I loved this book!! It’s a quick, thoughtful read that pulls you in gently and before you know it, you’re completely invested… in a turtle. The best character if you ask me.

I found myself rooting for the tortoise more than the humans, which is a testament to how beautifully Kendra Coulter writes about the natural world and the quiet strength of her animal characters.

This story offers insight, heart, and just the right amount of hope. A lovely, memorable read.

The Tortoise's Tale is a remarkable read detailing the long life of a tortoise as she watches the years pass on a Californian estate, making friends, experiencing loss, learning, and growing. Filled with rich and vivid characters bursting with life and intricate vocabulary that was incredibly refreshing, The Tortoise's Tale is a must-read for anyone who loves animals, music, art, history, conservationism, learning, and life. This debut novel from Kendra Coulter is wonderfully well-researched and incorporates Japanese, Hispanic/Latinx, Indigenous, and queer culture in the best and most natural way. Coulter chronicles what it means to be human through the eyes of a tortoise, exploring themes such as love, loss, imagination, activism, music, nature, and much more. I am genuinely delighted by the notion that Fleetwood Mac's Sara was based on Daisuke Magic (her most common name throughout the novel) and that Billy Joel enjoyed the company of this marvelous creature. This book felt like a hug through life's celebrations and losses, uniquely appreciating the simple pleasures of life and its pitfalls. As I write this review, I am listening to one of Daisuke Magic's favorite songs, Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees, in her honor. I cannot recommend this book enough!

It's easy to guess that Kendra Coulter is an animal rights and environmental concerns person. What you can't guess is that her first novel is an engrossing and magical tale of the life of a100 plus years old tortoise. This female tortoise has many names which come from different people she meets on the property in California that she has been brought to.

Told in the first person, Coulter spins a web of history and experience filled with deep emotion and lovely descriptions. You can taste the sweetness of mango on the tongue of this believable creature.
Small children, parents, musicians and employees of the property grow up, grow old, age and become the connections to place, time and history that affect the life of this entrancing creature.

Of course you know that the author's whole purpose is to make you aware and sensitize you to what we are doing to our planet and those who live on it. you will be exposed to other exotic animals, and some not so exotic (like chickens) and you will be sad to see the story of Magic end. But hopefully, you will stop eating animals and using plastics.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and net Galley for offering me a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and these are my own opinions.

This novel is spectacular! I highly recommend it for all collections. It's a reflective story with so much heart. I will think about this tortoise and her narrative for many years to come. Coulter expertly crafted a powerful story about the importance of species diversity and how crucial it is that we all support each other. There's humor, music, and existential perspective. Love love love this book!

This book was a really fun read. If you liked "Remarkably Bright Creatures", you will also like this one. It's the story of a rare turtle that lived for over a hundred years in a garden of a rich American family. He watches the different families move in and out of this mansion over the years and gets to know them. I know, it's a stretch but it was interesting seeing things from a turtle's vantage point. I recommend it.

This is a really sweet, lyrical tale, one that I think a lot of readers will really enjoy! It's clear that the author has so much affection and respect for the tortoise, and the story reflects that.

Ultimately, for me personally, the novel felt more like a series of vignettes vs. a cohesive story. I think that was the intention, so I'm not faulting the author here at all, but I found the comparisons to Remarkably Bright Creatures to ring false. I also thought that the tortoise - for as smart and articulate as she was - could sometimes be very dense in moments, and that juxtaposition bugged me.

Again, this is a really well written book, and many many readers will enjoy it! For me it was just a bit of a drag to get through.

I received an ARC of this distinctive novel through NetGalley.

This is a beautifully written fictional memoir of a tortoise, a tortoise who lived for well over 100 years. The tortoise is the narrator in this book. She (the tortoise) was given several names over its life, but I will go with Magic. Magic spent the majority of her life on a large estate in Southern California. She was the only tortoise on the property but other animals, including a monkey, donkeys, chickens, a peacock and others shared the space.

