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Table of Contents
About The Book
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 tortoise’s story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estate’s gardener, who sees her as a being with thoughts and feelings, not just a creature to be observed. The tortoise’s 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 estate’s transformation into a haven for industry titans, politicians, and rock stars, each leaving their mark on the world and on Magic’s 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 estate’s 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 choice—or the lack thereof.
The Tortoise’s Tale is a whimsical yet profound exploration of humanity’s entangled journey, a call to recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and the potential for healing. Kendra Coulter’s debut novel is a moving portrait of resilience and hope, perfect for fans of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.
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 tortoise’s story is enriched by her bond with Takeo, the estate’s gardener, who sees her as a being with thoughts and feelings, not just a creature to be observed. The tortoise’s 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 estate’s transformation into a haven for industry titans, politicians, and rock stars, each leaving their mark on the world and on Magic’s 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 estate’s 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 choice—or the lack thereof.
The Tortoise’s Tale is a whimsical yet profound exploration of humanity’s entangled journey, a call to recognize the interconnectedness of all life, and the potential for healing. Kendra Coulter’s debut novel is a moving portrait of resilience and hope, perfect for fans of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.
About The Author
Sandra Dufton
Kendra Coulter earned her PhD at the University of Toronto and is a professor at Huron University College at Western University, where she leads the world’s 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 Tortoise’s Tale is her first novel.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 4, 2025)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668080962
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Raves and Reviews
“In The Tortoise’s Tale, Kendra Coulter reminds us that the key to empathy and understanding is to walk a mile in another creature's shell. This delightful story is all the proof we need that the human world is but a small measure of the earthly kingdom, and that every animal among us has something vital to teach us, if we can learn to listen. A book to read and reread, and a welcome source of inspiration in this era of diminishing nature.”
— ANDREW WESTOLL, bestselling author of The Jungle South of the Mountain
“A remarkable, unforgettable, wildly imaginative debut. The Tortoise's Tale is at once a powerful meditation on survival and humanity, and a moving life story from an incomparable narrator. Kendra Coulter writes with incredible nuance and insight, her prose beautiful and profound. One of the names for the titular tortoise is Magic, and it is fitting, because magic is exactly what this book feels like.”
— LAURIE ELIZABETH FLYNN, USA Today and nationally bestselling author of Till Death Do Us Part
“It is not an exaggeration to say I have thought about The Tortoise’s 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 Tortoise’s 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 century – and with one of the most evocative and haunting endings I’ve ever read. Gorgeous, and exactly what we need. I’d follow this tortoise and this author anywhere.”
— DEB OLIN UNFERTH, author of Barn 8
“An insightful, delightfully unique debut novel.”
— Quill & Quire, starred review
“[A] charming debut...readers are in for a treat.”
— Publishers Weekly
“The book is both beautifully written and thoroughly researched and will tug at the heartstrings, making readers feel invested in the fate of Magic and those she encounters.”
— Library Journal, starred review
“This quiet but beautifully written debut will resonate particularly with animal lovers and readers drawn to stories that explore the natural world and the slow but devastating effects of climate change. Written in an unhurried prose, Magic’s perspective offers meditations on love, nature, beauty, and cruelty, demonstrating how much can be witnessed when one simply lives long enough to see.”
— Booklist
“Reflective, with wry humor and a keen observational eye, The Tortoise's Tale provides an unusual perspective on human-animal relationships through an engaging creaturely lens.”
— ShelfAwareness
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