Canary Yellow

by Elizabeth Cadell

Hardcover William Morrow (June 1965) 9997405293 978-9997405296

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Mystery, British Literature

358 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Violet Elizabeth Vandyke was born on 10 November 1903 in Calcutta, British Raj, daughter of British parents, Elizabeth Lynch and Frederick Reginald Vandyke, a colonial officer. During the Great War she studied music in London, but refused a musical career and returned to India where she married in 1928 Henry Dunlop Raymond Mallock Cadell, and they had a son and daughter. After she was widowed ten years later, she returned to England.

Elizabeth wrote her first book 'My Dear Aunt Flora' during the Second World War in 1946, there after producing another 51 light-hearted, humourous and romantic books which won her a faithful readership in England and America. In addition to England and India, many of her books are set in Spain, France, and Portugal. She finally settled in Portugal, where her married daughter still lived.

She died on 9 October 1989, aged eighty-five.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Elizabeth Cadell is a skilled writer, I enjoyed this very much despite having a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. I know nothing about The Canary Islands but now I'd like to learn more about the area, and I also enjoyed the beginning on the ship.

I would call this a novel, rather than try to force it into either/or romance/mystery. It's a good story, in two interesting locales, that happens to have both a romance and a mystery. The lack of suspense was mostly made up for by my enjoyment of the settings and especially the characters. I'd like to see a sequel about Gloria!

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly diverting, utterly forgettable, undemanding little mystery-romance; it will slide into your brain with no pain and leave just as swiftly. Sometimes that’s just what the doctor orders!

A clean read—although I think I was asleep for much of the book so I can’t be absolutely certain

[Maria]

I can't say I was happy with the way this book ended. Neither a happy nor an unhappy ending, I guess, but difficult. I kept wanting to backtrack and tell one of the characters to make a different decision, although his own moral fiber should have done that for me. Obviously he was lacking something in the first place. Once again Ms. Cadell makes the hero not so obvious. You have three choices and it's hard to figure out until well into the book. On the other hand, those same three choices also made it difficult to determine the villain as well, always a good thing.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful Elaine Tracy wins a trip to the Canary Islands along with her fiance--but then breaks up with him before the trip. On the cruise, she has two roommates who are difficult in different ways, and meets two attractive men, one of whom is very interested in Elaine, the other one seemingly indifferent. A mysterious death once they land at Las Palmas catapults Elaine into a situation fraught with danger and romance.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this light mystery and romance. As many others said, it wasn't hard to pick out the baddies but there were enough diverse personalities that uncertainty would occasionally rise. I was also interested in the mystery overall which wasn't really clear until the very end.

[ChristineK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun escape on an early 1960's cruise to the Canary Islands. My first Elizabeth Cadell, I would read more. Slightly reminiscent of Agatha Christie.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Introduced last year to this prolific author by Nancy Pearl, "America's librarian," I was quite taken by her reflections of a certain moment in time in the UK and Europe, perhaps moments out of time. Written in 1964, this novel, however, has one foot set in rigid ideas of women, class, and relationships, and the other, taking small steps into more liberal thinking so I am guessing the author's characters evolved over her long writing career.

The plot moves slowly during the first half of the book, developing a number of characters that left me wondering who might fit into the murder mystery that the book jacket promised while Elaine Tracy, the protagonist, recovers from her broken engagement on her vacation in Las Palmas.
The dots connecting the perpetrators to the murder were unexpected, and the ending was a bit uneven though good news for the protagonist and her new love. Did I like it? On a very rainy day, this peek into the Canary Islands of sixty years ago provided me with a pleasant interlude read. One last thing: in the back cover of this old library book are the last names of nine people, written in pencil, in tiny script, all by different people. I wondered what old library practice that indicated.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elaine Tracy ends her engagement after winning a honeymoon trip to the Canary Islands but decides to go alone. Her cabin-mates are inimical, both with her and each other, yet seem determined to spend time with her. Also aboard is a woman Elaine met in London under another name. Then there are two sexy men; unfortunately, the one Elaine's interested in isn't interested in her. Not until they arrive and Elaine and her two cabin-mates become involved in murder.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually I prefer the gentler Cadells. The more family based like My Dear Aunt Flora and The Lark Shall Sing rather than her mysteries. That said I thoroughly enjoyed this one. There was real suspense here although once the crime actually took place the suspect list was very short - but nonetheless it did keep me turning the pages. I liked the main characters but I really liked the ditzy Gloria who, refreshing in a Cadell novel, did not see marriage as the be all and end all for women!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book of Elizabeth cadells that I have read . The plot wasn't so bad but I felt that the ending was a bit odd and not well written

[Rae O’Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorites of Elizabeth Caddel’s books. I call them ‘comfort food’ literature. Witty, fun, uncomplicated books that are simply good stories. She was born in 1903 so don’t expect modern chick lit. They have been recently re-released by her family after being out of print for years, which I am grateful for, with badly executed cover art, which I am not. No one looking at the cover would have the slightest idea of the gems inside. Fortunately I have all the older books. When this world gets to be too much, her world is fun to live in for a bit.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cadell's heroines always seem to have an alternate love interest. Same for this story of murder and intrigue in Las Palmas; oh, yes, and romance. Elaine wins a cruise and a two-week vacation on La Palma, Canary Island. She meets some people on the cruise, both men and women. They continue to be a part of her life once she has landed. One dies! Was she sick? Did she commit suicide? Was she murdered? Elaine somehow gets involved and provides major clues to the resolution. Which man will choose? I still have some questions about why Jeffry did what he did.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Cadell is one of my favorite authors and in Canary Yellow she delivered some of the things I like best about her books: an enchanting cast of characters, the right dose of romance, and enough suspense to keep it all interesting. Add to that one of my favorite places, the Canary Islands, and I wish the story had gone on for longer. Minor quibbles with the ending, but not enough to take away from a solid 5 star rating.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elaine Tracy won a honeymoon trip to the Canary Islands. She took it without the ex fiance and landed in a fix when the hotel in the planned trip was under repairs. She takes a small chalet instead in a residential club for retired women and inadvertently involves two men in a possible murder there.

[Debbie Gascoyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not one of my real old favourites, and I'd only read it once or twice before so didn't remember it very well. However, the mystery was pretty predictable. That said, I enjoyed the getting there, and the story is told with Cadell's customary wit and flare. Not in the top rank, or even maybe the top of the medium rank of Cadell's work, but nevertheless not without its charms.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense was just as chilling even though romance was chaste in the mid 20th century.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starts off slow, but a good finish.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable but light, fun fluff nonetheless.

[Jannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery romance set in the 50-60s
One set on ship board and in Portugal
Even with some cliche tropes it always works with Cadell
Just fun and forgettable

[Ymt01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder mystery set in Las Palmas

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another reread after several years. Rather a unsettling mystery and ending for Cadell. Realism does enter into her plots.

[Mesembryanthemum · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+ stars. A cute romantic mystery/suspense from a very good writer. What a treat!

I read a scanned copy of ISBN 9781945511042 at The Internet Archive: archive.org/details/canaryyellow0000eliz

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last read 4 years ago. Still just a quiet enjoyable read.