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The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter #4
The Tale of Hawthorn House
A brand-new mystery in the endearing Beatrix Potter series from a national bestselling author. During Sawrey's annual summer fte, Miss Beatrix Potter receives an unexpected visitor in the form of Baby Flora, left in a basket on her doorstep with a note, a sprig of hawthorn, and a scarab ring. All Beatrix knows about Flora's previous guardian is that she was a gray-haired woman, capable of scaling a brick wall in seconds. An investigation reveals that the ring was pawned and reclaimed in Sawrey by a resident of Hawthorn House. The legendary manor is supposed to be vacant-and rumored to be haunted. Now Beatrix and her animal friends are left pondering the possible involvement of fairy folk in these utterly puzzling happenings.
493 pages, Hardcover
First published September 4, 2007
46 people are currently reading
811 people want to read
About the author
Susan Wittig Albert
125 books2,387 followersSusan is the author/co-author of biographical/historical fiction, mysteries, and nonfiction. Now in her 80s and continuing to write, she says that retirement is not (yet) an option. She publishes under her own imprint. Here are her latest books.
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.
THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL
THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.
LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters
A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon
THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert
TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE
AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS
WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY
A PLAIN VANILLA MURDER, #27 in the long-running China Bayles/Pecan Springs series.
Two Pecan Springs novella trilogies: The Crystal Cave Trilogy (featuring Ruby Wilcox): noBODY, SomeBODY Else, and Out of BODY; and The Enterprise Trilogy (featuring Jessica Nelson): DEADLINES, FAULTLINES, and FIRELINES.
THE DARLING DAHLIAS AND THE POINSETTIA PUZZLE #8 in the Darling Dahlias series, set in the early 1930s in fictional Darling AL
THE GENERAL'S WOMEN. Kay, Mamie, and Ike--the wartime romance that won a war but could have derailed a presidency.
LOVING ELEANOR: A novel about the intimate 30-year friendship of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, based on their letters
A WILDER ROSE: the true story of Rose Wilder Lane, who transformed her mother from a farm wife and occasional writer to a literary icon
THE TALE OF CASTLE COTTAGE, #8 in the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
DEATH ON THE LIZARD, the 12th and last (2006) of the Robin Paige series, by Susan and Bill Albert
TOGETHER, ALONE: A MEMOIR OF MARRIAGE AND PLACE
AN EXTRAORDINARY YEAR OF ORDINARY DAYS
WORK OF HER OWN: A WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
WRITING FROM LIFE: TELLING YOUR SOUL'S STORY
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews
October 16, 2020
This is book four in the fictional episodes in the life of Beatrix Potter and her farm in the Lake Country. I don’t think this book is as good as the earlier books.
The book is well written. This story has the to do with a sixteen-year-old having a baby out of wedlock in rural Edwardian England. I found it cute that Albert had the animals gossiping as much as the humans. I found the information about various types of trees interesting. This book makes a good get-away-from-it-all story.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten hours and one minute. Virginia Leishman does an excellent job narrating the story. Leishman is a British actress. I enjoyed listening to her accent.
The book is well written. This story has the to do with a sixteen-year-old having a baby out of wedlock in rural Edwardian England. I found it cute that Albert had the animals gossiping as much as the humans. I found the information about various types of trees interesting. This book makes a good get-away-from-it-all story.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten hours and one minute. Virginia Leishman does an excellent job narrating the story. Leishman is a British actress. I enjoyed listening to her accent.
November 14, 2023
4.5 stars. This may be my favorite of the series yet.
The mystery in this one has to do with an abandoned infant, which is more my speed anyway than the typical murder mystery. The main character, Beatrix Potter, finds an abandoned baby along with a mysterious ring in a basket on her doorstep. What happens to her? Who are her parents? Beatrix must find out.
If you believe in fairies (or are interested in them), you’d definitely like the third and fourth (and hopefully future) books in this series. I’m enjoying getting to know the recurring villager characters, and I’d really like to know more about Beatrix Potter. She was pretty darn liberated for her time and I admire her courage and tenacity. I also really like the fact that she mentors young people whenever she has a chance.
The audiobooks are all narrated by the same person: Virginia Leishman. There may be other versions as well, but I think Leishman does a fine job. I listen to these books when insomnia strikes, because they usually won’t keep me awake, and when they do, I just rewind 😅.
