This is the wholly delightful story of a prosaic shoe manufacturer from Boston who goes fishing off a West Indian island and catches himself a mermaid. How does his wife take it? What do the newspapers say? How does a captive mermaid behave?
Peabody’s Mermaid is a charming read. The Jones’s manage successfully to provide character, beautiful description, a sense of mood and place all while maintaining a very good pace. Min, the mermaid, may have no lines of dialogue but certainly holds her own against a cast of human characters. Peabody’s emotional journey feels relatable and is truly what drives the plot. There are few plot conveniences and racial references that felt unnecessary- but Peabody’s Mermaid is certainly worth the read.
From the cover: “If you cannot bring yourself to believe in the existence of a beautiful and irresistible mermaid, this book is not for you.”
The back of the Dust jacket contains information from Mr. And Mrs. Jones on how they came about collaborating on this story. There is a picture by H.W. Hannau of the authors together.
Contents: 1. St. Hilda’s 2. Villa Marina 3. Cay Oro 4. Thoughts in a Green Bathtub 5. St. Hilda’s Takes Over 6. Absence of a Comb 7. Beach Picnic 8. Land Siren 9. Strange Catch 10. Sea Siren 11. Fish Pond 12. Grapevine 13. Fish Tales 14. Two Bites 15. Blip Protests 16. Polly Protests 17. Enchantment 18. Polly Hesitates 19. Freedom of the Press 20. Interest from Government House 21. Job for Mandrake 22. Cay Oro Again 23. The Wild White Horses
Arthur Peabody and his wife are the type of old Bostonians that one would imagine. They take a vacation to Villa (Marina) in the Caribbean; There Mr. Peabody is getting over the flu. What should be some quiet time for their turns to intone big party and the Organizer of the party insisted the Peabody’ foot the bill.
They just had to meet all the exotic people that live on the island. Naturally, Mrs. Peabody is flirted with and even Arthur is being corralled.
He manages to borrow a boat from the local caretaker and plans on doing a little fishing to the consternation of his wife and dog. I need not tell what is finally caught and fearing evil spirits the household help runs off. His wife suspects hanky panky. And the situation snowballs from there.
If you get a chance, you will want to watch the movie with William Powel “Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid”