Cocktails and Camels

Writtern by Jacqueline Cooper (pennamed Jacqueline Carol)

Reviewed by Penny Legg THE WOMAN WRITER – June 2009

It is seldom that I cannot put a book down, more seldom still that I find gems within a publication worthy of reading aloud to my husband, usually enjoying a tome of his own. Cocktails and Camels by Jacqueline Carol, an abridged version of the original published by Appleton-Century-Crofts in1960, managed to tick both boxes and kept us enthralled from cover to cover. Written in a flowing style that literally carries the reader from one situation to another, this book is, simply, fun. The reader learns about the author’s comfortable life, whilst history, politics and encroaching war all loom large over her home, Alexandria, Egypt. Told in chronological order, the reader hears of the author’s schooldays in the French Convent, where climbing was deemed the only acceptable sport for girls and was in the basement, of holidays spent in touring Europe and of being ‘eligible.’ Rich characters of her youth, in particular the dashing English governess, Mrs. James with her tales of being adrift on the Caribbean Sea in a trunk, abound. In all, Jacqueline Carol has excelled. The book is sometimes laugh aloud hilarious, at others thought provoking, but always keeps the reader glued to the page. This book is not to be missed.