The Corner Shop

By: Elizabeth Cadell / Narrated By: Helen Taylor

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Awwww, just a sweet all-around Listen. Curl up in your favorite chair, flop on your bed, whatever—just do give it a try!

Lucille Abbey, call her Mrs. Abbey, is on her way to find out why three of the best secretaries in her agency have strode out into the country to work for The Professor, and have all run back, inDIGnant, inCENsed, and ADAmant that he is IMPOSSIBLE! She’ll see for herself just what’s going on, thank you very much.

Because if nothing else, Lucille dots all her i’s, crosses all her t’s, is staid, predictable, and can stand on her own two feet, even if she IS mulling over an imminent proposal from her (Also) staid, predictable kinda sorta fiancé. This jaunt into the countryside will put off that proposal, will put off going to work for her disagreeable aunt, a trip to Paris that she is not really looking forward to.

After tottering up an amazingly steep hill, after breaking off the heels of both her shoes, after seeing the “cottage” the secretaries were s’posed to be staying in? And after meeeeeeting The Professor? Oh my good golly gosh! She’s inDIGnant, inCENsed, and ADAmant and WILL teach him to say Please, and Thank You, and to be a decent gentleman. She ain’t heading off to Paris any time soon!

Soon the two start to relax into a rather odd little relationship, and as soon it’s almost time for her to go. But not before a mystery presents itself: Paintings The Professor’s mum did (Horrid by his accounts) are DESperately desired by a French art expert, but when a room they’ve been kept locked up in is opened, it’s discovered that all have disappeared. Odd, odd, odd.

Lucille shrugs it off and is off to Paris. There, the case is brought up again when a (Odd and) hysterical young woman shows up, shrieking at Lucille’s boyfriend. Considering this weeping wretch accosted The Professor in the country? Things are looking even odder. Intriguing.

But oh well. And then Lucille’s aunt’s solicitor shows up, and soon Lucille meets Diana the solicitor’s fiancée, and soon a brooch that was stolen from Diana turns up, and even ODDER things keeeep happening. Lucille can’t help it, it’s just too much, and she does all in her power to start working things out. Surrounded by weeping young women, or boisterous young women egging her on, surrounded by all persons, places, things French, Lucille is EVER pushing off that ever-present threat of a proposal because that staid and predictable boyfriend of hers HATES all of this. EsPECially when Lucille summons The Professor, and we know what HE’S like.

Don’t look for anything but delight from this little charmer of a story. Even the whodunnit is kinda sorta a given except for the very last twist which I wasn’t expecting. I thought the narration flowed smoothly and was soothing on the old ears, especially considering sooo many of the accents were French. The surprise was how very unique each French individual sounded, whether it was a frantic art expert or an urbane solicitor. Helen Taylor particularly loved doing Diana, called her “jolly hockey sticks” in our Zoom conversation (Which I had to look up in the Cambridge English Dictionary), just an enthusiastic girl who can grate on the nerves but who means well nevertheless. Indeed, it’s through Diana that Lucille finds her staunchest ally, oh, and the girl who weeps nonstop is kinda in her corner as well. And while I liked Lucille’s voice, I DEFinitely loved The (Feisty) Professor as he grilled Lucille: Eh, I’ll bet you’d hinder a professor devoting his life to research, eh?!

But the real enchantment comes with the slow budding of a sweet relationship, two characters who slowly change into just what a person should be. LOVED The Professor, and loved his muddled, befuddled, ways. Loved that he was a curmudgeon and all frustrated at the end. Loved that Lucille seemed so much happier.

Yup, kinda dated in its own way is The Corner Shop, but it was my favorite E. Cadell for this week.

I just canNOT say No to a little romance that brought such delicious satisfaction.

HUZZAH!!!