The Elephant Keeper - Large Print by Christopher Nicholson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Intensely moving. [An] exceptional novel."--Boston Globe A poignant and magical story set in eighteenth-century England, The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson is the tale of two baby elephants and the young man who accidentally finds himself their guardian. Every reader who was enchanted by Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants or enthralled by When Elephants Weep will adore Nicholson's The Elephant Keeper--a masterful blending of historical novel, coming-of-age tale, animal adventure, and love story.

Book Synopsis

"Intensely moving. [An] exceptional novel."
--Boston Globe

A poignant and magical story set in eighteenth-century England, The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson is the tale of two baby elephants and the young man who accidentally finds himself their guardian. Every reader who was enchanted by Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants or enthralled by When Elephants Weep will adore Nicholson's The Elephant Keeper--a masterful blending of historical novel, coming-of-age tale, animal adventure, and love story.

From the Back Cover

"I asked the sailor what an Elephant looked like; he replied that it was like nothing on earth."

England, 1766: After a long voyage from the East Indies, a ship docks in Bristol, England, and rumor quickly spreads about its unusual cargo--some say a mermaid is on board. A crowd forms, hoping to catch a glimpse of the magical creature. One crate after another is unpacked: a zebra, a leopard, and a baboon. There's no mermaid, but in the final two crates is something almost as magical--a pair of young elephants, in poor health but alive.

Seeing a unique opportunity, a wealthy sugar merchant purchases the elephants for his country estate and turns their care over to a young stable boy, Tom Page. Tom's family has long cared for horses, but an elephant is something different altogether. It takes time for Tom and the elephants to understand one another, but to the surprise of everyone on the estate, a remarkable bond is formed.

The Elephant Keeper, the story of Tom and the elephants, in Tom's own words, moves from the green fields and woods of the English countryside to the dark streets and alleys of late-eighteenth-century London, reflecting both the beauty and the violence of the age. Nicholson's lush writing and deft storytelling complement a captivating tale of love and loyalty between one man and the two elephants that change the lives of all who meet them.

Review Quotes

"A captivatingly original novel...This is a wonderful feat of story-telling, remarkable for its ability to wrench your heart without resorting to easy sentimentality." - Daily Mail (London)
"[Nicholson's] lush new novel of the late 18th century...Jenny is a magnificent character...She gives the book its weight, in every sense...the sheer richness of the story's texture. The Elephant Keeper evokes 18th-century village and estate life beautifully, and is stuffed with fascinating data from medical and veterinary history." - The Independent (UK)
"Endearing...Like the elephant at its centre, Nicholson's book is gentle, profound and sweet-natured." - The Guardian
"A pleasingly ambling tale." - Financial Times
"A story of a young boy who becomes the keeper of an elephant in late 1700's England. The boy stays with the elephant as she is sold from owner to owner and the devotion they have for one another is endearing." - Beth Carpenter, The Country Bookshop...in the heart of Southern Pines
"[A] remarkable debut. An unforgettable picture of an elephant/human relationship so close that, as the elephant learns to think like a human, she teaches her human to think like an elephant. This is one of the best books of the year." - BookPage
"Christopher Nicholson traces the arc of Tom and Jenny's surprising journey with delicate empathy. He confronts sex, violence and power, but he does not shy away from less dramatic themes, such as gentleness and companionship, which help to make The Elephant Keeper such a rewarding book." - Times Literary Supplement (London)
"A sensitive boy suddenly becomes groom to Timothy and Jenny, the first pair of young elephants brought into England in the 1700s. This informative, engaging and moving book has clear insight into the impact of poverty, alienation and isolation that is as relevant today as it was then." - San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"An extended meditation on human needs and how our choices shape a better or lesser existance. [A] poignant, heartfelt novel." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"While deftly portraying 18th century village and estate life as well as the dark, fog-bound streets of London, The Elephant Keeper examines themes such as human choice, fate and the cruel British class system." - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is a strange tour of late 18th-century England, a natural history of elephants and the story of a most unusual friendship, all told with a touch of the otherworldly elegance and wit of Babar." - Washington Post
"There are good books and there are bad books. There are intelligent books and there are dumb books. There are happy books and, of course, there are sad books. Some books make us laugh; some make us cry. Some books teach us stuff; some books make us feel. Then there are those special books: the ones we reach for when we are in love; the ones we embrace when we are left behind. There are the books of longing...longing for...something...something all our own...something that comforts the fears and tames the indiscretions. THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is the best book I've read in the last twenty years or so. THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is your mother's cold hands on your forehead when a fever keeps you home from school. It is your Grandmother's summer quilt aired in the mountain sunshine when Grandmother sweetly reminds you: It's 9:30. Time to turn that light out. THE ELEPHANT KEEPER is a love story of an impossible love. And all impossible loves are the same: Impossible. Yet the boy and the elephant create a special place where the taxable offices of love have no concern. The heart is the coin. And it will pay any price. We weep for this friendship; we applaud this courage. If you don't have time to read this book, tuck it under your pillow...and let Jenny and Tom whisper a love story to your dreams." - Nikki Giovanni, Poet
"This elegant story is not just for animal lovers. In it, readers see how the bonds of friendship go beyond time, age or species. Definitely one to put on your "to read" list." - Deseret Morning News
"Nicholson's light touch and sly humor ensures that the animal-human dialogue is entirely natural and intensely moving. (An) exceptional novel." - Boston Globe
"A tale by BBC radio documentary producer Nicholson about a man and an elephant canters along at a delightful pace, from the first meeting between the two on the quay in Bristol, England. Nicholson's elegiac alternate endings leave only the memory of their lasting bond--the elephant's legendary ability to "never forget" is finally ours." - Publishers Weekly
"An endearing account of a virtually telepathic relationship between man and animal." - Booklist
"Big-hearted and warm, with a slow-moving kind of grace, the book is very much like the two elephants that inhabit the world of the novel. Elegant and beautiful, the writing is precise and well-paced. The Elephant Keeper is a book that will stay with you long after you have read the last page. Jenny's ancient wisdom and Tom's fierce love and loyalty will, hopefully, inspire emulation." - Raleigh News & Observer