The Tortoise's Tale by Kendra Coulter

Point of view is a most important aspect of this multi-generational story, told by only one narrator, an intelligent, insightful, compassionate — tortoise. Tortoises have long lives, and Magic (she has other names as well) lives hers far from her rightful home and kin, forming friendships and connections with many species, including some kind humans. She faces the inevitable sadness of outliving those with shorter life spans, but learns so much. I loved seeing the world from this patient point of view and appreciating the beauty that is found along the way. Insights into history, music, geography are introduced as well. I’ll confess to being less than pleased with the ending, but much depends on how well we heed warnings.
This is a thought-provoking, compelling book, with a most lovable cast, many worthy of friendship with this caring tortoise.

this is told with the narrator the tortoise, she makes friends with the gardener Takeo, and Lucy a little girl who names her Magic. I enjoyed the story very much.

THE TORTOISE’S TALE offers an unique story being told through the perspective of a tortoise. With the lifespan of a tortoise being quite long, it follows the multiple owners throughout the years of the estate where the tortoise lives. The tortoise is such a compassionate, gentle and loving essence that allows for the narrator to create special bonds with other characters. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book stole my heart. Thank you, Kendra Coulter, for taking me on this lovely adventure. This book will stay with me for a very long time. When I first read the description of the synopus, I was intrigued.. I loved Remarkable Bright Creatures; this had a similar flair. Yet the books are very different. In The Tortoise's Tale, you see history and life through the eyes of a Giant Tortoise. She has many names given to her by those who have fallen for her unique charms. My favorite is Magic because of all the names, I feel it embodies her and the effect she has on those around her, human or animal.. This book evoked so many emotions and made me think about how humans leave an impression on the world, good and bad.
I will look for the audio version of this book when it comes out, as I know it will add to my enjoyment of this book.
I can see this book being a great discussion starter for book clubs.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy.

Wonderfully lovely story from a tortoises perspective! Thoroughly enjoyed ever story Daisuke Magic shared with us through Kendra Coulter. The feelings of love, joy, sorrow, and growth will be stronger within me everyday.

A charming story told from the tortoise's point of view about the home he lived in and the people throughout the many generations. Poignent and reflective , beautifully written.. Snatched from her ancestral lands, a giant tortoise finds herself in an exclusive estate in southern California where she becomes an astute observer of societal change. Her journey is one of discovery, as she learns to embrace the music of jazz and the warmth of human connection.

Thanks for the review copy. I love the cover. I loved the different names for the tortoise. This is very thought provoking.

I loved this book! Telling stories from an animal point of view gives the narrator so much ability to do cool things - and a tortoise that can live hundreds of years can comment on how society has evolved over time. I thought the tone was perfect and the storyline realistic - addressed grief without diving into trauma. Can compare to Remarkably Bright Creatures.

“So, remember, keep being curious. But most importantly, keep caring.”

Oooh I got very teary at so many points of this book. Deeply emotional, every page was touching and thought provoking. Very glad I read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Tortoise’s Tale is a unique story about a giant tortoise whose longevity stands decades and the unique relationships that are built from the tortoise’s point of view. If you enjoyed the book, Remarkably Bright Creatures, than this is a must read for you! The author does a great job with describing the tortoises emotions and view points that sometimes you forget that the main character is an animal.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The Tortoise’s Tale follows the life of a giant tortoise named Magic—also known as Shelley or Daisuke—after she is taken from the wild and brought to live on a Southern California estate. Told from Magic’s point of view, the novel chronicles her experiences with the various families who come and go over the years. Subtle references to real historical events—such as the Vietnam War, changing U.S. presidents, Hollywood celebrities, California wildfires, and COVID—are woven throughout. At times, the references were so understated that I found myself doing a bit of research to confirm what was being alluded to.

What begins as a cute story about a tortoise and her life among the rotating tenants of the estate gradually shifts into something much sadder. Although I haven’t read any of Kendra Coulter’s other work, I understand she writes about animal rights—something I personally care about as well—so I appreciated the deeper message. That said, I tend to prefer books with happy endings, and the end of the book was so sad to me. I believe the author’s aim was to strike a hopeful tone while also highlighting important issues about how animals in captivity are treated and what their lives are like by giving Magic these anthropormorphic characteristics such as loving music, wanting to learn geography and keeping up with historical events. The ending left me feeling more sad than hopeful though and I would have liked to know more about the lives of the tenants that weren't mentioned again after they moved on.

This sweet story, told by a giant tortoise who was captured in her youth and spends her life in a sprawling, enclosed estate, grew on me. A commentary on people and society, without preachiness it offers its insights gently and, at times, with humor. Coulter maintains the voice of the narrator, the tortoise who has various names over her long life, throughout the story, and she is a character I will miss now that the story is done. The reader is also introduced to a cast of characters who reside at or visit the estate, some of whom establish significant relationships with the tortoise and also give a perspective of what is going on in the world outside the estate’s wall. Through the tortoise, Coulter asks us to recognize the animals around us as sentient beings and to respect their integrity. If she opens some eyes, kudos to her.

