"Welcome to Glorious Tuga is a gorgeous book, an extraordinary cross between the work of Gerald Durrell and Jane Austen. It is full of characters that you haven't met in fiction before, living their lives in a forgotten corner of the globe in which everything, right down to the fruit, has been brilliantly and thoroughly imagined. I didn't want to go home." - Nick Hornby "Pure joy in book form, a hilarious, inviting holiday for the spirit." - Naomi Alderman, author of The Future and The Power "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 "If you can imagine a modern-day Jane Austen washed up on a fictional island and combine her perspicacity with the joyousness of The Durrells and the charm of Alexander McCall Smith, 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 "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 I Couldn't Love You More "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 "A perfect vacation book - even if you're not going anywhere.
With Welcome to Glorious Tuga, Segal has spun a pleasurable tale about the tantamount importance of finding - or creating - a sense of community and belonging, wherever you are. " - Christian Science Monitor "This bighearted story of a young London veterinarian and herpetologist eager to study the isle's endangered turtles and find her father is about the importance of discovering a sense of community and belonging." - Christian Science Monitor ("Best Reads of July") "Immersive.Segal vividly portrays life in a close-knit community." - Publishers Weekly "Populated by a fully rendered, vibrant cast of characters, this warm, witty novel explores what it means to be part of a community. Highly recommended for fans of Amy Poeppel and Meg Mitchell Moore and of big-hearted novels about belonging." - Booklist "Stunningly well-written; full of great characters; warm and wise; twisty and dramatic, this is a novel I never wanted to end." - Daily Mail "This vibrant tale about a zoologist who finds family in an eccentric island community is packed with heart, humor, and delightful characters.
Like the end of a perfect beach day, it will leave you feeling content and already dreaming of a return." - Women's Day "Sharp, funny, and infused with perfectly judged romance and enchantment." - Mail on Sunday.