I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great story very well written I highly recommend.

Loved this story that is based on real events in Belfast during WW2. It was just a great book. I couldn't put it down. The insight into the animals and their bond with humans was delightful. This novel has its moments of good storytelling: complex characters, several conflicts that gain the reader’s interest, relationship issues, and this sets the stage for a great novel, however, the heroine makes some strange and uncharacteristic decisions involving the men in her life which detracts from the real issues playing out

This story is based on true events which I appreciate. I always enjoy books that teach me something about history that I did not know. I did not know anything about Ireland during WW2.

Hettie Quin is a young woman who is a zookeeper at the Bellevue Zoo in Belfast Ireland before the German Blitz in 1940. Hettie has been appointed in charge of a new-to-the-zoo three year old elephant, Violet. Hettie and Violet quickly form a unique bond.

In my humble opinion, the major issues with this book are editing weaknesses and not writing or storyline deficits. The author gives so much detail about details in the book that have no real impact or importance. And on the flip side, hardly any history about the unrest in Ireland during this time is explained. This is an important mistake because of a murder that is committed and there is a reference to the civil unrest and that is all. As a reader who has no knowledge of this history, I was lost and did not understand why this was relevant.

I think that this book just wasn't for me. While I do enjoy a WW2 timeline, and a unique one at that, the animals involved in the story hit me too hard.

This is a beautiful historical novel, well written, charming at times and completely readable. I enjoyed all the characters but especially the writing. Thank you Netgalley and Counterpoint Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The author managed to write a complete novel on one single event so it must be why I felt the story was slow at times. I completely felt Hettie’s pain throughout her story.

If you are an animal lover, beware this book is very hard.

Can you trust animals more than men? Hettie will find out in her journey as an elephant keeper at the Belfast zoo, the only female animal keeper!

I wish a note had been provided from the author to learn about real events. The story interested me enough to dig more and find out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This one really reminded me of The Zookeeper's Wife in a good way. The characters, both human and animal, stole my heart. I could really relate to Hettie as I'd be spending my time trying to ensure the safety of my animals as well over my own safety.

Thought provoking! It was so good and made me want more! I loved it and will definitely recommend it to friends!

There will never be enough stories for me to read about this time period and all the things that went on. I love reading about the survivors, even when they happen to be animal, rather than human. This story was so endearing and compelling and made me heart hurt, but feel love, so many times. It definitely brought out the compassionate side of me.

4/5 stars

The Elephant of Belfast is the story of a young zookeeper who had to do the impossible to save her new best friend, even if that meant watching the cruelty of the War hitting so close to home she had to fight in any way she could to save V a beautiful young elephant that just got to Belfast ...

This is the story of Hettie Quin, she was living with her mother, and was helping to bring money home so they could survive, the brutality of the War, the Nazis were all over making the life of everybody a living hell.

Hettie's character somehow naive, especially when it came to her close family, so many times I wanted to scream to her because it was very obvious what her brother-in-law was doing.

I really didn't identify with the story or the characters, I felt like the story was too dramatic on the romantic side, I was hoping for a more intimate look with Hattie and V, a deeper friendship and connection as it always happens with elephants but I didn't felt that.

I have to skip a few pages when they had to do that with the animals.

it is a good book, I recommend that you give it a try.

Who doesn’t love beautifully written historical fiction? The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh tells the story of a female zookeeper and an elephant that she takes care of during World War II. I don’t know about you, but I haven’t ever read a book about an elephant during the war.

Synopsis:

In October 1940, twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin meets Violet, a three-year-old elephant arriving at the Belfast docks from Ceylon. Soon, she becomes Violet’s dedicated zookeeper at the Bellevue Zoo. While she is mourning for the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, she finds contentment in her relationships with Violet and her fellow zookeepers.

Six months later, in April 1941, Belfast is attacked. One evening, over five hours, 674 bombs are dropped and almost a thousand civilians killed. During the bombings, Hettie Quin fights to save her elephant and survive the destruction and escalating sectarian unrest of the city.

Inspired by the life of Denise Austin, S. Kirk Walsh deftly renders the changing relationship between Hettie and her young charge, and their growing dependence on each other for survival and solace. The Elephant of Belfast is a complicated portrait of love, loss, grief, and resilience.

Read it now!

