Review

The Tale of Castle Cottage is a fictional story based on true events in the life of children’s author Beatrix Potter. Beatrix is in the process of renovating Castle Cottage where she and her fiancé Will Heelis will live after they are married, if Beatrix’s parents ever give the couple their blessing. Even if that occurs, they may not have a place to live since the renovations are taking an extraordinary amount of time, possibly due to thievery on the part of the contractor. Does the crooked contractor have anything to due with other thefts, ranging from a tin of tea to a rare book, that are going on in the village? As Beatrix decides to get to the bottom of the thefts and the construction delays, someone else undertakes a separate investigation into the thefts – Crumpet, a gray tabby cat.

The Tale of Castle Cottage is an unusual book. It is part historical fiction and part fictionalized biography. In addition, to tie into the real Beatrix Potter’s animal stories for children, the animals in the story talk to each other about all the events occurring in the village. While this is the first book I have read in this series, I’ve enjoyed several other books by this author. This book is written in Ms. Albert’s usual excellent style, and the portions covering the historical background of the author and the village are wonderful. I am okay with Beatrix’s pets occasionally commenting on the discussions going on between Beatrix and her friends to add a bit of charm to the book. However, later when entire chapters are devoted to the lives of the animals and parties they are planning, I began to lose interest. I am an animal lover and am able to suspend belief when reading a fictional story; I have enjoyed several cozies featuring crime-solving and magical cats and dogs. However, it is distracting for me to be immersed in life in a 1913 English village, and then switch to animals discussing their picnic plans or concerns about a gang of criminal rats.

While there are many imaginative scenes with the animals, the author’s descriptions of the current state of Beatrix’s homes Hill Top Farm and Castle Cottage remind the reader that Beatrix and Will are real people and that many of the places in the book are also real. These excellent scenes make you want to hop on a plane and visit the quaint village of Sawrey. I love the author’s historical notes at the end of the story, which give context to the book and help clarify which parts of the story are fictional and which really happened. The recipes for some of the dishes mentioned in the story that were popular during the era in which the book is set are another nice touch.

Susan Wittig Albert is a wonderful author, and I appreciate the research she has done to make the historical details of the book so accurate. Much of the book is entertaining, but while it is a cute mystery and romantic love story of Beatrix Potter and Will Heelis, the whimsy of the talking animals is too fanciful for me. However, if you don’t mind a bit of Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown mixed in with your historical fiction, then you may find this book to your liking. It just isn’t my cup of tea.

Reviewed by Christine K.