Mr Allbones' Ferrets
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
An historical, pastoral, satirical, scientifical romance, with mustelids!
A young man out poaching. A beautiful maiden in a mysterious house. A perilous voyage to distant islands. All the ingredients of a highly coloured Victorian romance are played out in the context of the great colonial experiment. Exotic species travelled back to stock the collections of Europe while useful species were dispatched to found new colonies in the antipodes. Walter Allbones really existed. So did his ferrets. From these facts, Fiona Farrell has spun a delicate, satirical fantasy about human folly and the perils attendant on disturbing the subtle balance of nature.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Walter Allbones, a breeder of ferrets, has his life changed forever by a late night encounter with two eccentrics in Farrell's charming debut. Allbones uses his ferrets to poach rabbits on the grounds of a nearby manor owned by Mr. Pitford, a scientist. Almost caught in his crime one evening, Allbones agrees to supply Pitford with ferrets to be relocated to New Zealand to combat a rabbit infestation. Allbones, drawn in by the promise of money and his infatuation with Eugenia, Pitford's granddaughter, soon embarks on a journey across the world with his ferrets in tow and a budding relationship with Eugenia. The narrative lavishes much care on the ferrets, and the lovely and trivia-packed descriptions enliven the dreary English countryside. The love story, interestingly, touches on Darwin and takes into account the stench of ferret musk on romantic encounters, providing heft to a deceptively simple tale. Though the ending twist involving a paternal surprise feels out of place, this is, overall, a fun and lighthearted romance with lots of ferrets.
