Tuesday, February 15, 2011

History, Love, and What’s Lost: A Review of The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise: A Novel by Julia Stuart

I hate to gush, but I LOVED this book.  Laugh-out-loud funny, sweet, sad, and hopeful, Stuart’s novel takes us into the lives of residents of the Tower of London and the London Underground.  Balthazar Jones has lost his will to be a beefeater.  He no longer cares about the pickpockets or wants to inform the tourists of the Tower's long and colorful history.  Since the loss of his only child, Milo, all Balthazar cares about is rain.  He is cataloging rain, in a collection of Egyptian perfume bottles and has lost all interest in his career, his wife, and his life.  Out of the blue, he is contacted by the palace and asked to become the keeper of Her Majesty’s menagerie, which will be reinstalled at the Tower to increase tourism.
Meanwhile, his wife, Hebe, is also overcome with grief.  Yet, she continues to pride herself on her job of reuniting people with their lost objects in the London Underground Lost Property Office.  Added to this mix are a minister whose obsession is killing mice; a barkeeper who finds herself with an unwelcome addition to the family; a woman who falls in love with a heavily tattooed, vertically challenged Underground worker; the Ravenmaster; and a collection of historic spirits. 
This book is part fable, part love story, part comedy or errors, and all wonderful.  I would highly recommend The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise.

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