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Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo [Paperback]

Julia Stuart (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Mar 2010

A poignant, magical and completely original novel that you can’t fail to love, for fans of Joanne Harris.

Meet Balthazar Jones, Beefeater at the Tower of London. Married to Hebe, he lives and works in the Tower, as he struggles to cope with the tragic death of his son Milo, three years ago.

The Tower of London is its own magical world; a maze of ancient buildings, it is home to a weird and wonderful cast of characters - the Jones's of course, as well as Reverend Septimus Drew, the Ravenmaster, and Ruby Dore, landlady of the Tower's very own tavern, the Rack & Ruin. And, after an announcement from Buckingham Palace that the Queen's exotic animals are to be moved from London Zoo to the Tower's grounds, things are about to become a whole lot more interesting…

Komodo dragons, marmosets, and even zorillas ('a highly revered yet uniquely odorous skunk-like animal from Africa') fill the Tower's menagerie – and it is Balthazar Jones's job to take care of them. Things run far from smoothly, though – missing penguins and stolen giraffes are just two of his worries!

A touching, magical and entirely original debut.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: HarperPress (4 Mar 2010)
  • Language: Unknown
  • ISBN-10: 0007345232
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007345236
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 19.9 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 293,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Julia Stuart
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Product Description

Review

'From start to finish, it's an absolute delight and I enjoyed every comical, poignant and heart warming moment.' --IndieLondon

`A perfect suggestion for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; highly recommended' --Library Journal (US)

'the book will steal your heart' --People Magazine (US)

'perfect summer confection...every-page amusing' --Denver Post (US)

'delightfully zany and touching'
--Washington Post (US)

'a delightful gem of a novel, filled with absurdity, hilarity and poignancy in equal measures.'
--New Zealand Herald
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute treat to read. 29 May 2010
By Pyewacket TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This novel reminded me in some ways of Tom Sharpe's books in that it made me laugh out loud in many places thus frightening the life out of my husband and 3 cats!

Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater at the Tower of London and married to Hebe a Greek lady. The one thing they had in common many years ago is now dead (don't want to say what as it maybe a spoiler), needless to say this death, instead of bringing them closer has driven a wedge bewteen them so much so that Hebe eventually packs her bags and leaves.

Back to the main story, there used to be a menagerie at the Tower of London and some bright spark has decried that all the animals gifted to the Queen are to be re-housed once again at the Tower. It falls to Balthazar to look after these animals who range from an Etruscan Shrew to a Zorilla. The Ravenmaster loathes these creatures and does his best to sabotage the whole idea but rather hilariously is thwarted by the upside down parrot who before it knocks itself unconscious comes out with a rather telling sentence........this was one of my laugh out loud moments.

The names of some of the characters are brilliant and suit them to a 'T'.....the Reverend Septimus Drew for instance really does conjure up in the mind a tall, skinny person who has a passion for the Innkeeper but his love is unrequited..............the Yeoman Gaolers predicament is funny too as he is constantly haunted by the ghost of Sir Walter Rayleigh.

In many ways this book is very, very funny but also quite sad and the author has done extremely well to bring the both together. It is a love story combined with a history story and has also inspired me to visit the Tower of London even if just to try and imagine these characters actually living there.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The most unique book I've ever had the pleasure of reading 19 Feb 2010
By Dinah93 VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
I am an avid reader, getting through at least a book a week. And despite this `Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo' is a real breath of fresh air, standing out from the run of the mill fiction I usually devour.

Balthazar met Hebe and fell in love immediately, despite leaving for the army the next day. Three years later they married, and so began their great love story. Despite Hebe not falling pregnant for over ten years, their love never falters, and their lives are completed when at the age of 38 Hebe finally conceives the child they have always longed for.

Balthazar Jones and his wife Hebe Jones moved to the tower of London when Balthazar accepts a job as a beefeater guiding the tourists and catching pickpockets at one of London's most popular attractions. Shortly after moving there their only son Milo dies unexpectedly, and Hebe and Balthazar, unable to understand their loss drift apart.

The tower of London once housed a menagerie which was home to all the animal gifts the queen has received from other countries. The book focuses around the decision to return these animals to the tower of London, and Balthazar's new role as keeper of the animals.

Meticulously researched, the history in this book is fascinating. The author has skilfully and unobtrusively woven this history into the plot, so it flows smoothly rather than being at odds with the actual incidents of the novel.

