When vet Jonathan Hollins is woken up to be told that his 'old buddy is dead', he is none too happy. Has Jonathan, an Indian Ocean giant tortoise, alive in the time of Napoleon, died on his watch? The residents of St Helena would be sorrow-filled, and the author had bonded with the gentle tortoise. Hollins rushes to check on him.

 

When vet Jonathan Hollins is woken up to be told that his 'old buddy is dead', he is none too happy. Has Jonathan, an Indian Ocean giant tortoise, alive in the time of Napoleon, died on his watch? The residents of St Helena would be sorrow-filled, and the author had bonded with the gentle tortoise. Hollins rushes to check on him.

Hollins's days in therocky and harsh landscapes of St Helena and Tristan de Cunha are filled with adventures like this, such as dealing with mysterious toothfish deaths, cattle-murdring caterpillars and Monkat hysteria. The warm, close-knit communities of the islands welcome him with open  arms as he copes with several different varieties of animals and illnesses.

Hollins really has a talent for describing the beauty of these islands, and making the scientific details easy to understand. This is such a delightful read - I'd love to see a TV series based on this book. I am sure that it would be very popular.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.