It was a great novel. Loved reading it and the writer is great. Would most likely read again and recommend to others.

Not what I was expecting.

I’m glad to see that there are lots of 5-star reviews on NetGalley for this book, however – I cannot share the same enthusiasm. I know it took place a long time ago, but the arrival of the elephant and removal from the ship and then the fanfare of getting it to the zoo, set all my conservation alarm bells ringing. It might sound like a pathetic excuse for not continuing to the end of the story, I’ve recently lost two elephants that were awfully close to my heart. They were wild and free, not in a zoo, however, I’ve felt their loss so deeply that the idea of an elephant having to face WW2 bombing and resettling in a cage, just overpowered me and I had to walk away from the story.

Imbali

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Absolutely brilliant book. I loved it! Have recommended to my friends. I just didn’t want to put it down, I loved the story and got so invested. Brilliant.

Belfast 1941. War is underway and whilst some men have gone away to fight, the war feels distant.

Hettie is still morning the loss of her beloved sister in childbirth, and her father who has disappeared, but takes solace in her job as a part time zookeeper. This solace becomes an antidote to loneliness and grief as she becomes the keeper for a young elephant at the zoo, Violet.

As their relationship build the war comes closer to Belfast’s shores threatening their lives and friendship.

Saying any more will ruin the story but this is a fabulous book. Inspired by the true story of Denise Weston Austin and Shiela the elephant, the love between Hettie and Violet is palpable throughout the book.

The descriptive writing is beautiful and the author brilliantly paints the scene of Belfast. I particularly enjoyed Violet’s arrival and walk from the port to the zoo, I felt like I was there.

No punches are pulled either on the reality of sectarianism, the IRAs hope for a German victory, and the tragedy of civilian bombings and their consequences for people and animals.

This is why I love historical fiction. I’d highly recommend.

A historical fiction novel, based on true events, that is a joy to read.
Belfast 1945 and Hettie has become zookeeper to Belfast’s newest arrival, Violet the elephant. Their bond develops as WW2 unfolds and Belfast is blitzed.
Hetties character is immediately likeable and I instantly connected with her. As the storyline and her character develop you realise how much she needs her work with Violet, and how much her relationship with Violet is healing her.
Learning more about Northern Ireland during the war, especially the views of the IRA of the Nazis is fascinating.
Whilst I would describe The Zookeeper of Belfast as heartwarming, there are moments of sadness and poignancy as well as suspense. Without giving away any spoilers hiding an elephant is stressful!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

A beautiful book based on a true story. Was absolutely incredible to read. I can not wait to find more from author!!

This book was not like the recent others I have read on this theme. It is historical fiction based on actual facts and WWII in Belfast. Our lead protagonist is Hettie ( the eponymous zookeeper), a girl grieving losses in her family and wanting to further her career at the Zoo that she works in.
There is a lot to unpack in the narrative: We have Hettie trying to find her place in the world, sort out her feelings for her mother and their life, figure out how to survive in such a turbulent time and finally (and unfortunately, a lot of time is devoted to this), her love life. The first and last may seem to be the same topic, but they are dealt with differently, and thus the distinction arose in my mind. I am not claiming that a girl on the cusp of womanhood and starting to live her own life would not have her mind occupied with boys and her feelings for those around her, but in this case, the way it was presented was not very palatable( to me), it took away from the emotional complexities of the rest of her life. It had some heart-rending moments when it came to the animals. The care of them did grab my attention.
The Zoo's animals, the man in charge of the Zoo and the actual owner all drift in and out of the story, and each has a pretty compelling role that is not explored to the extent I hoped. It is not a bad story by any means; I just hoped for a different focus. The story of a struggling female zookeeper would have been way more to my taste than of a girl trying to figure out who she is attracted to and why. It is set in difficult times, and people's conflicting thought processes in the same town were fascinating. I did learn something about a new place in a given time in history, it was easy reading for the most part, and I am glad I picked it up.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

“In a way, taking care of the elephant was restoring some part of herself, a part of herself she didn’t know existed until she met Violet on the quayside of Belfast all those months ago”

There’s something about a relationship with animals that is so redemptive and healing, and this latest novel from S. Kirk Walsh demonstrates this so beautifully.