The return of the animals is a rebirth in Balthazar, and he starts to break out from his grief slowly. It seems that the one thing Hebe and Balthazar are unable to do together is face up to the loss of their son, however both concurrently start to face it in their own way.... Read more ›
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Humour, Love and Loss. Absolutely Stunning Read. 28 Jan 2010
By debbie8355 TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This book is a real delight to read. The quirky setting, endearing characters, genious pacing and tearjearking story are superb. The book is very atmospheric with the main settings being behind the scenes at the Tower of London (homes, pub and church) and a railway lost property office. The setting is modern day London but the book has a detailed old worldly feel from the Tower of London passages and history which merges hilariously with modern day life.
In this tale the Tower of London is 'reinstated' as the current Queen's menagerie/zoo with animals being transported successfully or not from London Zoo. I worried about the penguins throughout! At the centre of the story is rain collector and Beefeater Balthazar Jones and his wife Hebe who works at the lost property office. The supporting characters like the erotic fiction writing vicar are equally entertaining. Hebe's co worker who is often caught at the lost property counter in various 'lost' outfits by her timid suitor is outstanding. Themes of friendship, love and loss and compelling stories about owners being reunited or not with their belongings or loved ones make this a book you can't bear to put down.
I started reading this book in a bad mood with a headache but by the end of it I felt thoroughly uplifted and entertained. I will be reading other books by this author.
Very,very highly recommended. Fabulous 5 star entertainment with great humour and originality.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and quintessentially British 12 Mar 2010
By Joanne D'Arcy TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)
This book is the second by Julia Stuart, and I have to say better than the first. She manages to put the quirky into the books with such finesse, it is only when you have finished reading that do you realise that the book was something different.

This story is about love, and all kinds of it. Balthazar and Hebe married, but drifting apart, as Balthazar obsession with collecting rain, continue and he does not face up to the death of their son Milo. Their living situations leaves a lot to be desired, round walls, damp and graffiti from years past which is rather disturbing.

Valerie Jennings thinks she will never find love, and has sought solace in food and sitting in the armchair and the pop up leg rest. However she is always being caught at rather inopportune moments having dressed up in by her the ticket inspector who has obviously seen something in her and a new love relationship blossoms. Unrequited love between Rev Septimus Drew and the landlady of the Rack and Ruin, however her love of rats could cause some problems between them. Adulterous love in the form of the Ravenmaster and the lady from the Tower café, perhaps better known for her inedible food rather than her passion.

This theme of love is set around the Tower of London, as Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater, not one of the best with a bad record of catching pickpockets but this does not stop him being selected to be Keeper of the Royal Menagerie, when it is decided to move the animal gifts given to the Queen from around the world from London Zoo into the Tower. Here Balthazar finds himself in charge of some interesting creatures, lovebirds that will kill each other, a pining albatross, and a parrot that picks up some rather bad language after witnessing something he shouldn't.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars If you like Sunday night TV, this is the book for you..
Light, charming and funny, this is the literary equivalent of those Sunday night TV dramas like "Wild at Heart" or "HeartBeat"... Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. W. Hatfield
4.0 out of 5 stars Gentle and good English humour
I really enjoyed this gentle book. It was very English, full of great humour and the characters were very loveable. A nice easy read but a great story.
Published 4 months ago by NikkiFranki
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic read
I was given this as a present and wasn't sure about it on receiving it, however I finally decided to give it a go and I really wish I had read it sooner, it is a fantastic book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Gem
5.0 out of 5 stars Albatroses and lost false teeth! Balthazar Jones and the Tower of...
Unsure what to expect fromt the title, I was immediately gripped by the wonderful Balthazar and his wife who works in the Lost Property dept. of London Transport in Baker Street. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Barbara
4.0 out of 5 stars Bittersweet and engaging
Well, I just finished this one and what a joy!!
Quirky characters and a mad story but the sadness which runs through broke my heart. Read more
Published on 19 Feb 2011 by Louiseog
4.0 out of 5 stars Steeped in history, this is a lovely contemporary novel
I'd picked this book up in a bookshop, and put it down again, thinking it might be a bit twee - then I thought again and decided to give it a try. Read more
Published on 24 Oct 2010 by Annabel Gaskell
4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and whimsical tale of love and royal animals
Balthazar Jones is a Beefeater at the Tower of London, struggling with the death of his young son. When the Queen decides to move a number of animals given to her by foreign... Read more
Published on 17 July 2010 by AR
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me :(
I thought this would be just my kind of book; something a bit different and a bit quirky. For some reason I just couldn't get into it. Read more
Published on 16 July 2010 by Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars Towering read
This a lovely quirky book with a sense of humour and characters to match that will not lead you to Rack & Ruin. Read more
Published on 13 July 2010 by D Deacon
3.0 out of 5 stars Tries a bit too hard
I struggled to like this really. Julia Stuart seems to be trying to create quirky, interesting characters. Read more
Published on 25 Jun 2010 by PEF
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