“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.” — DEB OLIN UNFERTH, author of Barn 8
Musical aficionado. Foodie. Lover of justice and correct grammar. A rather novel novel.
A Library Journal and Eco Lit Books Best of 2025.
Starred reviews from Quill & Quire and Library Journal.
A November Goodreads pick.
“Readers are in for a treat.” Publishers Weekly
“Beautiful.” Booklist
Snatched from her ancestral lands, a giant tortoise finds herself in an exclusive estate in southern California. There she develops a fondness for music and begins to overcome her distrust of people thanks to Takeo, a gentle gardener who recognizes that she is someone with strong opinions and a sophisticated palate. The tortoise meets Lucy, the curious niece of the luxurious enclave’s owner, and they forge a powerful friendship that feels unbreakable. When the estate becomes a hot spot for aspiring rock stars, the tortoise embraces her role as muse with gusto and witnesses how diverse human harmonies and the mighty winds of social change both uplift people and tear them apart.
As time stretches forward, bringing raucous Hollywood parties, the arrival of animals both familiar and unexpected, and the inescapable ravages of a damaged planet, the tortoise remains an endearing and refreshingly honest narrator whose unique vantage point illuminates the wide-reaching effects of choice—or the lack thereof. But the more she learns about people, the more the tortoise wonders how exactly she fits into this world and just how old she really is.
The Tortoise’s Tale is a whimsical yet profound and humbling exploration of humanity’s complex journey and the roots and branches that connect us all. It is a heartfelt and moving testament to the entangled nature of hope, ideal for fans of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.
“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
Defending Animals: Finding Hope on the Front Lines of Animal Protection
“Accessibly told with equal parts policy, politics, and pathos, this may be one of those rare scholarly titles that can change the way a general audience sees the world.”
Literary Review of Canada
From the streets of major cities to remote farms and tropical forests, Defending Animals is a moving and hopeful portrait of the real work of animal protection that takes place in communities, courtrooms, and boardrooms.
Journey across the landscapes of animal protection to meet people and animals of all kinds, from cruelty investigators and forensic veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators and conservation leaders, to animal lawyers and entrepreneurs, each working in their own ways to defend animals. Bringing unparalleled research and a distinct and nuanced analytical viewpoint, Defending Animals shows that animal protection is not only physical, intellectual, and emotional work but also a labor so rooted in empathy and care that it just might bridge the vast divide between polarized people and help create a more humane future for us all.
Kendra Coulter 