Magic observed the coming and going of many people over the years. Magic was kind, sensitive and had good instincts. Some people ignored her, others disrespected her, but mostly she was beloved, especially by Lucy. Lucy enters the story as a very young girl and she eventually becomes a powerful woman in Hollywood. But Magic and Lucy always had a special relationship.

This really was a memoir, not a story with a plot. Magic is an appealing character. The reader is treated to all of Magic’s insights. The book was a little light on drama or special moments, but this was a pleasant read.

I really want to enjoy and love/like this book. If I had just picked it up I would not have finished it but since it was an ARC I felt obligated to f8nish it. At times it was entertaining, though very inconsistent. And much like the tortoise it just plodded along. For a tortoise with such depth of understanding and command of the Enlish language (she was extremely impressed when some used the word humbling correctly) she was clueless….

I think more authors should write books from the animal's pov. This book is so captivating, charming, and beautifully written.

What a neat story!
It is told by the actual main character who happens to be a giant tortoise!
It goes through her life (150 years) and all the changes and feelings when with humans and others who reside on a lovely, large compound in California.
Time marches on for humans much faster than a tortoise.
I enjoyed how "Magic" felt about some of the folks who would spend time with her and actually share themselves with this beautiful, reptile!

It is a quick, unique read that I think most will enjoy!

Thank you to @NetGalley and to @Simon&Schuster for this ARC and allowing me to provide my own review.

What an emotional ride. I enjoyed seeing the last century unfold through Daisuke/Magic/Shelley/Fern's eyes and liked the references to world events so it was apparent where the story was in time. The relationships that were cultivated throughout were heartwarming. The insightful introspection of the tortoise made her one of the most likeable characters I've read in a long time. While her story surpassed our current time and offered a bleak outlook for the future of humanity, I was glad that Magic endured and outlived us all.

Kendra Coulter’s debut novel is a refreshing memoir-esque storytelling through the eyes of a giant tortoise named, well she has had many names in her long life such as Daisuke and Magic. Magic brings us along on her journey as she unravels the mystery of humanity, the intricacies of human connection and folly, and how it affects the animals who came before us; the animals whom we stole lands from and still expect to act humanly. It is a call-out to our society to be more mindful and courteous of all animals; how our actions and ways of living negatively affect their lives/survival. Daisuke/Magic serves as an outsider’s point of view on humans and our society’s failing systems, ranging from education access to ableism.

Given Coulter’s background and advocacy for animals, her stance is made clear in the first few chapters of the book on how disruptive and inhumane it is to capture animals from their place of origin is, and subsequently relocate them to an entirely new environment that may or may not be suitable for the species.

A wide range of social, ethical, and sometimes political topics are subtly (or not) discussed in this novel. So much so that I could not fathom writing a sufficient enough review for how profoundly this piece of literature has touched my soul.

This novel would be a great asset for college level ethics classes or for book clubs to discuss the various topics brought to light. I’m beyond excited to get a physical copy of this book.

This novel about a Giant tortoise named Magic living in captivity in California, far from her native home, has left me at a loss for words. We experience humans through Magic’s eyes and so many times what I saw brought me to tears. But it will also make you smile and make you think. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. If you liked Remarkably Bright Creatures you will probably love this one.

**thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review **

This book was really enjoyable. I can't say I ever thought I'd be reading a book from the perspective of a tortoise, but it was really good. Very interesting to live through the lens of the tortoise and enjoyed the subtle references made through the book as well.

This book gave me Shark Heart and Remarkably Bright Creatures vibes. Turtles are my favorite, and I've long been fascinated with them. The Tortoise's Tale will be perfect if you love history and can believe the unbelievable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Let me start by saying: the description I first read of this novel does not do it justice. What unfolds within these pages is something far deeper, more luminous, and quietly more powerful than I ever expected.

This novel is written not only with lyrical grace, but also with wisdom and intellectual depth. There’s a certain sparkle threaded throughout; the kind that quietly glimmers in the connections between characters, in their personal growth, and most extraordinarily, through the eyes of the great tortoise, Magic.