It’s 1941, Belfast is in the midst of countless bombings, and, in the midst of her grief, Hettie Quin has become Belfast Zoo’s first ever female zookeeper – a role she takes responsibly and with a huge desire to prove herself, particularly against her fellow male counterparts.

Violet a three year old Indian elephant arrives and after some shifting around of staff at the zoo, Hettie becomes her main keeper. It is only a matter of weeks before the two of them develop a strong connection and a special form that underpins the rest of the book. It doesn’t take long for Walsh to develop Hettie, and indeed Violet, as characters and it is easy to become connected to them both very quickly.

The story progresses through the events of the Blitz, and to ensure the safety of the city, certain decisions are made regarding the animals at the zoo. What this leads to is a tale of resilience, determination and ultimately love – where Hettie has to do all she can to save someone she loves – Violet.

This book is packed with action, and there are also elements of romance. At times, Hettie’s male encounters are distracting from the main plot, and I would have loved to see more about the relationship between Hettie and Violet, their experiences together and how it all fits within the context of the zoo.

Walsh does not sugar coat anything, sexual encounters are retold in crude detail which doesn’t always seem necessary in terms of the wider story. Very graphic and emotive events involving the animals do occur. Please do check for trigger and content warnings if you are sensitive to animal violence. Chapter 9 in particular was extremely gruelling, emotive and difficult for me personally to get through. I read it as fast as I could and then had to put the book down to process. The horror of the incidents really come through with the lack of sensitivity around this – and I guess that is the point – shock value. It works. It had me in tears.

The main action in this book happens in the last third, making the start a little bit of a slow build at times, even with the subplot (distractions?) of Hettie’s romantic liaisons.

It is important to remember that as historical fiction, this book is inspired the true story of Denise Austen who hid Sheila the elephant in her back yard to keep her safe from the raids- I’d have loved more of an author’s note to explain which elements or characters in the story were true, embellished or entirely fiction.

Ultimately, this book shows us how a special connection – whether with a human or creature, can be incredibly healing. Hettie is overwhelmed by grief, but her relationship with Violet and her determination to save her keeps her head above water. Courage, friendship and compassion are key themes and overall this book was an incredible read.

Please note: I was provided with a copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.

The Zookeeper of Belfast by S Kirk Walsh is a beautiful, heart-breaking, charming story based on actual events that occurred at the beginning of WW2.

The arrival of a new young elephant for Belfast Zoo provides much excitement as it is painstakingly unloaded on the docks. Hettie Quin is a young, new part-time employee of the zoo and is there to help.

The elephant is walked through the city and along the Antrim Rd to the zoo almost without mishap - an "encounter" with a vegetable shop is resolved between the greengrocer by Mr Wright the manager of the zoo.

Before long the however the Nazis turn the attention of their night-time bombing missions to Belfast; people including Hettie's mother head to the bomb shelters for safety and some very difficult decisions have to be made as far as the welfare of the animals and the local community are concerned.

Hettie is a great character who quickly establishes a bond with Violet and goes on to prove herself in spite of her ongoing bad luck. Her bravery and fortitude undoubtedly contributed to the ongoing viability of Belfast zoo during and after this period.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
The Zookeeper of Belfast is a beautiful historical fiction novel based on a true story. Despite the author being American, she has researched well and the book successfully creates the atmosphere of wartime Belfast. You can almost hear the bombs dropping. It also deftly covers sectarian tensions which still affect Belfast to this day. This is a touching coming of age story about a young woman, Hettie Quin, who despite her mother's expectations, defeats the odds and becomes the first female zookeeper in Belfast Zoo during WW2, all while developing a close bond with one of the elephants. I was sad to finish it and leave the characters behind, a sign of a good book!

As soon as I saw this on NetGalley to request I did it straight away. I read the description and thought this sounds like a good read! I’ve recently started to enjoy historical/war fiction more, it’s not usually a genre I choose.

