The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise

A Novel

By: Julia Stuart

Narrated by: 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 have finished listening to this audiobook.

©2010 Julia Stuart (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“Charming, witty, and heartfelt, Stuart's second novel is even more delightful than her debut, The Matchmaker of Périgord. A perfect suggestion for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; highly recommended.” (Library Journal)

“A Beefeater, his wife, and their nearly 180-year-old tortoise live in the Tower of London, and if Stuart’s deadly charming sophomore novel (after The Matchmaker of Périgord) is any indication, the fortress is as full of intrigue as ever…the love story is adorable.” (Publisher’s Weekly)

“The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise is grounded by the moving central love story. This sweet romp will appeal to history buffs.” (Kirkus Reviews)

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.

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.

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.

Wonderful

Where does The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A smart, charming story ! Characters who will stay with you for a long time.

Any additional comments?

I have recommend this book to many of my friends. Listen and enjoy.

Typical English Humor

Any additional comments?

I chose this book because a friend thoroughly enjoyed it. It is full of English humor, which I now realize I don't really care for. But it isn't awful. The narraton was superb.

Zzzzzzz

What about Jonathan Cowley’s performance did you like?

Jon Cowley's voice is like music. His expression and intonation is excellent. The only reason he didn't get top rating is that he was a bit slow. This was easily solved by bumping the speed up to 1 and 1/2.

Any additional comments?

The book was as disjointed as it's title. Several sets of characters going about their rather average lives with no tie between them except they live in the same "neighborhood".
The main story's conclusion can't be called anti-climax since there was not climax, anywhere. I'm wondering if the author was paid by the word because I didn't need to be told over 20 times that the stair railing was filthy or the colour and shape of someone's shoes.
The promise of an ending explaining the one "mystery" did have me listen to the book to the end (ok, the voice of JC would be lovely reading a biscuit label) but even that was disappointing.
I loved the bits of obscure history bulking out the novel but if you are not into these tidbits, which had me languishing in Wikipedia for hours, you will be frustrated.

Great story

Wonderful story. Great character development. Heartwarming story. Highly recommend for all ages. History speaks to all of us.

Disappointing

Would you try another book from Julia Stuart and/or Jonathan Cowley?

Not sure.

What was most disappointing about Julia Stuart’s story?

I LOVED Stuart's Pigeon Pie Mystery and this one was described as a modern story but with period flavor. Not true. The narrator gives a dull, monotone recitation and the story holds no charm.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jonathan Cowley?

Not sure but another might be able to lift up the story.

Exhausting!

What disappointed you about The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise?

I listened to this book as part of my book club and while it certainly broadened my horizons (I would not have picked this out on my own), that's about all it did. This book annoyed me and perhaps even tormented me a bit, having to finish it but not wanting to. By the end of the book I felt a bit sorry for the main character and even might have liked him a bit and his wife too, for that matter...but that's about it. It was just kind of a pointless story.

What could Julia Stuart have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Nothing...it's just not my kind of book!