Fishy, Said the Admiral
By: Elizabeth Cadell
Rating: 5 of 5
I discovered Elizabeth Cadell’s books as a teenager years ago. I loved her gentle slice of life stories and quickly read every book our small library had in stock.
As an adult, I found that Ms. Cadell’s books were out-of-print and very difficult to find. I obtained the ones that I could but others, such as this book, remained too far out of reach for me to buy.
I was thrilled to find this title available on Kindle and purchased it and waited for the right time to read it (when I could enjoy the author’s delicate humor.) The story is right in line with the rest of her books. A lovely slice of life of a family and events that one is allowed to peek into.
Harriet is the mother and her kids (except for one daughter who is busy with her own children) are coming home. She wants to spend the time with them as it may be the last time they get together for quite a long time. Unfortunately, beginning with Harriet’s brother, the Admiral, a whole cast of characters begin to drop in on her time.
The family get on as most do – with lots of back and forth and miscommunication. How this all plays out is the fun of this story. The younger children, Henry and Sue, are the characters who push the action of the story. Henry, especially, is the cause of a lot of misinterpretation and consternation. His behavior (especially with the telephone) set up a series of events that end up almost in catastrophe.
As always, Ms. Cadell’s story are told with deft touch. She gets her points across with a light and funny voice and before you know it, the book is at its end.
I will certainly be back to pick up not only the books that I have not read by Ms. Cadell but also to find the books that I have read over the years and which I consider to be old friends.
I discovered Elizabeth Cadell’s books as a teenager years ago. I loved her gentle slice of life stories and quickly read every book our small library had in stock.