I enjoyed this book, it was a bit slow starting and the chapters are soooo long but sometimes I was that invested in the story that I forgot how long I was in a chapter for.

The book had some very likeable characters, especially the main character Hettie, she is a wonderful character, a zookeeper at Bellevue Zoo hoping to become full time and care for the newly arrived elephant 🐘 Violet. I loved how determined she was to get her dream of becoming a full time zookeeper and I was so happy when she was given that chance. The bond between Hettie and Violet was beautiful and I thought how she put everything on the line to make sure Violet was safe was just amazing.

I thought it was fascinating reading about life in Belfast during WWII but also extremely heartbreaking. The book has so much description and is very well written. Some of the book was very disturbing especially because of a decision that was made about the dangerous animals in the zoo and the fact that so many bombs were being dropped. As an animal lover, that was a difficult chapter to read.

My downside to the book was how it ended, just very sudden and flat. You know when you just want a bit more to an ending? It was kind of like that. But despite this - it was a great book to read.

Book received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hettie is the first female zookeeper in Belfast Zoo and is granted the charge of Violet the 3 year old elephant. Meanwhile ww2 is ongoing and air raids on Belfast start. The story follows Hettie's quest to save Violet and the impact of the air raids on belfast.
The storyline could've been great but it was like to much was crammed into to little pages, we have a dead sister, air raids, a dead mother, the IRA, the Zoo, but nothing is covered in any depth. The ending felt very rushed and overall It was as though the author had tried to write 5 books in one.
It was an easy and relatively enjoyable read (apart from the sudden ending) but it didn't leave a lasting impression or me wanting to find more from the author.
A shame as I had high hopes based on the first half, sadly the second half didn't live up to them.

An absolutely delightful read! It’s a heartwarming adventure story of a plucky young woman and a her animal friend. It is based on a true story which is fascinating! When I finished this book I was left with a warm fuzzy feeling and wanted to read it all over again.

Hettie works at the Zoo during the war. She becomes the first female zookeeper. With food shortages it's decided by the government that some animals should be slaughtered. Hettie is determined to save the baby elephant.

I really enjoyed this book about the Zoo. It's based on a true story. It must have been so difficult. With the war, the IRA and everything it entails this is quite a powerful read. Although it is quite a dark storyline it is also uplifting and full of hope.

Description
As the bombs rain down on the city, Belfast's first ever female zookeeper must fight to save the baby elephant in her charge in this gripping, uplifting tale based on a true story.

Such a quaint and poignant book set during World War II in Belfast. The war is raging on, and Belfast suffers hard from the bombings. At the same time the IRA is actively seeking funding and helping out Germans against the English. No one can be trusted.

Hettie has taken a low paying job at the zoo. Her no-good of a father is gone, her sister has died, and her brother-in-law is an IRA activist. The world has gone mad. Hettie is taking care of a young elephant that has arrived at the zoo. Then its decided that all dangerous animals at the zoo will be killed. Hettie wants to save the new elephant.

I am not a fan of zoos, but I wanted to read about this interesting subject about war and animals. Times were naturally different back then, and during war anything seems possible. Hettie is such a strong character. She is going through so much, too much, more that one person can handle. Yet she carries on. What other choice is there really? You just had to be tough back then.

The book is tackling several heavy issues, but in the end is not too dark of a read. It is still hopeful, even though I doubt it felt like there was a lot of hope in those days. It is a surprisingly fast read, because it is well-written and the story moves forward without stalling for too long dwelling around an event.

What a great book thoroughly enjoyed throughout read it super quick didnt want to put it down....would definitely recommend this book to others

amazing story of belfasts only female zookeeper set during the war and featuring violet the little elephant i so enjoyed this book .it takes in the bombings of belfasts docks and surrounds and the loss of life which is harrowing but overall a wonderful read .

Omg this book made me smile made me cry. Coming from Belfast and remembering going to Bellevue Zoo this really captured my heart. What a brilliant zookeeper.