Particularize Appertaining To Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
| Title | : | The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise |
| Author | : | Julia Stuart |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary 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 Toward 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.
Details Books Conducive To 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 Appertaining To Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
Ratings: 3.58 From 9045 Users | 1753 ReviewsDiscuss Appertaining To Books The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise
Quirky and occasionally poignant, another read-aloud volume shared with my wife.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.
I liked this book. But I couldnt help, while reading it, thinking that I should like it more. It has many elements that often provide me with reading pleasure. The animals for instancethe poor wandering albatross that is missing its mate; the monkeys wildly flashing their junk at inopportune times; the missing penguins.Plus, this is a book about griefabout Balthazar and Hebe Jones grieving the loss of their son, Milo. And grieving for a child has potential to either pull a couple closer together
"...for the rest of the evening the air in the Salt Tower was so fragile that they spoke to each other as if the place were filled with a million fluttering butterflies that neither dared to disturb.""Hebe Jones ran a hand along the bed sheet that had been a weding present all those years ago. But it failed to find her husband."You might recognize an older bearded gentleman dressed in a Victorian uniform of red tights, dark blue breeches, matching tunic, and the classic white ruffle around the
DNF. Not very into it. I loved the historical research but very little is happening, and the characters are not real people but a bunch of quirky habits and pastimes. The language is overly-decorative and smart-alecky, and I didn't feel that I cared, even though there is a serious tragedy in the center of this book.
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
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