The Tortoise's Tale: A Novel

(Hardback)

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Description

A century of American history unfolds through the eyes of a giant tortoise with a heightened awareness for live music, the location of edible flowers, and the nuances of human behavior in this spellbinding debut novel.

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.

The tortoises story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estates gardener, who sees her as a being with thoughts and feelings, not just a creature to be observed. The tortoises mind and heart are further expanded by Lucy, a young girl who names the tortoise Magic and shares a friendship that transcends species. Together, they witness the estates transformation into a haven for industry titans, politicians, and rock stars, each leaving their mark on the world and on Magics heart.

The tortoise embraces her role as a muse with gusto and witnesses how diverse human harmonies and the mighty winds of social change both uplift people and tear them apart. Over the course of her lifetime, the estate changes ownership, bringing raucous Hollywood parties, and animals both familiar and unexpected. There are also threats, as the estates idyll is not immune to the ravages of a damaged planet. Through each era, the tortoise remains a refreshingly honest and endearing narrator whose unique vantage point illuminates the transcendent power of compassion, the unexpected connections that shape how we see ourselves and each other, and the wide-reaching effects of choiceor the lack thereof.

The Tortoises Tale is a whimsical yet profound exploration of humanitys entangled journey, a call to recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and the potential for healing. Kendra Coulters debut novel is a moving portrait of resilience and hope, perfect for fans of Shelby Van Pelts Remarkably Bright Creatures.

Reviews

It is not an exaggeration to say I have thought about TheTortoises Tale almost every day since I first read it. Kendra Coulter has pulled a magic trick, penning a novel that is both a captivating story of resilience and connection imbued with humour and heart, as well as an urgent warning about the future of our planet, and how its survival rests on the way we treat all the beings who call it home. Propulsive, moving, and bursting with life, The Tortoises Tale will break your heart and then heal it again.
AMY JONES,author of Pebble & Dove
"You'd have to be a rock not to be profoundly moved by the voice of this gentle tortoise and the multi-species community she cares for. This book is powerful, urgent, important, a new kind of story for a crazy centuryand with one of the most evocative and haunting endings Ive ever read. Gorgeous, and exactly what we need. I'd follow this tortoise and this author anywhere."
DEB OLINUNFERTH, author of Barn 8

Author Bio

Kendra Coulter earned a PhD from the University of Toronto and is a Professor at Huron University College at Western University where she leads the worlds first major in animal ethics and sustainability leadership. She is a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in England and the author of Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection. The Tortoises Tale is her first novel.