BOOK INFORMATION:
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.
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.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK
You know a book is really good when you don't check to see how many pages are left. The best stories are told in a way that makes you feel like you are dreaming. This debut novel from Julia Stuart is the perfect amount of magic realism, whimsy, and charm. It was an absolute joy to read.
I really liked this book a lot. But it wasn't without its own issues. I felt like it has so many funny elements like monkeys that flash their junk in inappropriate times, wandering albatross, and missing penguins. This book is about more than just funny elements though, this book is about grief. It is about the Balthazar and Hebe Jones grieving the loss of their son, Milo. It was an extremely painful experience to read about. The couples pain just bleed all over the page. The drastic switches from pain to joy was a bit jarring at times. It was hard to digest at times for me.
"You haven't lost Milo completely, you know. We always carry a part of those we love tucked inside of us."
I have never experienced the loss of a child, but I have lost family and close friends, too many to count. So I do know a thing or two about loss and grief. My pets always helped me get through it, and going to the zoo has always been a calming experience for me so I could relate to Balthazar’s connection with the animals of the Royal Menagerie.
"Fury coursed through her veins at yet another night of disturbed sleep. Her usual revenge, performed each time her husband returned...was an anatomical masterstroke. Once she heard the muddy breath of a man descended deep into his dreams, she would suddenly leap from the bed and make the short journey to the bathroom with the gait of a demented sentry. Once installed on the lavatory, she would proceed to empty her bladder with the door wide open. The clamor of the catastrophic downpour was such that her husband would immediately wake in terror, convinced that he was lying in a nest of snakes."
This book is adorably cute, perhaps to a sicking level of cute. Just like eating too much candy, some of the stories in the book gave me a stomach ache. For example, many side stories get started and slowly evolve in this book. Some examples are a romance between Authur Catnip and Valerie Jennings, the Ravenmaster's adultery, and the one person's secret career of writing serious erotica. It just became too much. They didn't get resolved in a way that was satisfactory to me.
The writing in this novel is so beautiful and creative. As shown in the two quotes I have included in this review. I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more from the author. I am so very glad I got a chance to pick this little book up from the library.
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