I’ve also decided to read, or at least try, this author’s other books. Thyme of Death is the first of a longer running series that takes place in modern times in TX, where the author is from. The Beatrix Potter series takes place mostly in the British countryside in the early 1900s. The mood is totally different but I’m enjoying both series at this point.
The mystery in this one has to do with an abandoned infant, which is more my speed anyway than the typical murder mystery. The main character, Beatrix Potter, finds an abandoned baby along with a mysterious ring in a basket on her doorstep. What happens to her? Who are her parents? Beatrix must find out.
If you believe in fairies (or are interested in them), you’d definitely like the third and fourth (and hopefully future) books in this series. I’m enjoying getting to know the recurring villager characters, and I’d really like to know more about Beatrix Potter. She was pretty darn liberated for her time and I admire her courage and tenacity. I also really like the fact that she mentors young people whenever she has a chance.
The audiobooks are all narrated by the same person: Virginia Leishman. There may be other versions as well, but I think Leishman does a fine job. I listen to these books when insomnia strikes, because they usually won’t keep me awake, and when they do, I just rewind 😅.
I’ve also decided to read, or at least try, this author’s other books. Thyme of Death is the first of a longer running series that takes place in modern times in TX, where the author is from. The Beatrix Potter series takes place mostly in the British countryside in the early 1900s. The mood is totally different but I’m enjoying both series at this point.
February 23, 2021
Another charming installment in this series. This book contained far more fairy tale elements - even full-out fantasy - than the previous books. I was a bit surprised by that, as I was expecting this series to continue to be more "realistic" (as realistic as something with talking animals could be.) But anyway. I liked the fantasy element, I was just a bit surprised by it.
My only real complaint about this book is that I felt that too much page-time was devoted to not only the animals in general, but Jemima Puddleduck in particular. Jemima's story could have been told in slightly fewer chapters devoted exclusively to her. There was quite a lot going on in the human world, and I felt that more details about the humans' adventures and fewer details about the duck would have been better. Beatrix Potter herself felt more like a supporting character in this story, more so than the main character.
That being said, I still loved this story, and the author continues to paint a charming and engaging picture of the English village, its colorful residents, and what Beatrix Potter's life may have been like at that time.
My only real complaint about this book is that I felt that too much page-time was devoted to not only the animals in general, but Jemima Puddleduck in particular. Jemima's story could have been told in slightly fewer chapters devoted exclusively to her. There was quite a lot going on in the human world, and I felt that more details about the humans' adventures and fewer details about the duck would have been better. Beatrix Potter herself felt more like a supporting character in this story, more so than the main character.
That being said, I still loved this story, and the author continues to paint a charming and engaging picture of the English village, its colorful residents, and what Beatrix Potter's life may have been like at that time.
June 29, 2015
I found the narrator's omnipotence very frustrating in this, the fourth novel in the series. And when one takes the trouble to read the series in the right order, it is also superfluous to constantly be reminded of what has gone on before. So I skipped about a third of the book (narrator's comments and previous histories), found the thread about Jemima's egg-sitting tedious, but enjoyed the main thread about the foundling baby.
All in all, this one was rather a let-down. I hope the next one in the series is better.
All in all, this one was rather a let-down. I hope the next one in the series is better.
November 17, 2011
I didn't enjoy this one quite as I enjoyed the previous ones. I personally disliked the portions of the book where the narrator spoke directly to the reader. I found these portions quite disconcerting and hope this style isn't continued on into the next book(s). Other than that, I'm always pleased with the calm style this series presents. Additionally, this was an audio version and I love Virginia Leishman's (sp?) narration.
August 11, 2017
Lots of repetition. A comedy of errors, which makes reading these cottage tales of Beatrix Potter great fun. A relaxing, delightful, and sweet romp. The most marvelous aspects of these stories is how the author weaves a human based story and then a separate but related story with the animals around Hilltop Farm. Wonderful dialog animal to animal. Clever and funny.
December 28, 2025
I like that there are no deaths. Sometimes I get tired of people getting killed in a cozy. This one centers around an abandoned baby. There is a lot of misleading being done regarding the baby’s parentage. But perhaps it was more assumption.
