The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise

A Novel

De: Julia Stuart

Narrado por: Jonathan Cowley

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.

Wonderful subtle British humor.

If you could sum up The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise in three words, what would they be?

Whimsical,funny yet poignant.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed and at times I cried.

Any additional comments?

If you don't like subtle, dry humor you probably won't care for this book. I do and I loved this book. In addition, the author throws in lots of zany historical facts about former inhabitants of the Tower of London.

Sweet and Quirky

What a lovely book. If you liked A Man Called Ove you will really enjoy this.

An amazing book

Some friends and I have a gift oriented book club. The person that recommends the book also provides gifts to go along with the book. This book was my choice. It is a wonderful story that touched us all - mostly American, but an English person, too. I highly recommend this touching story that takes place in the Tower of London. It could take place anywhere. The characters create a moving tale of an English family under extraordinary circumstances. I can't recommend it highly enough. The characters, environment, animals, etc make it something special. It is well worth listening to. And for this club, I reread it almost a dozen times. I loved it as much the twelfth as I did the second time.

Amusing but may not be America’s cuppa

I found this novel to be a hidden gem; however, I enjoy the subdued British humor. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the ridiculous situational antics and how our stoic hero handles them.

The author seems to be creating a satiric play on some of the excesses the world’s diplomats inflict on our governments. Similarly, she plays up the British worship of their traditions in the monarchy and the excesses required to keep up the accoutrements and trappings of that station. As usual with this author, the extreme British reserve to all things emotional is displayed with devastating accuracy.

The narrator was good at displaying the subdued humor with appropriate straight-man aplomb.

All in all, I found the novel to be entertaining. However, it is not an exciting offering and does not seem to have a well-defined plot. It seems to me to be more of a serial British sit-com.

If you like the British humor (or humour), this might be for you. If you’re the kind that want suspense, rowdy plot-lines, mysteries or romance, you may want to give this one a miss.

Great Quirky Book

What made the experience of listening to The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise the most enjoyable?

The story was original as it was a fictional story mixed in with fascinating historical facts about the Tower of London.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the parts about the animals, when the Royal Menagerie is moved to the Tower for a short while. Really hillarious! I also very much enjoyed the work of the women who try to find the owners of all the weird items that are left on the London Underground. Very intertaining!

Which character – as performed by Jonathan Cowley – was your favorite?

The main character is fascinating, having held on to a guilt for so long and developed an odd behavior to cover it up. All the characters are quirky and unique, which makes this book a wonderful listen.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

All the main characters have something sad about their life, and of course I felt that too although I did not get overwhelmed by it due to the funny aspects of the story.

Any additional comments?

The reader has a pleasant and clear voice.