Really fun book about 80 something Veronica McReedy learns about penguins on TV and decides to travel to to Antarctica to see the penguins. Family drama, recollections of the war and more. ARC from NetGalley.

I thought this was a cute book. I enjoyed reading about Veronica story. I would give this book 4 stars.

I did not finish this. I tried reading it and wasn’t crazy about it. I also tried the audiobook version. I got 50% in and gave up. I kept thinking I’d go back to it, and I just can’t make myself.

*Thanks so much to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

This story was absolutely adorable, I honestly expected that but not to this extent. It was heartwarming, joyous, and inspirational. If you're looking for one of the best feel-good books ever, definitely pick this up. The writing style kept me sucked in the entire time and I loved Veronica's character, I kept wanting to reach into the book and just squeeze her. Even though she comes across as a sullen, feisty woman, she pulls so much affection for the reader, you can't help but love her.

This book is a wonderful and good read-alike to A Man Called Ove. Western society and culture rarely center older individuals in stories and it's refreshing to read a redeeming book about an older woman who has gotten a bit stuck and bogged down from life. Veronica nonetheless made some choices that led her to a place she wasn't expecting. This story gets you thinking about what life is really all about and what it takes to include others.
I absolutely love penguins and my name is Veronica, so I had no choice but to read this one and I do not regret it one bit. You won't either.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

A quirky adventure following an unusual heroine, “How the Penguins Saved Veronica” tells the story of wealthy 85-year-old Veronica McCreedy, who lives alone in a Scottish mansion. Feisty, stubborn and at times whimsical, McCreedy decided to use her large inheritance in funding a group of scientists who study penguins in Antarctica.

But all that money comes with one condition — she wants to meet the penguins.

“The main inspiration of my book was a friend of mine who’s obsessed with penguins,” author Hazel Prior said. “When her husband died, she found an extraordinary strategy of coping with her grief: she decided to travel round the world visiting penguins, her aim to get photos of every penguin species in its native habitat. She’s had such fun with her mission. I’ve always felt that the natural world can bring us healing in many ways, but I decided a story about healing through penguins would be extra-special.”

Prior said she decided to make Veronica older because she’s been incredibly inspired by people she knows who have started learning new things, from harp-playing to sky-diving, in their 80s and 90s.

“I love their 'it’s-never-too-late' attitude,” she said. “And they have experienced so many changes in their lives. Having an octogenarian as my main character gave me the chance to delve back into wartime history, which is another interest of mine.”

It’s also important for other reasons.

“Our society leads us to believe that it’s better in every way to be young,” Prior said. “It would have us think that at 30 the best part of your life is over, at 40 nobody notices you anymore and from 50 onwards you may as well not exist — particularly if you’re a woman. This is so wrong. I admire people who are hungry for life, who go out and seek new experiences regardless of their age. For example, a friend of mine started learning the harp at the age of 90. And my neighbor’s father took up skydiving in his 80s. These are extreme examples, but we never stop dreaming, learning or having new adventures. Every year that passes adds to our rich bank of experiences. The logical conclusion is that the older you are, the more interesting you are — so wouldn’t an octogenarian be the perfect heroine?”

Speaking of harps, when Prior was a student in Scotland, she found an old broken Celtic harp in a cupboard and decided to learn how to play it, which wasn’t quite as easy as it sounded.
“But the harp has always been a source of magic and wonder for me,” she says. “It’s an instrument with a sound that’s just so evocative and moving. The Celtic harp was the inspiration for my debut novel, 'Ellie And the Harp Maker.'”

Asked if she has any special take-aways for readers, Prior answered that she would like to highlight the importance of caring for this planet that we share with so much amazing wildlife. Adélie penguins are just one of the many species threatened by climate change.

“But overall, 'How the Penguins Saved Veronica' is a fun book,” she said. “Penguins are not only sweet and charming; they also set us a wonderful example of determination, gusto and cheerfulness in the face of hard conditions — a lesson that’s very relevant in our current times. If I could sum up the message of the book in one word, that word would be 'hope.'”

This is a charming story. I love the depth of the characters and the way the story is told from multiple viewpoints and formats -- including a blog and a diary in addition to traditional first person narration. And penguins are adorable, so reading about them way enjoyable!

How the Penguins Saved Veronica was one of my favorite quarantine spring reads. It was quirky and witty and everything I needed when the world felt like it had turned upside down. I loved the themes of accepting the past while making the necessary changes to move forward.

The characters are unforgettable and how can you not love a book that has penguins?! While this is a heartwarming story, it doesn't shy away from the complexities of life, and that balance is what made this one a win for me.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy. As always, all opinions are my own.

While reading this book, I felt like it was the perfect mashup of three books I loved, A MAN CALLED OVE, ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE, and WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE. If you liked any or all of those books, then I highly recommend this book. It’s witty, smart, funny, heartwarming, and it has penguins which makes it a winner in my book. I mean, who doesn’t like penguins?

