Customer Reviews

The Tale of Briar Bank (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix P)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Avid fans are now familiar with Miss Potter's retreats to her properties in the Land Between the Lakes ... and with her propensity for unraveling some of the mysteries that occur there. Here, it's December 1909, and Beatrix arrives just in time for a substantial snowfall that effectively maroons the Sawrey residents. She welcomes the fact that she's cut off from London. But a double tragedy has already taken place: Hugh Wickstead is dead, and Lady Longford's hay barn has burned down. Were both incidents accidents? Where is the Viking treasure that Wickstead supposedly found? Was he as cursed as the village gossips say he was? What is Mr. Heelis' relationship with Sarah Barwick? (Or with Miss Potter, for that matter?) And in a subplot twist that could easily be contemporary: the bank is about to foreclose on Courier Cottage, the home of the Suttons and their eight children. Can their hired girl Deidre find a way to get the veterinarian's customers to finally pay their bills?

As usual, the tale is told in omniscient style by a chatty off-screen narrator, mimicking the style found in Miss Potter's very own children's books. And again, as usual, the animals of the region take center stage. In the coziness of the underground Brockery, Bosworth Badger and his guests discuss the recent events over dinner and even make new, unexpected friends. What a pity that the humans do not follow the Badger Rules of Thumb! And what a pity that the humans never listen to what the animals have to say. We, as the ultimate eavesdroppers, have the benefit of hearing both sides.

Susan Wittig Albert continues to weave interesting storylines while maintaining the basics of historical integrity. To those who enjoy quirky mysteries that include "talking" animals: Here be good reading.

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

How this author can transform herself into this bewitching tale and also be successful in her thoroughly modern China Bayles mysteries - is a bewilderment to me. She is successful at both. If you are an admirer (and purchaser) of all the "Tales" you don't have to be told to suspend your belief system and enter with joy. If you are incapable of shedding your frown - don't read this series. It is a charming story of human and animal involvement in a small village and in the life of the very real Beatrix Potter. I relish my time with these little books - they transport me into such a winsome world that I am distressed in completing the book. Purchase the entire set and read from the beginning. You will not be sorry. They will improve your worldly outlook.

Susan Wittig Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter is a delightful series and "The Tale of Briar Bank" is, in my opinion, the best of the series. The story has dragons, talking animals, Beatrix Potter and friends, fairies and a good plot. Ms. Albert has diligently researched Beatrix Potter's life and times and catches the "flavor" of the times and village life as well as Miss Potter herself. Ms. Albert's other series, China Bayle and as Robin Paige, are at the top of my favorite books list too. To paraphrase Marion Zimmer Bradley's comment in one of her anthologies, I insist on a beginning, middle and end, a good plot and use of language in order to enjoy and appreciate a story. I also appreciate a bit of a giggle in there somewhere as well. This story is as soothing as a nice cup of tea, crustless sandwiches, scones and petit fours. I hope Ms. Albert will write more Cottage Tales please.

I ordered this book through Amazon's "used" books sellers list and it was received in good condition as advertised, well packaged and on time.

I read the first and second book to the series, then started "The Tale of Briar Bank" not realizing it was the fifth in the series. I loved the first two books but I have to say I really hated the author's new-found pennant for breaking the fourth wall. I feel that Mrs. Albert's new habit of "talking" directly to the reader is distracting and really pulls you out of the story. I'll be happily immersed in her wonderful, whimsical, world only to be yanked back to reality when she makes a comment such as the one she made in reference to Lydia Dowling's shop.
"And I daresay that you and I would feel exactly the same way, if Miss Potter had chosen your shop or mine to picture in her book."
It's jarring to be spoken to in a book like that. It's like encountering a hidden pot hole on an otherwise smooth road. It keeps bumping me right out of the flow of the story. I still like her books. They're creative, playful, and an easy and engaging read. I like the talking animals, the poetic descriptions, and I love the idea of Beatrix Potter as an amateur sleuth. I'm will probably continue with this otherwise wonderful series but I just wish the writer would stop doing that. It's so agitating!

I was not familiar with these stories until I bought one in a used book store and fell in love. Susan Wittig Albert was a previous favorite due to her China Bayles stories and the mysteries she writes with her husband, but I think I love these stories more...Beatrix Potter was an amazing woman and her animals are amazing as well. Ms Albert writes the animals with understanding of their 'humanity' that is pleasant to see. I will be buying the rest of these books as soon as I can. The mysteries in the books are thought provoking and well written.

These little books based on the Beatrix Potter stories are some of my all-time favorites. Kudos to author Susan Wittig Albert for doing a charming series. The writing is impeccable, and they are a delight to read. The shipper was excellent. The book was quickly shipped and in excellent condition.

I absolutely loved the first four in this series, and I feel like a real crank for saying this, but I believe Albert has lost her way in the woods of terminal cuteness. It's the dragon. I have nothing against dragons in the appropriate contexts, and I have no problem with the other talking animals in this series, but in this case dragons are just too much. She's overdone it and sacrificed the delicate balance of cozy fantasy she so successfully established in the preceding books. I introduced two of my colleagues to the series and we were all so enchanted that one of them bought this book in hardcover as soon as it came out, because she just couldn't wait for the paperback - we were all seriously disappointed and none of us has felt like reading any of the subsequent Cottage Tales.

THE TALE OF BRIAR BANK by Susan W. Albert is one of those rare jewels I recently discovered in my favorite antique & collectible bookshop. This is my first in Ms. Albert's series, but it will not be my last.
A perfect way to spend a summer afternoon in the swing on the porch immersed in the world of Beatrix Potter at Hill Top Farm and the stories of the animals who inhabit the country side.
How did an honest man die and who benefits from his death, has everyone in the village believing he was struck down by an ancient curse because he discovered a horde of Viking gold.
This is a fun, fun read for all ages.
Nash Black, author of SINS OF THE FATHERS.

How delicious! Miss Beatrix Potter escapes from her stultifying life with her parents at Bolton Gardens for a few days at her farmhouse in the Lake District and is promptly snowed in, which means she can enjoy additional days at her beloved Hill Top Farm with her Sawrey neighbors. In the meantime, a tree has fallen on Hugh Wickstead, a local farmer, killing him, and Lady Longford's barn has burnt down, from what looked like lightning. But the animals of Sawrey know better, for Wickstead's terrier Pickles saw the miscreant...a dragon was the culprit, a dragon guarding the treasure Mr. Wickstead has found!

There is a mystery involved in these pages, but the narrative contains more than usual of the whimsical animal interactions that are the special mark of Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. The Wind in the Willows-type relationships between the animals are cute, but I could have hoped for a little more of the real-life mystery and encounters between the people, especially as the romance between Beatrix and lawyer William Heelis is beginning to grow. Still, Albert writes in such a lovely approximation of Potter's own style, and describes the little animal nooks with such loving detail that it's hard not to want to visit these little cozy places yourself. But, warning...for cozy fans only!