Rated of 5
by rebecca g fun, fun, fun!
This was the most fun reading a book that I have had in awhile. Delightful, quirky characters and silly animals...I loved them all. I laughed and giggled through the whole thing
Rated of 5
by Louise Jolly What A Hoot!!
The engrossing story of a Beefeater, otherwise known as Yeoman Warder Balthazar Jones. He lives in the Tower of London with his wife, Hebe, but they are grieving over Milo, the son they lost and their own marriage which is falling apart. The other occupants of the Tower include: a prize-winning Priest who secretly writes pornography under an alias, another Beefeater ‘Ravenmaster’ who is cheating on his wife, and Mrs. Cook, a 181 year old tortoise. There are other animals living at the Tower and they often present with challenges for the Beefeaters like when a special Etruscan shrew dies, and they tell people it’s hibernating!
Balthazar Jones is a complicated man obsessed with weather and actively collects rain. It’s an odd hobby for sure, but its part of how he deals with the loss of his son. It is the very unique details that make the characters of this story so special.
Julia Stuart has written a fun book that is both serious at times yet laugh-out-loud funny at others. Anyone who picks up this book is in for the long haul!!
Rated of 5
by Dorothy T. Delightful read
There's something for everybody here--family relationships, English history, animals, romance, humor, and tears. The title leaves out one aspect that I found very special--the London Underground lost and found department. There are well-developed and endearing characters (some not so endearing, of course) and a clever writing style.
Rated of 5
by Dolena W. (Dallas, TX) A Laugh, A Little Sadness and Lots of Warmth
I love this book! I loved it from the first page until the last page. I cannot wait until it is published so that I can give it to my friends.
This book is chock full of humor, but the laughs are not its purpose and they do not distract from the lovely stories behind the laughter. And, who could resist the antics of the animals who move in and out of the story lines.
But the real story is the humans. Human characters who are all eccentric, flawed, but fascinating. With one or two exceptions, all of the characters seem familiar. Not because they are stereotypical, because they are anything but. They are familiar because they so resemble the people we all know who live quiet lives, waiting for joy to come or return to their lives.
The ending of this book was extraordinary. It was sweet, free of theatrics, just a gentle pull toward resolution of all the stories, all the characters' lives.
I will read this again for certain. Long live Mrs. Cook (you have to read the book)!.
Rated of 5
by JD ( NY) A Charming Book
The Tower of London is the setting and those who live and work there are the subject of this beautiful and affecting novel. The details and history given about the Tower are fascinating enough, but what makes this book wonderful is that while it is filled with sadness, it is also extremely funny at the same time. The characters are quirky, but you feel connected with them on an emotional level. I didn't want this book to end.
Rated of 5
by Elena S. (The Book Works, CA) Fire Up the Tea Kettle and Settle In With a Good Book
"The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise" is an absolute delight! Every one of Stuart’s characters is endearing, brought to life with humorous quirks, and a sense of quiet tenderness that warms the heart in even the rainiest of times. This book is a good pick for animal lovers, English history buffs or anyone who has ever known "the silent ecstasy of wearing new socks."
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
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of 5
by rebecca g 
of 5
by Louise Jolly 
