This charming story, in fact it’s a hidden delight as this book has just been recently discovered after 50 years of neglect in a drawer. The story is told by Nicholas the cat, as he chronicles a year in the life of a family on Mull in the 1950s. He observes the comings and goings of three generations of his family and their animals in what is now a bygone age. Animals lovers will devour it as will those who love the country and the big open space of island or country living.
Being well camouflaged and unobtrusive, Nicholas keenly observed the comings and goings of three generations of his family and their animals in a remote area of the Isle of Mull. In the early 1950s life was basic, without mains water or electricity, as each day followed the next. But sometimes the routine was disrupted. Despite its isolation, the island was affected by Foot and Mouth disease while conflict raging in a foreign land caused separation in the family. Nothing escaped Nicholas' attention. As the family cat, his contact with humans and animals alike gave him a unique opportunity to record the events that concerned them all. This delightful account, written during a year in the life of the family, came to light after more than fifty years of neglect in a drawer. It will appeal to all ages, and to lovers of the simple life, of big open spaces, of country living, of farm animals - and of cats in particular.
In 1951, Annabel Carothers sold her family house in London and joined her parents in Mull, setting up a smallholding with Carla, a spaniel, and Nicholas, a cat. During this period she wrote the novels It Happened to Rain, A Breeze in the Barley and Four Ducks on a Pond. Her first novel, A Breeze in the Barley was published by William Heinemann along with its sequel, The Silver Link. The trilogy was completed with Kilcaraig, which was published on 26 April 1982 – the day, tragically, she died. In 2008, her daughter, Fionna Eden-Bushell, discovered the manuscript of Four Ducks on a Pond in a desk drawer and submitted it for publication, finally and fittingly completing her mother’s publishing oeuvre.