September 21, 2012
“The Tale Of Hawthorne House” is a drop from Susan Wittig Albert’s previous story, her absolute best. I regrettably note volume four as the worst, dismayed with style and content. Since book two, the author has opened with a refresher of characters and the town. I began to find it redundant but it is in this novel that I noticed how overdone it was. Susan panders to new buyers and the degree to which residents are rehashed is preposterous; ending with a plug “read about it in novel X”! She could spare superfluous pages by merely saying that! This persists in subsequent books, cumbersome to veteran sequential fans. I can’t bear any more about Bosworth Badger’s “badge of authority”, what the motto is, the record-keeping of two volumes, and what they contain. It’s no joke this whole spiel is launched every time the character appears; as with every secondary, tertiary, and beyond.
A disruptive habit developed. The author breaks the narrative to address the reader: “They should just kiss but these are the Victorian 1900s”…. It’s cute once but the vignettes pop up increasingly, stating the obvious. Incredulously, Susan glossed over a wedding we’d rather see! I feel she took liberties with a publishing contract.
Lastly I found the “Jemima Puddle Duck” premise terrible! I realize this is Beatrix Potter’s original story but any possible enjoyment soured. Susan established a world where animals are contributing, feeling members. It was awful to read how much Jemima wanted children but a farmer kept grabbing her eggs. Later, a group she hid were devoured by a fox. It’s horrific, the eggs murdered when she wanted nothing more than to be a mother; then getting labelled a failure! It doesn’t suit a series where animals are personified highly and I was disgusted.
A disruptive habit developed. The author breaks the narrative to address the reader: “They should just kiss but these are the Victorian 1900s”…. It’s cute once but the vignettes pop up increasingly, stating the obvious. Incredulously, Susan glossed over a wedding we’d rather see! I feel she took liberties with a publishing contract.
Lastly I found the “Jemima Puddle Duck” premise terrible! I realize this is Beatrix Potter’s original story but any possible enjoyment soured. Susan established a world where animals are contributing, feeling members. It was awful to read how much Jemima wanted children but a farmer kept grabbing her eggs. Later, a group she hid were devoured by a fox. It’s horrific, the eggs murdered when she wanted nothing more than to be a mother; then getting labelled a failure! It doesn’t suit a series where animals are personified highly and I was disgusted.
June 13, 2022
2020 bk 325. If there is a theme to this book, other than the mystery plot itself, it would be that of abandonment. A baby is abandoned on Miss Potter's doorstep, several orphans in the book talk of their abandonment (this includes the animals), and Miss Potter continues to dwell on the death of her fiance and the abandonment she felt when learning her brother had married. All of these different elements are tied together as the village tries to find clues to the mystery of the baby.
January 6, 2008
I love this series! Having been to the Lake District and Hill Top Farm, I find it very enjoyable to read this series of "cozy" mysteries. I'm looking forward to the next.
February 28, 2021
3-*
Repeat late-night listen.
I do like fairy tales for grown-ups – think Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - yet the fairy portion in this series is not an extra angle I’m enjoying in these tales; and, I know it’s a nod to Beatrix Potter yet we could have done without quite so much focus on Jemima. (Virginia does a good job narrating Jemima’s voice.)
Village gossip is alive and well in this tale, and …… so often wrong.
Extra: This might be a sensitive read for those involved with adoption. Baby born out of wedlock, and, not wanted by the adopting family because it was a ‘girl’.
Brit Trip locations: Near Sawrey and Far Sawrey, Cumbria
Repeat late-night listen.
I do like fairy tales for grown-ups – think Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - yet the fairy portion in this series is not an extra angle I’m enjoying in these tales; and, I know it’s a nod to Beatrix Potter yet we could have done without quite so much focus on Jemima. (Virginia does a good job narrating Jemima’s voice.)
Village gossip is alive and well in this tale, and …… so often wrong.
Extra: This might be a sensitive read for those involved with adoption. Baby born out of wedlock, and, not wanted by the adopting family because it was a ‘girl’.
Brit Trip locations: Near Sawrey and Far Sawrey, Cumbria
October 9, 2017
2.5 stars. This was readable, but not spectacular.
The sections about Jemima Puddleduck sitting on her eggs, while pining after a fox got tedious fast. And I'm not sure the lighthearted tone of this book works particularly well when the case involves an abandoned baby being essentially stolen by the faerie and dropped on Beatrix Potter's doorstep.
Basically, I'm still in this because I enjoy the village drama. Although the love quadrangle (which is now approaching a hexagon), has the potential to get tedious fast.
