List Of Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
| Title | : | The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise |
| Author | : | Julia Stuart |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | August 10th 2010 by Doubleday |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Humor. Historical. Historical Fiction. Animals. European Literature. British Literature |
Julia Stuart
Hardcover | Pages: 304 pages Rating: 3.58 | 9045 Users | 1753 Reviews
Explanation In Favor Of Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
Brimming with charm and whimsy, this exquisite novel set in the Tower of London has the transportive qualities and delightful magic of the contemporary classics Chocolat and Amélie. Balthazar Jones has lived in the Tower of London with his loving wife, Hebe, and his 120-year-old pet tortoise for the past eight years. That’s right, he is a Beefeater (they really do live there). It’s no easy job living and working in the tourist attraction in present-day London. Among the eccentric characters who call the Tower’s maze of ancient buildings and spiral staircases home are the Tower’s Rack & Ruin barmaid, Ruby Dore, who just found out she’s pregnant; portly Valerie Jennings, who is falling for ticket inspector Arthur Catnip; the lifelong bachelor Reverend Septimus Drew, who secretly pens a series of principled erotica; and the philandering Ravenmaster, aiming to avenge the death of one of his insufferable ravens. When Balthazar is tasked with setting up an elaborate menagerie within the Tower walls to house the many exotic animals gifted to the Queen, life at the Tower gets all the more interesting. Penguins escape, giraffes are stolen, and the Komodo dragon sends innocent people running for their lives. Balthazar is in charge and things are not exactly running smoothly. Then Hebe decides to leave him and his beloved tortoise “runs” away. Filled with the humor and heart that calls to mind the delightful novels of Alexander McCall Smith, and the charm and beauty of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is a magical, wholly original novel whose irresistible characters will stay with you long after you turn the stunning last page. Published in the UK in August 2010 as Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo.Itemize Books Concering The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
| Original Title: | The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise |
| ISBN: | 0385533284 (ISBN13: 9780385533287) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Balthazar Jones, Hebe Jones, Reverand Septimus Drew |
| Setting: | London, England(United Kingdom) |
Rating Of Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
Ratings: 3.58 From 9045 Users | 1753 ReviewsWrite Up Of Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
What a torturous (as opposed to tortuous) book! There was loads of interesting historical bits stuffed in there, but the basic story line was so stuffed with adjectives and stolid writing that had I not wanted to find out how Milo died and what happened to the tortoise (now that's a combination I never thought I'd utter) that I would not have persevered. Give me my time back.What a lovely surprise this book was! I really enjoyed it. I found it to be funny, sad, quirky and charming in equal measure. What I particularly enjoyed was how the author wove the history of the Tower of London into the story and did so seamlessly. I also really liked the cast of characters, including all of the animals who were just as offbeat as their human counterparts. However, I did have one or two small problems with it which led to me rating it 4 stars instead of 5. The last couple of
There are a lot of unusual characters in this odd novel. There is Balthazar Jones, the Beefeater at the center of the story, whose life giving tours at the Tower of London is complicated by the Queen's decision to put him in charge of the Royal Menagerie she has abruptly decided to move from the zoo to the Tower. There is his wife, Hebe, who is struggling to cope with the death of their son while working to reunite people with items that have been turned into her at the London Underground Lost
For a book that is charming and whimsical, Stuart packs alot in it's pages. There's several sub-plots going on and everything is tied up at the end. I think she could have easily made 2 or 3 separate novels about the women who work finding the owners of items lost on the Tube or the minister who writes romances. Even the Tortoise exacts revenge for her missing tail. Let's face it, sometimes you want to read a light-hearted book. This fits the bill. Serious topics are covered but at no time is
*This is a review of the advance reader copy*Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I LOVE this book. The plot is a little bizarre, but the strangeness of life lends itself well to moments of humor. More than once I laughed out loud at some outrageous, but inevitable occurrence. The book is written in charming and entertaining vignettes, moving from character to character in a world I've only seen as a tourist. It ends on the most satisfying note despite the various turmoils the
Quirky and occasionally poignant, another read-aloud volume shared with my wife.
Thanks to the GoodReads First Reads program for sending me a copy, but I have to admit, this book just didn't quite work for me.The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise tells the story of a Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder) named Balthazar Jones, who lives and guards the Tower of London, and his fading relationship with his wife Hebe after the loss of their son. This is the story of love in bloom at the London Underground's Department of Lost Things. And this is the story of the Queen's menagerie that
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