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The Friendly Air  By  cover art

The Friendly Air

By: Elizabeth Cadell
Narrated by: Anna Guerrier
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Publisher's summary

The friendly air describes the atmosphere in warm, sunny Portugal where young, beautiful Emma Challis finds herself as the temporary companion to Lady Grantly who has just bought a home there. She took on the task at the request of her fiancé, Gerald Delmont - brilliant, sophisticated and with a promising legal career ahead. A perfect husband for Emma - but would he be?

Enter handsome local lawyer Robert Weybridge, some eccentric neighbors, a mysterious young woman with five small children who take up residence in a packing crate, and you have the ingredients for one of Elizabeth Cadell’s finest refreshing romances.

©1970, 2016 Elizabeth Cadell; The Heirs of Elizabeth Cadell (P)2018 The Friendly Air Publishing

What listeners say about The Friendly Air

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Good reader; so-so story. . .

The Friendly Air is not one of Cadell's best; it's one of her later books (1970) and is very derivative. The fiancé is one of her controlling whiners; the senior woman is a shadow of Lady Rome/Mrs. Belchamber (Family Gathering/The Frenchman and the Lady), and the heroine is very unevenly written. Sometimes she's very strong: she certainly has no trouble standing up to Weybridge, but simply can't face up to her obnoxious fiancé. Really, I was very annoyed with her.

This is one of those books where the reader's characterizations are so spot-on that you really get to know the characters--and all their warts as well as strong points. And the reading is what made me so irritated with the fiancé and the main character.

If wishy washy girls and overbearing men don't bother you, I recommend the book. This isn't one, though, that I'll be listening to again and again. The reader is just too good, which means that the characters are just too annoying.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Friendly Air

The narrator makes this story come alive! I enjoyed this book very much years ago; Anna Guerrier adds such a delightful zest!

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Entertainng listen

Elizabeth Cadell was quite a prolific writer, and so some are very good and others not so much so. For me, this one was better than average for this author. Nice that much of the book takes place outside of England, and the characters were varied and well drawn. Recommended for a light listen.

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Another excellent Elizabeth Cadell audio book!

While all of Elizabeth Cadell’s books are fantastic - this one has something special. For a start - it’s got her most well known character - Lady Grantly. And what a character she is!
Then there’s the theme of “a friendly air”. You’ll have to read or listen to the book to discover more about that but it’s definitely worth your while.
The narration by Anna Guerrier is perfect. The setting in Portugal and the descriptions of the countryside are beautifully written.
I highly recommend this entertaining book.

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Highly Recommended

I loved this. I purchased it after reading a poor review that mentioned an insufferable fiance. That convinced me that I must read it.

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The Friendly Air

Elizabeth Cadell's stories are delightful, relaxing, pleasant reads. I find her plots well and interestingly woven and never boring. She is a lady full of surprises.

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