Saxton Reads! & Reviews

****CarolK

Simply put, delightful. The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart 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 and Stuart eloquently describes how the grief of loss can divide a couple. Life in the tower is pretty dreary when Balthazar finds out he is to become the keeper of a menagerie of exotic animals given to the Queen. Penguins, giraffes, and a Komodo dragon, oh my!

Here's where the story truly takes off. The imagery shimmers. This is a book for animal lovers, for people who like a love story with passion and emotion, for those of you needing a tablespoon of humor. I rarely find books that can make me giggle but this one tickled my fancy from the outset. Simply put, delightful!