Words fall short when it comes to describing how fully my heart melded into this story. I devoured every page. With every moment of joy, I felt lifted. And with every inevitable loss, every brush with grief, I was right there, aching too.

I especially appreciated the clever nods to Hollywood celebrity life as it added a fun and sharp layer of commentary. But what struck me most was the novel’s message. As someone who already cares deeply for all animals and makes it a life priority to do so, I found myself deeply moved and full of hope. Hope that others, perhaps those not already so connected, might be changed, awakened, or made better by reading this story.

Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster and Kendra Coulter for the opportunity to read this beautiful story.
Welcome to my heart, Magic the giant tortoise.

Magic lives with a variety of unique wildlife on a large luxurious California estate, where she is also referred to as Daisuke, by the estate’s Japanese gardener.

Here, for decades and decades, she keeps a keen eye on the comings and goings of the many inhabitants of the home.

Hers is the only POV we are granted in this long journey so we are left to surmise a lot on our own. This was part of the fun of this novel.

Magic is observant and ethical and her thoughts are deep and pure. In human form she might be a cross between Queen Elizabeth and Audrey Hepburn.

She respects and reveres all beings , animals and humans alike, and humbly expects the same in return.

Multiple times throughout the novel I was moved to tears by her tender heart, her immense empathy, and her desire for deeper connections with others.

She has favorites that come in and out of her life, and when she became lonely or sad for them, she really broke my heart.

She lives so many, many years, and becomes attached and says goodbye to animals and humans she loves.

Her comments on the human experience are really quite thoughtful, and she loves with her whole, big, beautiful heart.

This book was an experience, an odyssey, it was unlike anything I’ve read before. I could have lingered in her dreamy world forever.

I hated to say goodbye to this character, she will live rent free in my heart and mind for a long, long time.

Five enthusiastic stars for this unforgettable and enjoyable journey.

This is a book told from the tortoise's POV so there is a lot of uniqueness in this story. It is a very slow read and felt like there was no point to the plot at times. It was a good read but wasn't my favorite.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Tortoise’s Tale by Kendra Coulter is a memoir-style story as narrated by a large, sentient tortoise. The tortoise, whose name changes depending on which character is present, is intelligent, perceptive, and dignified. Living at a stately home in California that undergoes many iterations as a family home, wellness center, hotel and music production studio, the tortoise is exposed to a family over generations and many of the socially important elements of the 20th century.

Like the majestic tortoise, this book dawdles and plods. The storyline is very arms-distance, and the plot line is relatively low stakes. Even when tragedies befall the family, the events are always told with a sense of remove. While this makes sense, narratively, as the tortoise isn’t exactly at the center of say, RFK’s assassination, it does create a very slow and somewhat placid plot.

I think that the pacing throughout is somewhat uneven. Certain sections span chapters, despite not being all that interesting, and other rather large moments or decades seem to get a passing glance. It’s hard to tell what has weight in this story, or even how time is progressing. In other stories, this inconsistent spacing could create a sense of disorientation or inconsistency for effect. This seems unintentional, and at times gives the narrative the feeling of being stuck in an accordion.

The thing that I think is best about this story is that the author manages to make the narrator very charming and loveable. For people who like gentle, feel good stories, this would be an excellent read.

For me, this was a somewhat flat read. The story very easily could have had more depth, whimsy, or history, but didn’t really deliver. The story was at times placid and shallow. The tortoise serves as a sort of arms distance narrator, but never fully delves into anything with real fervor.

I’m raging this a 3.25/5, with the reservation that I know people who would rate this much higher. The gentle storytelling and slower pace could be very nice for those seeking a unique and cozy read.

This will be one of favorites for this whole year. If you were a fan of Marcellus from Remarkably Bright Creatures, you'll love this one, told from a tortoise's pov. It's nostalgic, as she was alive through the 20th and much of the 21st centuries, and tried to interpret the happenings from her perspective. It's like a great big hug of a book, but with substance, too. It's one I keep thinking about after finishing it, and would recommend it to anyone who is an animal lover.