Welcome to Glorious Tuga

THE DESTINATION READ OF 2024. Your paradise awaits ...'A magical novel, so uplifting, heartwarming, funny . . . This feels as if it was written specifically to give comfort' MARIAN KEYESSet sail for a tropical paradise where secrets don't stay hidden for long...London vet Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny, remote island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered gold coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise - what better motivation than to save a species? - but the reality is more complex. For Charlotte has a secret that connects her to the island, and has finally determined to solve the mystery that has dominated her life.But she will have little time for any of her declared or covert investigations. Inconveniently attracted to the new island doctor, Dan Zekri, Charlotte immediately finds herself the subject of local speculation and gossip. And not only do Tuga's tortoises need attention but so do the island's dogs and donkeys, not to mention the islanders themselves, determined to win Charlotte over with endless deliveries of cake until she relents and becomes vet to all their animals.A complete and vivid world to escape to, Welcome to Glorious Tuga celebrates a fictional island, and the eccentric community who live there. Enchanting, uplifting and very funny, this is a captivating novel about love, belonging, and what it really means to come home.'A gorgeous book ... brilliantly and thoroughly imagined. I didn't want to go home' NICK HORNBY'Imagine a modern-day Jane Austen washed up on a fictional island ... Warm, clever, thoughtful, funny, moving and brilliantly written' ELIZABETH DAY'Pure joy in book form, a hilarious, inviting holiday for the spirit' NAOMI ALDERMAN