This is a beautiful book. The connection between Hettie and Violet really made me invested in the storyline. This is one of my new favourite historical fictions. Thank you to the Author, Publihser, and NetGalley, for the e-ARC. I have recently re-read a library loaned copy and the final result is awesome. I look forward to purchasing the hard copy for my own personal collection. A beautifully display cover art too.

One of the big reasons that I don't particularly like historical fiction is that no matter what the story is supposed to be about, the book keeps returning to the heroine's sex life. It honestly seems that these young women might have more important things on their minds, in this case, the Second World War and the bombing of Belfast. An interesting tale that could have been better.

I enjoyed this book in that it was a very different look at the impacts and experiences in WW2. The life of the zoo and Hettie, as the first female zookeeper, was interesting. Overall the book felt a bit flat to me. By the last 25% of the book, I was just waiting for the ending, as i wasn't as invested in the book. There are some tough animal scenes to read in the middle of the book.

Wow! What a beautiful, moving historical fiction! I am honestly getting so tired of WWII storylines, and I get SO excited where there is a wonderful new view to get me reinvigorated to read about the time period! THIS book is one of those stories!

Learning about how a woman hid an elephant to keep it safe during air raids was amazing. I loved the relationship between the two, and the emotion that was so beautifully conveyed through the pages!

I highly recommend it for historical fiction fans!

Buckle up animal lovers because this wild ride is for you. I requested The Elephant of Belfast from Netgalley mainly because it is on the top of my sister’s most anticipated reads for 2021 list. It follows the story of a young female zookeeper in Northern Ireland as she does everything within her power to protect an elephant during the Belfast Blitz of WWII. The lengths she goes through to keep them alive as well as fight to be treated as an equal in her profession is truly inspiring. Even more inspiring is that this story was based on the real life events of Denise Weston Austin. The writing is extremely descriptive so I felt like I learned more about the setting than I did the MC’s character development. I’m trying not to give too many spoilers away but be warned this book has intense moments of animal deaths (that unfortunately are historically accurate) and infuriating forgiveness of someone who sexually assaulted and harassed her. It’s a little slow to get going but eventually picks up in the second half of the book. Overall it was a fascinating read and definitely worth looking into if you’re a fan of historical fiction.

Ok book. Really enjoyed the interactions and parts of the book that focused on the zoo, the animals, and the workers there but Hettie’s interactions outside of the zoo were beyond bizarre! The interactions with her mother, Samuel, & most of all Liam, were very strange. These interactions with these characters left the book disjointed. The interaction with Liam was so bizarre it really kept me from focusing on the final part of the book.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book through NetGalley from Counterpoint Press. Thank you for this ARC! Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Animal lovers and tender hearted readers should know that there are scenes in this admittedly based in fact novel that are extremely distressing. Set in Belfast in 1939-1940, it's the story of Hettie, a young zookeeper, and Violet, the small elephant she rescues from both German bombing and the local constabulary. Hettie's sister Anna died six months ago and her mother disappeared in her grief but Hettie has found hope in the Bellevue Zoo and in Violet,. The nicest parts are the interaction between Hettie and the elephant; less so are her interactions with Samuel and Liam. I don't know how to describe this without spoilers (I wasn't familiar with the story) but I do think readers should be prepared that not all of it is sweet. There's trauma, there's assault, there's grim scenes, and so on. I have nothing but admiration for Demise Austin. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Animal lovers rejoice! I am now going to be searching for any books I can find about zookeepers :)

This was a sweet, poignant story of a tumultuous time period in Ireland's (and the rest of the world's) history. As someone who reads a lot of historical fiction, I could definitely appreciate that the war took a backseat to the main story while obviously having a large impact. The relationship between Hettie and Violet (her elephant) was really beautiful and I was anxious to make a trip to the zoo many times while reading this book!

Unfortunately I found the plot slightly slow, and I wasn't wowed by any of the characters (except maybe Violet!). I enjoyed this book but it just wasn't my favorite. I'm sure for a lot of people it will be a huge hit - I'm very happy to have read it!

3.5 I have read a great deal of historical fiction about WWII but this may be the first one about the bombings in Northern Ireland. Belfast was under attack from the Germans and this is the story (inspired by the true story of Denise Austin) of Hettie, a young zookeeper that works to save Violet the elephant. They have a deep and unique bond and it is an emotional look at the events with great character development. I especially liked the beginning and ending but did get a little confused during the middle of the book. Thank you to NetGalley and CounterPoint Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Elephant of Belfast is available on 4/6/2021.