2017 Reading Challenge - a book with a cat on the cover.
The sections about Jemima Puddleduck sitting on her eggs, while pining after a fox got tedious fast. And I'm not sure the lighthearted tone of this book works particularly well when the case involves an abandoned baby being essentially stolen by the faerie and dropped on Beatrix Potter's doorstep.
Basically, I'm still in this because I enjoy the village drama. Although the love quadrangle (which is now approaching a hexagon), has the potential to get tedious fast.
2017 Reading Challenge - a book with a cat on the cover.
January 18, 2020
The Tale of Hawthorn House is another cute addition to the Cottage Tales series, with a couple of excellent twists. It did become repetitious at times with all the recapping of the rumors about the foundling and the Woodcock siblings' possible marriages. But even though I didn't find it quite as good as the previous book, it's still a very sweet and cleverly-plotted story!
September 25, 2019
I adore these books! I hope she keeps writing them. I have been through some rough times this summer and they are so soothing and help to give a restful sleep and sweet dreams. On top of the fact that they are extremely well written and the story line is always surprising and unique.
March 30, 2022
Perfect afternoon tea reading aloud. The characterization, both animals and people, is sterling. Little narrative touches and delicate foreshadowing make these books delicious -- and there are recipes at the end! We're eager for the next one.
July 20, 2025
This dealt with feminism and women's rights to a great degree! For example, villagers were very positive about the prospect of Beatrix marrying--since they felt it would be right for a "man" to be in charge of Hill Top Farm rather than a female! Ugh. Then there was Dimity's outright refusal to 'obey' her brother, Miles, and insist on the right to marry the man she loved and, if possible, for them to adopt the baby she was currently fostering... Love this one and anxious to continue the series!
February 18, 2009
Although it isn't hard to guess the secrets and mysteries in the cottage tales series, they are so utterly charming and interesting that I keep reading them. However, this entry in the series I have to rate as the weakest in writing style. I didn't like how much the narrator's voice intruded in the writing, commenting on what was happening. I thought it was a reference to the way the Beatrix Potter tales are written, but I don't think it works for a work of teen/adult fiction as well as it does for a child's story, especially one written in the style of just after the turn of the twentieth century. I liked the earlier cottage tales books' style of narration better.
December 14, 2008
This is a gentle mystery. No violence. No murder. An interesting look into the life of Miss Beatrix Potter. If you are a fan of Miss Potter's work then this story (series) should interest you. The sections from the point of view of the farm animals was charming at first, then got tedious for me. The side plots about the animals with their own puzzle that sort of parallels the human mystery got too involved. I figured out both mysteries early on -- a rarity for me. Not Albert's best work.
November 25, 2007
A wonderful mystery! Especially since there aren't any murders, just a difficult circumstance to be puzzled out. It is a semi-biographical account of Beatrix Potter and her life at Hill Top, the farm she purchased. The story is told both from the human's point of view and the POV of the animals that live on the farm and in the village. I highly recommend it!
April 13, 2014
This book in the series is something of a departure from the previous books. The decision to talk directly to the "dear reader" just doesn't feel right - it feels clumsy & amateurish compared to the previous novels. Even so, it is worth reading for the continuing character development. I hope the next is as good as book 2 & 3.
January 21, 2008
This mystery series is set in the English Lake District with Beatrix Potter as an amateur sleuth. The author provides a cast of characters indicating actual historic persons, but most of the characters are fictional. A good read for anyone interested in Beatrix Potter and/or the Lake District.
August 5, 2021
I enjoyed the inclusion of the Thorn Folk and the continuing adventures of Jemima Puddle-duck.
June 14, 2024
4.5 stars! As good as the last time I read this 🥰🥰
December 17, 2024
This has been my least favorite of the Cottage Tales so far. Normally I enjoy the animal subplots, but this one of the love affair between Jemima and the fox was quite strange. I also did not appreciate the strong feministic bent of the love affair between Dimity and Major Kitridge. It is not wrong to be a humble, submissive sister while also sharing thoughts and desires. Dimity may yet regret her headstrong “following of her heart” to marry Kitridge. However, I did appreciate the strong theme of the importance of motherhood, and how wrong it is to abandon one’s child. This was a beautiful idea, which I wholeheartedly support. No matter the circumstances, it is a beautiful thing to raise one’s own child and not give them up to another’s care. Thus, the third star in my rating was earned. I will continue reading the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2018
Bk 4 of the Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter
Concerns itself with Jemima Puddleduck’s determined brooding on nest of ten eggs (not her own...) for many weeks longer that the thirty days a ducks eggs needed to hatch. A baby in a basket is deposited on Beatrix Potter’s doorstep by Avery odd and nimble old lady who disappears over the high garden wall. Beatrix takes the baby to discuss with Dimity Woodcock who insists on taking over Baby Flora. Major Christopher Kittredge asks Dimity to marry him, quite against her brother’s wishes. The townsfolk have Dimity marrying Will Heelis and Miss Potter marrying Captain Woodcock. “Yes, indeed. There is nothing like a village for managing everyone’s affairs.”
