . . . From the Number One bestselling author of Away with the Penguins comes this 'otterly' delightful, warm-hearted and uplifting story about the healing power of nature.