Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Come, Thou Tortoise
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
10 posts | 7 read | 10 to read
A delightfully offbeat story that features an opinionated tortoise and an IQ-challenged narrator who find themselves in the middle of a life-changing mystery. Audrey (a.k.a. Oddly) Flowers is living quietly in Oregon with Winnifred, her tortoise, when she finds out her dear father has been knocked into a coma back in Newfoundland. Despite her fear of flying, she goes to him, but not before she reluctantly dumps Winnifred with her unreliable friends. Poor Winnifred. When Audrey disarms an Air Marshal en route to St. Johns we begin to realize theres something, well, odd about her. And we soon know that Audreys quest to discover who her father really was and reunite with Winnifred will be an adventure like no other. Excerpt: Winnifred is old. She might be three hundred. She came with the apartment. The previous tenant, a rock climber named Cliff, was embarking on a rock-climbing adventure that would not have been much fun for Winnifred. Back then her name was Iris. Cliff had inherited Iris from the previous tenant. Nobody knew how old Iris was or where she had come from originally. Now Cliff was moving out. He said, Would you like a tortoise. I would not say no to a tortoise, I said. I was alone in Portland and the trees were giant. I picked her up and she blinked at me with her upside-down eyelids. I felt instantly calm. Her eyes were soft brown. Her skin felt like an old elbow. I will build you a castle, I whispered. With a pool. And I was true to my word. From the Hardcover edition.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
Meaw_catlady
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

Here is Tank! He looks so proud! That‘s strawberrry in his mouth not the blood of his enemies! #tortoisesoflitsy
@Trashcanman won the guessing game!! 🐢

Butterfinger He is awesome! 4y
Trashcanman Oh Dang , how much does he weigh? That's a cool photo. I prefer to think it's the blood of his enemies. 4y
Trashcanman Thank you for that unique give away 4y
See All 12 Comments
Meaw_catlady @Butterfinger I know right ! He‘s so cute ! 4y
Meaw_catlady @Trashcanman I think he‘s around 40 lbs or more but I don‘t think he‘s been weighed recently 4y
Chrissyreadit Congrats @Trashcanman 🎉🙌 4y
Branwen Omg he is so freaking gorgeous!!! 💖🐢💖 4y
Meaw_catlady @Branwen he really is!! Look at that smile! 💕🐢 4y
SconsinBookyBadger Awww Tank has a cute smile 🍓 🐢 4y
Megabooks So cute!! 💜💜 4y
Meaw_catlady @Mynameisacolour here tank is. A sulcata 4y
HeathHof 🤩🤩🤩 Tank is adorable!!! Thanks for tagging me . I just love tortoises, growing up we had a russian tortise named Helen 🐢🐢🐢 4y
47 likes12 comments
review
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
Pickpick

This is definitely a strange book, but strange in a generally charming way! Audrey is quite a singular character, and I appreciate any story where you get an animal‘s POV but it‘s not cheesy or sappy AF. I kinda want a whole book from Winifred‘s perspective! The time jumps were a little hard to follow, and it did feel a little dragged out in the last quarter or so, but overall it was fun and definitely something different ☺️🐢 3/5 ⭐️

quote
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant

The tension arose when I was first recruited by the Major General to clean up the living room and we pulled back the sofa and found a card shuffler, which my dad said was a gift from Patience. An idiotic gift, he said. Who can‘t shuffle cards.

I pointed out that a one armed man could not shuffle cards.

My dad looked abashed. You‘re right, he said.

[Audrey calling out ableism 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻]

quote
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

I also love compartments, and specifically loved airplane meals as a kid (back when flying was a thing I could do) for having everything in its own little compartment. Now I wish I‘d thought at least once to ask if I could keep the tray!! Also I feel slightly less weird for seeing this quirk validated in a book.

quote
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant

A grognard is someone who has just woken up and is not yet happy about it.

[Well then, that‘s me every morning!]

quote
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

Uh-oh. Am I going to have to hate Audrey?? Here‘s hoping this rule changes...

25 likes1 comment
blurb
alisonrose
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

Based on the bizarre synopsis, I probably never would‘ve picked up this book. But a booktuber I adore (April at GettingHyggeWithIt) absolutely loves it and her reviews made me decide to give it a chance. Plus, the title is a Shakespeare reference, so 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 #nowreading

AmandaEve I follow her too. She‘s such a joy to watch 😊 4y
alisonrose @AmandaEve She is! Just seems like such a kind and lovely person 4y
32 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Bibliogeekery
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image
Pickpick

This was a very sweet, enjoyable quirky read. It's narrated by a non-neurotypical woman and a tortoise. The book examines grief, loss, the importance of family and finding ways to live in the world that work for us. It's sad, it's funny, it's goofy and, at times profound. A great read!

63 likes4 stack adds
blurb
books.are.42
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

Curling up with this book tonight! I'm really enjoying it so far!

blissfullifeproject Welcome! 🤗😘 7y
3 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
Hagwork
Come, Thou Tortoise | Jessica Grant
post image

1 stack add