This is a very sweet book that is narrated by a tortoise who lives on an estate in Southern California for many years. It begins in the early 20th century and the tortoise tells of the various owners and their families, visitors, and the different interactions she experiences over the years. She is a very docile creature who is at the mercy of these people, yet she seems to have a positive outlook overall. The story is all hers, and the reader experiences it through her eyes and observations. It is a quiet, soothing, restful story, and I can recommend it to anyone with an imagination. It may well be compared to Remarkably Bright Creatures. Thank you NetGalley for letting me preview a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Tortoise's Tale was a beautiful story about an introspective tortoise called Magic. Through the years, many names were given but this one stuck. I think many readers will compare this to Shark Heart or Remarkably Bright Creatures and they shouldn't. This one is quite different. Much knowledge and factoids are dropped about tortoise life and I enjoyed that part as well as the underlying story. It's a little slow at the beginning...maybe a reminder for us all to slow down!

Review link coming soon.

Reader friends … this is the novel that you probably didn’t know you needed in your life. And, yes, it’s narrated by a tortoise. On the surface, it may sound a little silly, but this is a powerful book with deep, thought-provoking messages.

High-level, it’s a novel about family, love, compassion, and hope. But, tortoises live hundreds of years, and the world and its changes – seen through the lens of a tortoise living in LA – are painted for readers over centuries.

Because this story is told by a tortoise, there is no room for sanctimony and preachiness about changes in the environment, pandemics, and changes in human behavior. This tortoise states facts without judgement and, frankly, she cuts humanity a heck of a lot more slack than I ever would.

I am admittedly easy to cry … but this one really touched some emotional depths – possibly because of my great affinity for wildlife, but also because of my sadness at the way humans treat wildlife, and access to them – like a ‘right.’ Again, the book is story-centric, so it’s not preachy about this human-wildlife reality (though I hope this story will make lots of people think).

And, yes, there’s anthropomorphism in this novel – hello, talking tortoise with a thirst for knowledge (the wise tortoise trope WORKS) – but, to me, it simply illustrates what most of us know: animals communicate, they grieve, they form bonds, they feel. They are worth revering, saving, loving, and being left to the wild.

There are instances of hope, heartbreak and compassion through this novel, and I adored the way the author kept track of time through various songs and styles of music (which the tortoise appreciated).

The novel also paints some wonderful moments in the world's future that make us wonder if scientific breakthroughs may be possible in the end – if a reversal of historic human interference in the animal kingdom might, somehow, be possible. And there is a hat-tip to the power of girls, of women, in our uncertain future.

I loved, loved, loved this book. It is fitting that the author leads the world’s first university major in animal ethics and sustainability leadership in Canada. I’m game for her next novel: one-hundred percent!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved every page.

Tender, thought-provoking and unique. A lovely book, covering over 100 years of US history from the perspective of a tortoise, who watches the changes via a family living on the Southern California estate where she lives.

Recommended.

This was just ok for me. It felt very slow and I wouldn’t really compare it to shark heart or remarkable bright creatures.

3.5 stars rounded up.
Minor spoilers included in review.

This story's first person narrator is a giant tortoise named Magic (though she goes by other names throughout the course of the story). Magic resides at an upscale estate in Southern California amongst other animals and birds, whom she compassionately "supports" by her ongoing presence. Many people come and go throughout Magic's life at the estate, and she bonds with several of the female characters. She pays close attention to the differing musical styles that are the hallmarks of each new era she lives through, giving the reader historical time markers as the story progresses.

Magic and her cohorts live through the rise of big band, jazz, R & B, funk, disco, 80's pop and on. Through out each era, Magic learns about social issues such as women's rights, LGBTQ rights, and climate change.

My opinion of the story is that it tried to do and say too much. Is this a work of historical fiction? A treatise on social issues? I don't know. What I do know is that the first half of the story felt a little lost and unfocused. The first person narrator is a tortoise and the author struggled with how much human knowledge and feelings to attribute to her. At times Magic was just a simple tortoise with simple thoughts and at other times, she was capable of learning literature, the nuances of musical style, and expressing complex human emotions. This felt inconsistent.

In the second half of the book, the story really take off. The narrator moves from introspection to experiencing a lot of action and change. In her best moments, Magic reflects on the significance of love and relationships and what it might mean to outlive everyone that she loves.

My least favorite parts of this book felt like the author beating the reader over the head with her social and political opinions. Nearly all female characters are good and noble while many human male characters are deeply flawed and chauvinistic. Details of climate change and the rights of animals to remain in their homelands become themes that the narrator, a tortoise, ruminates upon deeply, which begins to feel disingenuous.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This quaint book is a quick read, but it delivers quite the impact. Told from the perspective of a giant tortoise, we catch snippets of American history and observe human interactions. Magic (she holds other names throughout her 150yr lifetime, but this is the main one) is living in captivity in California with no knowledge of where she came from and what lies beyond the garden she exists in. We watch her form tight loving bonds with various humans who filter through the house and gardens throughout the years. Her bond with Lucy throughout the years was particularly touching.

The novel is very lyrical and feels like a memoir. We piece together where we are in history with only a handful of grounding points (JFK, Beyonce, Stayin' Alive, sickness etc). We are Magic as she watches movies for the first time, listens to music by the pool and attends school lessons with the children. Magic has great empathy for both the humans and the other animals in the garden too. Since she has such a long life span, we watch her welcome and mourn those who have an impact on her life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt hope and inspiration. I felt empathy and learnt about love, life and loss. Definitely recommend people pick this one up if they love books with lots of heart!