The Tale of Castle Cottage (The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter)

"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.

This review was originally written for the "Season for Romance" E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I have read all of the books in this series, as soon as they were published, and I just finished this one. It was as good as its predecessors. This is one of the most delightful series of books I have read! Wonderful historical research on Beatrix Potter, combined with bringing her to life in a most imaginative and delightful way. I think Beatrix would have heartily approved! Unlike another reviewer, I love the talking animals--indeed they should take an active role in any book about Beatrix Potter. But I am so sad that this seems to be the last book in the series! Could the author reconsider?? I shall miss Sawrey, and I want to know what happens next there.....

What a joy! What a true literary joy it is to return to the Land between the Lakes, to visit the Victorian-Age households owned by children's author Beatrix Potter, and to eavesdrop on the everyday conversations of the people and the animals of the area. The books in this Cottage Tales series always offer a welcome respite from the complex cares of 21st-century life.

This episode has multiple plotlines to follow. The year is 1913, and Miss Potter has arranged for some construction to be done on her second major property, the Castle Farm. The job seems to cost more and to take longer than she ever anticipated, however. She's got to look into that matter, and perhaps request the aid of her fiancé, Will Heelis, in remedying the situation. (Speaking of Will: will the couple EVER get married? Or will family disdain and interference get the better of both of them?) In the meantime, the community appears to be on the edge of a full-fledged invasion by some nasty rats. It may be up to the neighborhood animals to deal with these rodent-thieves, who are robbing the humans of both trinkets and edibles. Add to these problems the sudden death of a good man, and all of the inhabitants must stop to consider the reasons and the ramifications of the act. It is indeed a busy time in this otherwise bucolic English landscape.

This historical fiction/cozy mystery distinguishes itself by being based on the story of a real-life author, told in the style that she herself used while writing her own Peter Rabbit tales. The text is replete with marvelous humor and delightful turns of phrase. (Example from page 99: "[Dimity] had ended up in the arms of Christopher Kittredge -- well, one arm, since the fellow, a war hero, had left the other with the Boers.") Yes, there are talking animals (and if you can't handle those italicized asides, then you'd best not pick up any volume in this series). There's also a personal narrator, who at times feels free to politely intrude and to interrupt the action to approach the reader directly and to offer inside observations. You might have to "suspend your disbelief" a bit; but when you do, all of these elements add up to much merry reading.

This time the additional explanatory material supplied by the author at the book's conclusion very neatly ties every loose end and supplies a worthy wrap-up of Beatrix's biography. Can we handle the fact that this eighth installment is the LAST ONE in the run? Susan Wittig Albert's writing continues with several other mystery series, so she obviously has other non-Beatrix Potter tales to tell. I certainly wish her well in all of her endeavors. But I can't help feeling a small sense of loss that we'll have no more new adventures from Bea, Will, Rascal, Crumpet, Bosworth, Hyacinth, and all of the rest. And what, no more Badger Rules of Thumb?!? Bye-bye, Near and Far Sawrey. Our time together has indeed been both fun and educational.

Just finished "The Tale of Castle Cottage"; the 8th and final book in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series. Part historical biography and part historical fiction, this book also includes the whimsical world of the local animals - complete with their costumes, communications, habits, and organizational structure within the community. In my opinion, a fabulous story telling device in keeping with the themes Beatrix Potter herself put to such good use in her little books for children.

A series I've enjoyed immensely and am saddened to know is completed. Thanks to Susan Wittig Albert for sharing this delightful series with her readers!

At long last, Beatrix Potter has found love again and agreed to take a chance on happiness in marriage with Will Heelis, a highly respectable lawyer from her beloved Lake Country. But will her dreams come true? She's invested her money and time in Castle Cottage, the farm where she hopes to spend her remaining days with Will, but it seems as if the renovations will never be complete. In the midst of dealing with these construction worries (including the possibility of a dishonest contractor), Beatrix must also do continuous battle with her parents, who want her at their beck and call every day of her life and who refuse to give their consent to her marriage. It's no wonder that she falls ill and struggles to recover her strength in the peaceful village of Sawrey. Everything seems to be conspiring against her, though, for even the peaceful village is in turmoil, beset by thieves and shocked by the recent suicide of a local carpenter. Can Beatrix once again restore harmony to the village and find a way to happiness with Will? With the help of a few animals and her village friends, she just might!

This last book in the series was all that I expected it to be. It brings the stories of Beatrix Potter, Will Heelis and the fictional villagers to promising ends and closes the window on the serene village forever. I certainly enjoyed it and, though I'm sad that it's the last book, I think Ms. Wittig Albert did a splendid job finishing the series. Definitely a recommendation (but read the other books in the series first if you haven't enjoyed them!)

A delightful series end that I will reread many times. Just a keeper !

double ditto

Not as great as the rest in this series but still fun

Susan Wittig Albert wit and the characters of this series are just welcomed fun to read. The novels are chronological and develop nicely.

I have purchased and read the complete series. The author does a wonderful job of integrating facts from Beatrix Potter's life and the Lake District into a very enjoyable story. I enjoy the animals input to the storyline as the author has a knack of incorporating their voices in a very non-cartoonish way. I frequently go back and reread the stories. Makes me want to visit the area for myself and "tramp the fells".