A review by hayleybeale
The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

3.0

I'd be interested to know how much of this was Eva Ibbotson and how much was completed after her death. For me, this story of a yeti family lacked some of the lightness of touch and charm of other Ibbotson books that I've read. While themes of conservation, animal rights and kid power are familiar, I found some of the episodes rather heavyhandedly didactic and even a little silly. The good are very very good and the bad are completely horrid, and I'm sure her previous books had a little more light and shade. There seems little in the way of character development and I found Fiona Robinson's illustrations rather charmless which didn't help (though I did read an ARC, so maybe they're better in the published book). Having said all that, I think it would make a good readaloud and I found myself quite caught up in the narrative once the yetis arrive in England.