This was a rare re-read for me and is such a lovely read! It really stands up to being read again and I’m really looking forward to reading the sequel which comes out in a couple of weeks.

Charlotte Walker is a vet who travels to the remote island of Tuga to study the tortoises who live there. However, the island has its own culture and way of life and soon Charlotte has to adapt her expectations and find her own rhythm there. I loved the writing, the characters and the setting - it’s a brilliant holiday read and such a thought-provoking book - it would make a great book club book. The island was really well imagined and the characters all stood out so well in their own different ways. Although Charlotte was the main focus, I also loved reading how they had all made their way to Tuga in their own different ways.

The plot line about Charlotte’s father was really interesting and I’m excited to learn more about her mother in the next book.

A great book, one that I really recommend.

Glorious Tuga indeed! I absolutely loved this book - all it's eccentric characters, it's wildlife, it's beautiful landscapes and it's charming story. The island and all it's idiosyncrasies are so perfectly imagined I'm sure I should be able to find Tuga in an atlas. The rich life and relationships of it's inhabitants so cleverly curated with charm, wit and grace, and Charlotte's bemused and sometimes challenging introduction to them beautifully told. It's truly a magical novel perfect to escaping into!

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage for this ARC.

Charlotte Walker, 29, a vet and academic herpetologist from London, has been given the chance to study the endangered gold coin tortoises on the fictional island of Tuga de Oro, a tiny British overseas territory in the South Atlantic, and the world’s most remote inhabited island, for a year. She's also keen on uncovering who her father is.

Unfortunately I didn't get on with this at all. I found it to be a jumble of a book with no clear story, dealing with Charlotte arriving on Tuga where no one really wants her to study tortoises but everyone tries to get her to be a proper vet for their farm animals. Then there is a weird love triangle with new doctor Dan (who has a fiancée) and handyman Levi, lots of unnecessary flashbacks and background stories of way too many various islanders and not enough tortoises.

Peculiar island life is portrayed vividly but it's not the light-hearted community story plus romance I had expected. In fact the writing style tries very hard to be literary and deep, and for me that didn't work. The story ends rather abruptly but that is because it's only book one in the trilogy. I liked how easily Charlotte integrated but that might also have to do with the choppy writing style that sometimes hops forward a few weeks.

2.5 stars

ermmm i wanted to just dive in and live in the front cover. so we were off to a fab start and that just carried on as the charm continued.
and to come to this book knowing it is the first in the series then even better! although now i have to try and make sure i get the chance to read the further books.
this book transported me and our vet Charlotte away for a year. an island you can only access for a few months of the year. and it is here where we get to learn about a whole host of characters both animals and humans. i loved all them! it felt almost like i was watching a sort of "death in paradise" type book in my head as i read this. it had the same light and charm and warmth through it. and who wouldnt love to be given a grant to research endangered tortoises. haha but it turns out no one is going to be listening to this when they want her to deal with so much more than the tortoises.
plus there is an added reason as to why Charlotte came to this island. she hopes she can figure out the biggest mystery in her own life.
this book bought me so much joy. and i keep coming back to that cover. that is how the whole book makes you feel. its gorgeous.

Charlotte is on her way to Tuga de Oro, a small island in the South Atlantic, to study the endangered Gold Coin Tortoises. During the journey, she suffers from severe seasickness and is attended to by Dan, who is returning to Tuga after 15 years in the UK to become the Chief Medical Officer.

They grow close, and Charlotte is shocked to learn that Dan is engaged.

Upon arriving on the island, Charlotte finds it challenging to adjust but soon becomes more involved in island life than she anticipated. She reveals another reason for her visit: solving a 30-year-old mystery.

The story is set in this unique location, a small island only accessible at certain times of the year and often requiring an expensive berth on a supply ship. The islanders mostly remain on Tuga their entire lives, with only a few travelling abroad for education and then returning.

The way of life on Tuga is portrayed vividly, highlighting the values and beliefs essential for survival. Charlotte's experiences are unusual and captivating, and it is rewarding to see her character develop. While she initially comes to study tortoises, her secret mission unfolds as the plot progresses, adding depth to her journey.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

I read Mother Ship by Francesca Segal when it was published a few years ago and found the writing to be so beautiful and heartfelt. Although Mother Ship is non fiction I was delighted to see she had written a new fiction book and read it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I couldn't put Welcome to Glorious Tuga down. I loved it from start to finish and was transported to Tuga. I wish Tuga was a real place I could visit and experience the way of life there. I loved Charlotte and Dan plus all the locals and can't wait to see what happens in the next book in the series.

A reminder to myself to google authors before I request their books on netgalley. I hope Segal has gained some sense since her 2009 article complaining about the "fanatical Islamism [...] tightening its grip on the country." I do find it amusing, in an unfunny way, how even back then, the seemingly best method of defending Israel was to say "well, other countries also commit atrocities". I find no evidence from the present day that she is no longer a Zionist.

Aside from that, the book itself is delightful. I spent a few years as a child on a small island with a population of circa 300, and a lot of this book rings true in terms of the unique habits of isolated islanders. I will say, there is a large emphasis on the population having a Portuguese background, while most of the 'non-english' words in the island's unique vocab are a bastardised version of Spanish. It also doesn't quite make enough sense that the population would be fully English-speaking and culturally dependent on England. It's clear that the author is going for the quaint and cozy angle so tries to shy away from what a realistic reason for this would be...

The writing really worked for me, and the characters were delightful although possibly too plentiful. Reading this was an enjoyable experience, truly an escapist palate cleanser and just what I needed at the moment. I do wish the book had more plot, especially to do with what is meant to be the central character's entire reason for going to the island - tortoise research. The book is clearly more of an establishing setup for the rest of the series, as we finish Welcome to Glorious Tuga with no story arcs finished and thus I am left unsatisfied.

I would not recommend monetarily supporting this author, but it would make for a great holiday read if borrowed from your local library. Personally I think I would continue the series, but not in a "reviewer" capacity.

A wonderful story of a remote island cut off from the rest of the world for part of the year due to the weather. Beautifully colourful characters and delightfully described island ways.
I loved how the characters developed and interacted. An easy but interesting read.

What a gorgeous, delightful, cosy read. Loved it ! Immerses the reader in the world created by the author, Francesca Segal, with great characterisation and sense of place. A wholly satisfying experience. Will definitely look out for more from this author. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publishers, Random House for this ARC

My absolute favourite book of 2024, Welcome to Glorious Tuga is something special. Warm and funny and full of brilliant, eccentric characters and a setting to swoon over, this is a perfect slice of summer escapism.

This really was glorious! What a great story, Charlotte is visiting Tuga for a year on a conservation project and meets Dan who is retuning to the island to be the new doctor after leaving for England as a teenager. It takes a while to keep up with who’s who, but once your halfway through you’re fully engrossed!!
Family secrets and heartbreak, it has everything - Loved it!