Concerns itself with Jemima Puddleduck’s determined brooding on nest of ten eggs (not her own...) for many weeks longer that the thirty days a ducks eggs needed to hatch. A baby in a basket is deposited on Beatrix Potter’s doorstep by Avery odd and nimble old lady who disappears over the high garden wall. Beatrix takes the baby to discuss with Dimity Woodcock who insists on taking over Baby Flora. Major Christopher Kittredge asks Dimity to marry him, quite against her brother’s wishes. The townsfolk have Dimity marrying Will Heelis and Miss Potter marrying Captain Woodcock. “Yes, indeed. There is nothing like a village for managing everyone’s affairs.”
December 12, 2018
This was an enjoyable revisit into the cosy world of Beatrix Potter and her cottage tales. I love the atmosphere of this series - the mix of the historic, Victorian fact of Beatrix 's life, with the fantastical element of talking animals, all set within the beautiful Lake District and earthy, old fashioned village life. I don't think this was my favourite book in the series, I didn't love the Jemima/Mr Vulpes chapters, and didn't feel there was nearly enough time spent with Miss Potter or in Bosworth's Brockery (possibly my favourite element of the stories - talk about hygge!) But I will continue on with this series that I have adored over the years regardless, because there really is nothing like it.
March 3, 2020
At first I was put off by a new character that appears at the beginning of the book who is a cross between Mary Poppins and a fairy godmother. But in the end I really enjoyed this book and I loved the way it resolved in the end. It was really good.
So I asked myself why I didn’t like that character and the answer was it was too far out there in the realm of make-believe for me. I admit that’s a bit odd for a book where animals talk to each other and some of the humans understand the animals, but in my heart I believe that animals DO talk to each other and that some people DO understand animals and so that’s not entirely make-believe for me. I’m hoping that in future books the author sticks with things that are more realistic but fanciful.
So I asked myself why I didn’t like that character and the answer was it was too far out there in the realm of make-believe for me. I admit that’s a bit odd for a book where animals talk to each other and some of the humans understand the animals, but in my heart I believe that animals DO talk to each other and that some people DO understand animals and so that’s not entirely make-believe for me. I’m hoping that in future books the author sticks with things that are more realistic but fanciful.
January 29, 2023
I love the way that Susan Wittig Albert weaves anthropomorphism, realism, humor and fantasy into this series. There was one aspect of this particular book that troubled me, however, and that was her stereotypical portrayal of the Romany (aka Gypsy) people as thieves and liars. I realize that her characters' viewpoints would have very likely been the viewpoints of actual English people at the time, but it doesn't make it less unsettling. I wish one of the characters would have strenuously called out this prejudice when it surfaced, or that Albert would have addressed this issue in her historical notes. Aside from that, I enjoyed the book and I will be reading the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2018
What happened to this series? The author has adopted an annoying technique of the narrator talking directly to the reader (about nothing important - the narrator owned a box turtle? Who cares?). Much of the book involved recreating the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (which Beatrix Potter did very well on her own), referencing previous books in the series (which I've already read) and giving short shrift to tying up the loose ends of the mystery (really? Miss Keller?) Did the publisher give the author a page target or something?
January 28, 2020
Challenges: RRRCs July 2019 (belated) - Animal on cover (2); and, Steeped in Books/Stacking the Series - Level 5a/Book 4. Always a pleasure, this series installment is full of lessons about motherhood, unlikely romantic alliances, and how facts as they are perceived stack up to reality (for both human and animal characters). A blend of mystery, romance, fairy tale, and biographical fictionalization of Beatrix Potter's life, this series is at the top of my list for 'most beloved' series because it offers comfort and satisfying solutions with each cottage tale.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 169 reviews