Mr Andy Frazier

The Right Colour: a Novel About a Cow Mr Andy Frazier

Publisher Marketing: This touching tale tells of a calf born in a pedigree Aberdeen Angus herd, an unusual calf that although is black in colour, is the wrong kind of black. Her times of hardship and degradation evolve her into a somewhat exceptional character. Now an old lady nearing the end of her life she tells her own extraordinary and comical tale of her exciting journey towards fulfilling her destiny. Her story begins with her growing up on a Highland farm run by Donald, a simple but likeable Scottish peasant farmer, complete with his colloquial accent and ancient ways. She is born to a Princess Erica mother and great things are expected of this first calf but it is soon apparent that something is wrong. When she discovers that her father is a foreigner, a glamorous French Limousin bull from a neighbouring field, she realises that although the same colour she is a little different to her brothers and sisters. Her time then progresses into a period of bullying and racism which mars the early part of her life, a time when her fears and emotions are disclosed in vivid detail. When one day she is singled out by the herd owner for special treatment, the Princess sums up her inner strength to convince herself that she is the 'chosen one' and is destined for greater things. As she grows into a young maiden she gets help and jealousy from her female friends in equal proportions, all of which only reinforces her confidence. The Princess gets into trouble when she gets a chance to compete at the Royal Highland Show with her mother in mid summer and also gets to meet some colourful characters, many of who receive a kick from her. She arrives back home after winning a minor prize with an aura of arrogance and has to learn a few valuable lessons from her peers. Her life changes when she is sold to a small time farmer with a drink problem, who has an obsession to win at the world's greatest cattle show, to be held in London in December. She is stabled along with a rather dull and pitiful animal who she constantly teases for her own amusement. During her time at this place she again gets into a few scrapes and also develops an obsession of her own, to meet the Queen of England. The long and difficult journey to London ends with an impromptu exploit on to a high street and a brush with the London traffic and the law. We then follow the exciting track as she settles into her task of competing on the catwalk for the coveted title and the chance to become the very best. Her emotions are stretched the very limit as she endures a couple of unusual incidents momentarily distracting her focus, as she struggles towards her ambition, to meet with the Royal Sovereign and fulfil her dream. The plot has drawn influences from some classic books such as Black Beauty, the Sheep-Pig and the Ugly Duckling to name but a few. Moreover, many of the events and characters in this book are based on reality, drawing on the authors own experience, with an underlying intent is to give a glorious insight into the little published arena of livestock exhibiting. Nevertheless, the Princess's emotionally touching and sometimes hilarious story is appealing to a wide variety of readers, reaching out on many levels to adults and juniors alike. The book is lettered with colourful characters .... could only have been written by someone with a good knowledge of the livestock industry.- The Scottish Farmer