Octogenarian Veronica has accumulated quite a fortune over the years, but not too many friends. She has no one in her life to leave her fortune to except her housekeeper, Eileen, and she doesn’t even like her very much. Veronica doesn’t wallow much in her past but instead keeps her secrets close, literally and figuratively. She wears a locket that holds her past to her heart and she is hesitant to let anyone know about it. Until, one day, she has her housekeeper do some internet digging and Veronica learns she has a grandson, living not too far away. With dreams of reuniting and finding someone to leave her fortune, she sets off to meet him, unfortunately with unfavorable results.

Instead, she shifts her focus to documentaries on the Adelie penguins in Antarctica. She becomes immersed in their lives and realizes she may be just the person to save them from extinction. So, what does a wealthy 86-year-old woman do? Travels to Antarctica to save the penguins even though the scientists there have told her in no way, shape, or form should she come. But, no one has really ever denied Veronica what she wants….at least not since that day from her past.

When Veronica’s story unfolds, everything will make sense and you will want to hold her hand and help her dreams come true. Her story takes a while to unfurl, as well as the story of her grandson, Patrick. But, as their stories come together, you may just need to have a tissue close by.


"Sometimes memories gather dust in the back crevices of your mind. Sometimes they hover over you like shadows. Sometimes they come after you with a club."


I appreciated the details of living in Antarctica and learning about the Adelie penguins. I have no doubt the extensive research Prior did to make sure all the information was accurate. But, she doesn’t bog down the story with scientific details, instead works them into her story through blog posts and Veronica’s experiences living with the scientists in Antarctica.

There is a lot of sadness in this novel, both past and present, for nearly every character in the novel. Each of them is dealing with a disappointment, a trauma, or a broken heart, yet they overcome and find a way to have joy. There is a hopeful tone to this story and it left me feeling happy and like I had just been hugged by my favorite person.


"Tears come when you’ve been too strong for much too long."

Anyone looking for a curmudgeonly old woman to win you over plus penguins? This book will win you over and keep you smiling with its wonderful setting and beautiful characterization.

When I heard that Hazel Prior had another book coming out, I just knew I had to read it. Veronica is an 85 year old woman who is reconnected with her estranged grandson. She wants to find a worthy cause to leave her fortune to, and she decides to visit the endangered penguins in Antarctica much to the displeasure of the scientists working there. I love how Hazel Prior creates characters that are flawed but so lovable. The premise of this story reminded me of one of my school counselors from growing up. She is about the same age as Veronica and has a real love for penguins and has seen them in all of their natural habitats. The story alternates between Veronica's perspective and her grandson who is trying to get to know his grandma in whatever time they have left together. Overall, this story was charming and heartwarming, and I'm glad that I read it. It is a character-driven story, and I liked getting to see how they changed over time.

I enjoyed this book and zipped right through it. It is funny and sad. Set in the past and the present. You don't really like Veronica much at first, but it gets better. A clever book. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Veronica McCreedy is in her mid-eighties and lives alone in Scotland. She has been divorced for many years and has not maintained any ties to her family. Her days are spent conversing with her small staff who tend to her personal needs while tending her home. She is lonely and isolated and often unpleasant. Recently, she decided that it’s time to select a beneficiary for her sizable fortune.

Veronica has been spending her evenings watching a television series about penguins in Antarctica. She decides that this might be a worthy cause and has her staff contact the research facility. A big sticking point is that she must visit the facilities prior to any donation. Veronica also discovers that she has a grandson named Patrick. She is disappointed when they meet because he lacks direction and uses recreational drugs. Patrick is equally unimpressed with his authoritarian grandmother. While Veronica is in Antarctica, Patrick gets access to her personal journals and begins to unwind the mysteries of his roots.

How The Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior is about accepting the past and finding the resolve to move forward. People often get stuck and lonely and are in need of a catalyst to make the necessary changes in their lives.

Thank you Berkley Publishing {partner} for my gifted copy of How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior. Publication date 6/16/20. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When you get to what you know is the end of your life, you begin to look back and reflect in a way you can’t possibly do at any other time. Things you have pushed out of your mind tend to creep back unexpectedly, in ways you never dreamed. Learning I have a grandson, after all these years, has stirred a part of me I thought dead and forgotten. I think it’s time for one more adventure, a last calling if you will. The penguins fascinate me. They speak to a part of me I did not know was there. Plus, I have to leave my millions to someone, why not the penguins?

After a part of her past she thought buried and gone comes rushing back in the form of a dusty old box found in a storage room, Veronica is awakened to the idea that she has a few unanswered questions she needs resolved. She searches out her only living relative, a grandson she only recently knew she had, to see if there is a possibility for connection - someone she can share her last remaining years with, and someone she can leave her fortune to.

When the visit with her grandson falls incredibly short of all expectations, Veronica becomes enthralled with a documentary focused on the Adelie penguins of the Antarctic. She ultimately decides to visit the research center to familiarize herself with the penguins, the research being done, and the people behind the scenes.

