Historical Fiction: The Tortoise's Tale by Kendra Coulter

Kendra Coulter's The Tortoise's Tale attempts to answer the question of what it would be like to experience world events and history through the eyes of an animal, more specifically, a giant tortoise. The tortoise in Coulter's story will be given many names, while always living in the same place, as the human beings and other animals around her come and go, signifying the passage of time.

The Situation: Throughout her long life, the tortoise will be given many names. Daisuke, Magic, Shelley, Sara, Zaagi, Fern. She remembers little of her early life and how she came to live at her current residence in southern California. She remembers being taken and then brought to live in an expansive backyard with plenty of space to roam and flowers to eat, thanks to the gardener employed by the owner of the place. For the most part, she manages to entertain herself, and prefers it when the residents and their guests leave her be (unless they have a flower or some fruit to offer). Only Lucy is special, a young child that the tortoise wishes would visit more often and stay for longer.

The Problem: Not everyone who comes across the giant tortoise treats her with respect. Some believe it to be okay to place objects on her shell. Others poke her. One young man thinks it is a fun idea to push her into the swimming pool, which causes a problem since she is too big to simply lift back out of it. But despite these occasional transgressions, the tortoise lives a peaceful, and incredibly long life, taking in the events and monumental life changes of the human beings around her. She lives through marriages, births, deaths, presidencies, assassinations, celebrations, and many unthinkable tragedies, all while the question remains of who she is exactly, and how she came to be on this particular estate. 

Genre, Themes, History: This book is a work of fiction that is set almost entirely on a property in Hollywood, California, where the tortoise is first brought to live after being captured. It is here that the tortoise tells her story and witnesses over a century of not only human behavior, but also the behavior of various other animals that are brought to live on the property. As ownership changes, so does the crowd and general attitudes of the people around her. Sometimes outside guests and parties are a constant, other times the place feels empty, but peaceful. And one of the challenges of living a long life is having to endure the loss of those the tortoise loves. 

My Verdict: Having Magic (which is the name most often used for the tortoise throughout the book) be the narrator allows for a unique and nearly objective point of view for what is happening to the humans around her. Sure, she has her preferences and her favorites, but there are many things she witnesses that she is unable to comment on, while a human witnessing the same thing would be able to determine what is happening. The story is interesting enough, and certainly touching and poignant in places. The moments when Magic must relate a sense of loss or hurt are especially moving. I was most interested in the mystery surrounding Magic's origin, and unfortunately there was not as much focus on that.

Favorite Moment: I generally enjoyed Magic's slow movements and any time she would simply appear in a certain part of the yard, and a human being would turn and notice that a massive tortoise is near them. 

Favorite Character: Lucy first meets Magic when she is young girl and remains acquainted with the giant tortoise well into her adult life. She is the first human with which Magic becomes truly attached and delights in her presence. 

Recommended Reading: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt has sections that are told from the viewpoint of a giant octopus and would be a fun follow-up.