I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
A young girl known for causing havoc and looking at life with wonder in her small town takes readers on a journey of self-discovery in author C.P. Hoff’s “Canterberry Tales”, the first in the Happy Valley Chronicles series.
The Synopsis
Pull up your knee socks and buckle your pinchy shoes, your childhood is calling. Celia Canterberry, a precocious seven-year-old, hell bent on saving earthworms, is about to drag you down memory lane and remind you what it was like to look at a careworn world with wide-eyed bemusement. Now take a deep breath. Smell that? Nostalgia.
Celia flits through the streets of Happy Valley to her Nan’s chagrin, causing havoc wherever she goes. She’s so infamous, she’s got her own comic strip in the local paper, and Old Lady Griggs, her babysitter, is only too happy to read it with her. But what Celia secretly wants to know is where she came from. You see, Celia was abandoned at the hospital by her should-have-been parents, and her Nan won’t explain how or why…
The Review
A truly well-written and engaging story, the author draws the reader in with colorful characters and brilliantly dry humor that immediately sets the tone for the story. The characters are vibrant and really stand out, balanced between the young protagonist Celia’s perspective and the sometimes harsh yet often true reality.
What really stands out in this narrative is the balance between character growth and story. Often times one aspect of a novel like this will overtake the other, but the author has found the perfect amount of character development to help elevate the overall story and theme of this novel. The humor does a great job of highlighting the lengths those in Celia’s life have gone to in order to both protect her from the truth of her origins and then to finally reveal them to her and her inquisitive mind.
The Verdict
A well-balanced, engaging, and driven narrative, author C.P. Hoff’s “Canterberry Tales” is a must-read novel. The inclusion of story elements like Celia’s local comic strip brought to mind visions of a little Dennis the Menace style story, while the balance of humor and emotional storytelling really brought the reader into the narrative, identifying and even becoming emotionally invested in Celia’s story as time went on. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
C.P. Hoff lives in southern Alberta with her husband, and the child who has yet to fly the coop. She has written for the local paper, which might be impressive if she lived in New York, and if anyone read the local paper. Hoff is presently writing two series. Her novel, A Town Called Forget, was longlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. More information can be found about C.P. Hoff at: C. P. Hoff – C. P. Hoff: Author of the Picaresque Chronicles.
https://www.bookbub.com/books/canterberry-tales-the-happy-valley-chronicals-by-c-p-hoff
