Julia Stuart
Hardcover | Pages: 304 pages Rating: 3.58 | 9045 Users | 1753 Reviews
Identify Books During 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) |
Representaion In Pursuance 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.Present 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 | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 304 pages |
| Published | : | August 10th 2010 by Doubleday |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Humor. Historical. Historical Fiction. Animals. European Literature. British Literature |
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
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 thatRetired military officer Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater, working and living with his wife, the unfortunately named Hebe, in the Tower of London. The couple have been trying to cope with the loss of their young son three years ago, but seem unable to move past their grief. Balthazar collects raindrops, perhaps the tears he cannot, himself, shed. While there is an undercurrent of sadness here, it is more than mitigated by a lively cast of eccentrics, and when Balthazar is charged with setting up a
Simply put, delightful. The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise has a lot to offer; history, love, humor, quirky characters and an 181 year-old tortoise named Mrs. Cook. Balthazar Jones, a Beefeater, lives in the Tower of London with his wife Hebe and the Mrs. Cook. Hebe works for the London Underground's Lost Property Office, a story in itself. After the death of their son Milo, they have not been able to rekindle the spark that once flamed their beautiful relationship. Their marriage is faltering
The best stories are told so seamlessly and so well that one hardly realizes one is being told, so swept up we are in the characters. Exhibit A: This adorable, whimsical debut novel from Julia Stuart. The perfect amount of whimsy, the right dose of magical realism- a fun read all around. The Tower refers to The Tower of London, short for Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress. Related historical figures include Elizabeth I, Charles II, Edward III, & Richard The Lionheart. A historical
The Queen has decided to relocate the gift animals she has received from the London Zoo to the Tower of London, thus reinstituting, after a fashion, the Tower Menagerie. The Queen also has decided that Beefeater Balthazar Jones should be the Keeper of the Menagerie, under the theory that he must know something about the care of exotic animals since his family has the care and feeding of a 180+ year old tortoise. And thus starts one of the most charming, funny, delightful stories I have had the
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
The Queen has decided to relocate the gift animals she has received from the London Zoo to the Tower of London, thus reinstituting, after a fashion, the Tower Menagerie. The Queen also has decided that Beefeater Balthazar Jones should be the Keeper of the Menagerie, under the theory that he must know something about the care of exotic animals since his family has the care and feeding of a 180+ year old tortoise. And thus starts one of the most charming, funny, delightful stories I have had the
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