'A magical novel, so uplifting, heartwarming, funny . . . I cannot TELL you how much I adored it! This feels as if it was written specifically to give comfort – the perfect antidote to current climes' Marian Keyes, author of GROWN UPS
If you’re looking for a perfect holiday read, this is it Red
'Sparkling and sophisticated, Welcome To Glorious Tuga is a rare joy. With a cast of complex characters who will restore your belief in humanity, and a tropical setting to escape into, Francesca Segal's novel reminded me of the pleasures to be had in reading. Profound and comic by turns, she has made us an offering of light, and I would recommend every reader take it' Jessie Burton, author of THE MINIATURIST and THE HOUSE OF FORTUNE
A slice of sunshine in book form!... The descriptions of the island and its community are particularly gorgeous Good Housekeeping, Summer Reads of 2024
'WELCOME TO GLORIOUS TUGA is a gorgeous book ... Everything, right down to the fruit, has been brilliantly and thoroughly imagined. I didn't want to go home' Nick Hornby, author of ABOUT A BOY
'Perfect for summer . . . Immersive, vibrant and funny' Nina Stibbe, 'Your holiday reading 2024' Guardian
'If you can imagine a modern-day Jane Austen washed up on a fictional island ... you would get close to the wonder of Francesca Segal's new novel. But you wouldn't capture it completely because Segal has a style and wit all of her own. WELCOME TO GLORIOUS TUGA is warm, clever, thoughtful, funny, moving and brilliantly written. I relished every page and can't wait to press it into everyone's hands' Elizabeth Day, author of MAGPIE
Stunningly well-written; full of great characters; warm and wise; twisty and dramatic, this is a novel I never wanted to end. I hope desperately for a sequel Daily Mail
'If you’re looking for the perfect holiday read without even going on holiday, just as a much-needed escape from it all, I warmly recommend this beauty . . . Cannot wait for the next volume in the series' Nigella Lawson
There aren’t enough superlatives for this book… Joyous, sexy, uplifting, funny, fascinating and more Observer, Summer Reads of 2024
'I really enjoyed this charming and beautifully written novel. It’s original and uplifting and full of humour, intrigue and colour’ Santa Montefiore.
This warm and completely addictive novel is escapism at its finest i
'For anyone feeling a bit battered by life, this novel is the tonic ... It’s a book to escape into (who doesn’t want to be on a tropical island?) but it’s also a book about community ... [Segal's] descriptions of the island and its inhabitants are elegantly written, lush and vivid' Pandora Sykes
A beautiful written feel-good novel Evening Standard, Summer Reads of 2024
'Pure joy in book form, a hilarious, inviting holiday for the spirit' Naomi Alderman, author of THE POWER
Beautifully written, this is a glorious dose of pure summer escapism Glamour
A joyful escape - funny, tender and wise Fiona Valpy, author of The Dressmaker's Gift
Sharp, funny, and infused with perfectly judged romance and enchantment, it’s the first in a projected trilogy – which is just as well, since Tuga is a world you won’t want to leave Mail on Sunday
'Welcome to Glorious Tuga will draw you in and demand—with a warm smile—that you embrace island life and stay a while. Francesca Segal’s latest asks hard questions about what it means to belong, while charming with an irresistible cast of characters who are deliciously intertwined. A delight from start to finish!' Shelby Van Pelt, author of instant New York Times bestseller, Remarkably Bright Creatures
'What a treat to spend time in glorious Tuga, where birds are protected and ice pops handed out to children, where donkeys are ridden like communal bicycles, and Charlotte struggles to shake off the dilemma she arrives with. Moving and funny, and fabulously imagined, I was with her through every twist and turn' Esther Freud, author of HIDEOUS KINKY
'A warm, funny, totally addictive novel, with characters, locations, and wisdom that stay with you long after you finish reading. Welcome to Glorious Tuga provided me with the escape I needed, before I realised that I even needed it' Sathnam Sanghera, author of EMPIRELAND
'Francesca Segal's fantastic and exuberant novel, Welcome to Glorious Tuga, asserts that ‘small islands are drama factories’ and in the case of this book, it's because of the unforgettable characters who populate this tropical setting. Told with such a potent mixture of tenderness and comedy, this is a story you can't forget, a world you won't want to leave' Kevin Wilson, author of Now Is Not the Time to Panic and Nothing to See Here
'Slow down, grab a Fizzycan and join ambitious herpetologist Charlotte Walker on lush and tropical Tuga, the most remote inhabited island in the world. In this wry, lively, uplifting, sometimes perilous, often hilarious novel, Charlotte ultimately discovers just how far from home she must go to find herself. A pure delight' Valerie Martin, author of PROPERTY
[Welcome to Glorious Tuga has] Brilliant characters and stunning descriptions that will transport you far away Woman & Home
'This book takes you to an island which is both magical and feels real and accessible. A perfect read for summer' Mishal Husain
Reading this in rainy London, it was like having sand between my toes and a cocktail in my hand. Fun and joyous; Segal was moved to write it as an “escape hatch” and she has more than succeeded Jewish Chronicle
A story with brilliant characters and stunning descriptions that will transport you far away Woman's Weekly
'Here’s another fantasy for animal lovers: become the vet of an island paradise. That’s what happens when London vet Charlotte heads to the South Atlantic island of Tuga. She’s there to help look after and rescue rare tortoises but so many other animals need attention and the locals will poke and prod Charlotte into maybe having a peep at their goat with this problem and donkey with that problem and who wouldn’t provide care for a dog in need? It’s like James Herriot but with a lot more sunshine and fewer cows’ Parade (US)
A gloriously immersive read Red, Books of the Year
'Transports you to the gorgeous fictional island of Tuga, where we follow a young vet intending to study tortoises. No spoilers. Every page is a delight' Rukmini Iyer, author of THE ROASTING TIN series

Francesca Segal is an award-winning writer and journalist. She is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Innocents (2012) and The Awkward Age (2017), and a memoir of NICU motherhood, Mother Ship (2019). Her writing has won the 2012 Costa First Novel Award, a Betty Trask Award, and been longlisted for the Women's Prize.Segal says- 'Writing this novel was a deliberate reaching out for joy. The world can feel very bleak, and bringing Tuga to life became my own magical portal to wide beaches, crystal seas, endless sunshine, and most vitally, to a warm, eccentric community of good people mostly just trying to do their best. Tuga de Oro was a refuge for its first settlers, and I hope will offer refuge for readers, too.'

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