The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: A Novel
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
2010
Language:
English
Description
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.
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.
More Details
ISBN:
9780307751607
9780385533294
9780385533294
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 8d0ec5c2-0186-d9c9-d4ae-fa498a1b0cb6 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | tower the zoo and the tortoise |
Grouping Author | julia stuart |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2022-05-23 04:40:48AM |
Last Indexed | 2022-05-23 05:07:28AM |
Novelist Primary ISBN | 9780385533287 |
Solr Details
accelerated_reader_point_value | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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accelerated_reader_reading_level | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author | Stuart, Julia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author_display | Stuart, Julia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
available_at_addison | Online OverDrive Collection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
detailed_location_addison | Online OverDrive Collection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
display_description | Brimming with charm and whimsy, this national bestseller 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
format_addison | eAudiobook eBook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
format_category_addison | Audio Books eBook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
id | 8d0ec5c2-0186-d9c9-d4ae-fa498a1b0cb6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
isbn | 9780307751607 9780385533294 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
item_details
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last_indexed | 2022-05-23T10:07:28.598Z | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
lexile_score | -1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form | Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form_full | Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
local_callnumber_addison | Online OverDrive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_library_addison | Addison Public Library Online | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_location_addison | Online OverDrive Collection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
primary_isbn | 9780307751607 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
publishDate | 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
publisher | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
record_details
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recordtype | grouped_work | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
scoping_details_addison
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title_display | The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise A Novel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_full | The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise A Novel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_short | The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
title_sub | A Novel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
topic_facet | Fantasy Fiction Humor (Fiction) Literature |