Upon hearing of her undeterred wishes to come to the facility, the researchers are left with no choice but to host Veronica in their far-away frozen world. They are less than excited to have an eighty-five-year-old woman under their feet while they attempt to carry on with their research, but upon arriving, she slowly begins to thaw their hearts. With thoughts of her millions and how much the money could help their plight, Veronica and the researchers settle into life for the three week stay.

What Veronica didn’t expect while on her journey was how connected she would feel to the penguins, how she would begin to see them as living creatures with human-like characteristics, and that they would whittle their way into her heart of stone. When she discovers an orphaned penguin, she insists on saving it from impending death and taking it back to the research lab to save. So begins a journey of reflection, selfless sacrifice, friendship, and self-discovery. What started out as Veronica trying to save the penguins, very well may turn into the penguins saving Veronica.

You all!! I can hardly put into words the depth of emotion I felt reading this book. It was so multi-faceted, so mesmerizing, and so deeply moving that when I finished, I sat there smiling while tears streamed down my face. I became so deeply connected to Veronica it was hard for me to breathe at times as her story unfolded in front of me.

I loved the complexity of Veronica. Her cold austerity and seemingly lack of emotional depth has you wondering, from the very beginning, what happened to this poor woman to cause her to push all manner of kindness away with such force. You almost come to dislike her, and right about the time you are sure she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, you discover the exact reason she is the way she is. Her history is peeled away one layer at a time, revealing a person ravaged by her life, consumed with pain beyond belief, and haunted by the what-ifs she knows she can never undo.

The pain and suffering that is exposed, that has literally been stuffed deep down in her soul for decade upon decade, comes exploding out of her with such force it literally almost kills her. Imagine carrying that kind of emotion, bottled-up inside of you, without ever allowing yourself to release even the slightest bit of it.

The story is told from dual points of view. We get a glimpse into Veronica’s current thoughts and feelings, as well as those of her long lost grandson, Patrick. While we get to know Patrick, we also get to know Veronica’s history, as Patrick reads her adolescent journals she gifted him after she left to go to Antarctica. I loved the way Prior used the journals to show the reader the Veronica of before - the naive young girl who lost everything that mattered to her, and who was left to fend for herself in a cruel and unforgiving world.

Then there are the penguins. Oh, my heart!! What a perfect element to add to deepen the reader’s investment in the story and enrich the overall experience. Through the penguins we get to see Veronica, and eventually Patrick, change and grow, and witness the power of healing that can begin to happen when we allow ourselves to feel and process emotions from our past.

This book is the whole package!! It is beautifully written, with irresistible characters, and a plot that leaves you comforted in the fact we can leave the doors of our hearts wide open. We must allow our pain to wash over us, rather than close ourselves off from it, or we lose the opportunities that life has left to give.

To quote Veronica, “Yes, life brings pain and problems in droves, but also, sometimes when you are on the very point of giving up, it delivers absolute delight.”

While this story has a few darker plot points, overall it was a delight. Not only are penguins my favorite animal, but I am also a sucker for eccentric and/or socially misunderstood characters. The combo of both things made for a humorous and heartwarming read.

I want a baby penguin. But I imagine I’ll have to settle for Patrick/Pip in this fun story about a crotchety 85-year old English lady who discovers she has a grandson she doesn’t know about. When she decides to visit an Adele penguin research station in the Antarctic, she refuses the researcher’s distress at having her come. She comes, and what a story it is. When she falls ill, her grandson who has met her only once, is forced to come to Antarctica to get her. The story is lovely and the ending is endearing, a perfect book to read when stuck at home. I really, really want a baby penguin and it’s all the book’s fault.

A sweet, lovely, uplifting book about family, friends, and penguins! What happens when a lonely, crusty 85-year-old woman falls in love with an Antarctic island full of penguins? Read How the Penguins Saved Veronica and find out!

86 year old Veronica is a cantankerous, independent woman used to getting her own way. She has little use for people, including her newly discovered grandson Patrick. After watching a documentary she pushes her way into the scientific station studying penguins in Antarctica regardless of the scientists opinions. As she spends time with the penguins and people she discovers that there is maybe more to life, even at 86. A very enjoyable read perfect for fans of "Eleanor Olyphant". #Indigoemployee

How the Penguins Saved Veronica is a lovely story about Veronica McCreedy. She’s on a mission to see penguins up close after watching a television documentary. No one can tell the octogenarian no because once she’s made up her mind there will be no argument. Veronica also wants to meet and get to know her grandson – someone she’s only recently discovered. The two will learn about each other’s past and could possibly grow to be close. This is a delightfully quirky story that had me laughing much of the time. There are also some deeply emotional scenes that gave depth to Veronica and Patrick. I enjoyed it all and loved the message spoken to Veronica by her father when she was a young girl: “There are three types of people in this world, Very. There are those who make the world worse, those who make no difference and those who make the world better. Be one who makes the world better, Very, if you can.”