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The Zookeeper of Belfast  By  cover art

The Zookeeper of Belfast

By: S. Kirk Walsh
Narrated by: Charlotte McCurry
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Publisher's summary

A stunning World War Two novel for fans of Natasha Lester, Heather Morris, Kate Furnivall, Mandy Robotham, based on a true story.

As the bombs rain down on the city, Belfast's first-ever female zookeeper must fight to save the baby elephant in her charge in this gripping, uplifting tale based on a true story.

1941. With the men away fighting, animal-lover Hettie Quin is made Belfast Zoo's first-ever female zookeeper. She is put in charge of Violet, a three-year-old Indian elephant, and they soon form a special bond. With Violet at her side, Hettie can almost escape the grim reality of her life: the father who has abandoned her family; the sister who recently died; the war that's raging hundreds of miles away.

But the devastation of war is closer than she thought. When the bombs begin to rain down on the city, Hettie must gather all her courage to protect those she loves the most. Can she save Violet - and get through unscathed herself?

Based on a true story, The Zookeeper of Belfast is a gripping and uplifting tribute to what one woman's courage and tenacity can achieve in the most dire of circumstances.

©2021 S. Kirk Walsh (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd

Critic reviews

"Walsh delivers a turbulent portrait of life in a divided city.... A unique perspective of a country at war and the lengths people will go for those they love." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Sensitively rendered and finely drawn, this remarkable story, based on true events, is both uplifting and heartbreaking." (Christina Baker Kline, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Orphan Train)

"Walsh has written a novel of deep affection and knife-edge suspense. A brilliant debut." (Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in The Field)

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