Bay of the Nightingales is a lovely story with all the adventure you might expect from a novel set in the land of earthquakes, and the excellent supporting cast that Essie Summers is so consistently able to muster. However (my own fault for starting an Essie Summers reading binge) this is the second ES book I've read in which a young woman searches for long-lost family in Akaroa, which is giving me a rather odd impression of the place! Also, the fact that the merest smattering of French (such as Anglo Canadians pick up in our schooldays and maintain by reading to backs of cereal boxes) would completely dispel the mystery has given me some doubts about educational standards in 1960s England. Still an enjoyable read. ( )