Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell

by Sy Montgomery, Matt Patterson (Illustrator)

National Book Award finalist for The Soul of an Octopus and New York Times bestseller Sy Montgomery turns her journalistic curiosity to the wonder and wisdom of our long-lived cohabitants—turtles—and through their stories of hope and rescue, reveals to us astonishing new perspectives on time and healing.

When acclaimed naturalist Sy Montgomery and wildlife artist Matt Patterson arrive at Turtle Rescue League, they are greeted by hundreds of turtles recovering from injury and illness. Endangered by cars and highways, pollution and poachers, these turtles—with wounds so severe that even veterinarians would have dismissed them as fatal—are given a second chance at life. The League’s founders, Natasha and Alexxia, live by one creed. Never give up on a turtle.

But why turtles? What is it about them that inspires such devotion? Ancient and unhurried, long-lived and majestic, their lineage stretches back to the time of the dinosaurs. Some live to two hundred years, or longer. Others spend months buried under cold winter water.

Montgomery turns to these little understood yet endlessly surprising creatures to probe the eternal question: How can we make peace with our time? In pursuit of the answer, Sy and Matt immerse themselves in the delicate work of protecting turtle nests, incubating eggs, rescuing sea turtles, and releasing hatchlings to their homes in the wild. We follow the snapping turtle Fire Chief on his astonishing journey as he battles against injuries incurred by a truck.

Hopeful and optimistic, Of Time and Turtles is an antidote to the instability of our frenzied world. Elegantly blending science, memoir, philosophy, and drawing on cultures from across the globe, this compassionate portrait of injured turtles and their determined rescuers invites us all to slow down and slip into turtle time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals, Audiobook, Environment, Biology

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2023

About the author

Part Indiana Jones, part Emily Dickinson, as the Boston Globe describes her, Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, documentary scriptwriter, and radio commentator who has traveled to some of the worlds most remote wildernesses for her work. She has worked in a pit crawling with 18,000 snakes in Manitoba, been hunted by a tiger in India, swum with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and been undressed by an orangutan in Borneo. She is the author of 13 award-winning books, including her national best-selling memoir, The Good Good Pig. Montgomery lives in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot reading this book. Turtles are extremely long-lived, up to 175 yrs. The oldest one clocked in at 266 before he died! They can regenerate some body parts and come back even when they seem to have died. Their heart beats at 6 times a minute. They are heavily poached because some Asian countries believe, ( incorrectly) that their meat has medicinal qualities. And, surprise, surprise, their biggest danger are humans and cars and modern development.

Yet there are many turtle rescue operations in the U.S., and Sy Montgomery spent a couple of years with one in New England. As usual, in addition to the turtle lore, we get the backstories of the people involved, and some of her turtle friends as well. I really enjoyed her book about Octopuses, so knew what to expect from this one. She is an incredible nature writer.

(As an addendum, after finishing this book last night, I read an article in our newspaper this morning about a man in SC arrested for turtle poaching.)

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sy Montgomery does it again! This is a beautiful, compassionately written memoir-natural history hybrid in which the author of The Soul of an Octopus (one of my all-time favorite nonfiction books) recounts her volunteering stint at the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts. Come for the sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes heartwarming stories of turtles rehabilitated or lost, stay for the compelling discussion on time and what these long-lived creatures can teach us about it.

Click here to hear more of my thoughts on this book (and one other book on turtles) over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read so many of Sy Montgomery's books, and every time I have no idea where the book will go, but I know that I will love the journey (and that there will be animals). This book focusing on turtles while intersecting the pandemic and aging is another beautiful edition to Montgomery's oeuvre. She writes with such compassion and thoughtfulness that its almost meditative to read. I learned so much about turtles and the conservation, rescue, and care efforts.
I appreciated the diverse cast of people and animals that we meet along the way in this journey. Our human cast includes the deafblind, trans, POC, and people young and old who all get involved to help turtles. Montgomery doesn't flinch away from the tragedies and looming threats (both for turtles and humans) but there is always the thread of hope and awe in what can be accomplished.
As always a beautifully written work, that I think teaches as much about turtles and nature as it does about humanity.

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out promising, then my eyes started to glaze over, then it became a rush to complete because I was pretty disinterested. It was repetitive, did not really expand on "mending the world", and had a couple moments that made me lose trust in Sy Montgomery.

To start, this book has this pattern:
1) introduction to an incident involving an ailed turtle
2) an anecdote, quote from a play, poem, book, or science fact spanning a paragraph or two
3) back to the turtle

This made reading about the Turtle Rescue League and their endeavors a really disjointed experience. Am I learning about turtles? Wait, no, now I'm learning about Japanese Kintsugi, the origins of the word "mitzvah", and the special nerve endings in humans called c-tactile fibers. In a span of two pages and a half, Alice in Wonderland, physicist Arthur Eddington, Einstein, and Hindu and Buddhist mythology are referenced. This book quickly became like an experience of having a conversation with someone and consistently being interrupted by a know-it-all who has to share their fun facts.

What disappointed me was the lack of depth to the parallels between the pandemic and turtle rescue. The mention of the pandemic is mostly used in the context of timeline, and nothing more. Aside from the virus, other stressors during this time (BLM, political tension, environmental issues) were mentioned shallowly. I have yet to understand at what point did this book discuss "Mending the World". Shockingly, Sy Montgomery mentions the grim milestone of 500 000 Americans dead due to the virus, and only a page later tells a "silly" story about her colleague that ends with "maybe Covid was not so bad after all!". Yikes. I changed my rating back to a 1-star after typing that.

The chapter "Coming Out" is what really ended it for me. We begin by talking about a turtle who will be getting a wheelchair... and then the queer community and trans experience... then back to the turtle who will get a wheelchair? Sy Montgomery is in or nearing her 60s at this point, she studied journalism, has written numerous books, has travelled the world, is involved in science, and writes a book where social issues are a key point to repeat, but she doesn't recognize the colours of the trans flag? She doesn't know the difference between transgender and transsexual? In 2020 in America?! I don't buy it. This chapter was so strange and felt extremely forced. She does admit that she was embarrassed by her cluelessness... but I'm really struggling to understand how she could have been THAT clueless.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t love a turtle? Well, based on what I read in this book, their life is not easy, thanks to people. They are the most abused and exploited animals. Besides the dangers of being hit by a car, when they cross a road, people hunt them for sport and for their eggs and for some cultures, medicinal purposes.

I love turtles- that is why after reading Diane Barnes’ review- I knew I had to read it. What surprised me most was how many turtles there actually are. I glory in seeing some when we go to Hawaii in winter. But, there are so many in other places, especially New England, where most of this book takes place.

I learned lots about turtles and learned lots about the people who have made it their mission to save as many as they can. I admire all they do and am grateful there are such people who care so much.

“Who better than turtles-ancient, unhurried, long lived beings revered as icons of serenity and persistence- to show me the path to wisdom, and how to make my peace with time?” Sy Montgomery


Published: 2023

[Dona's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of 2023.

Putting this one through a reread.

*edit So glad I reread this one! Still 5🌟

Full Review:

[...If] a turtle's organs are not smeared all over the road, we might be able to save her. We never give up on a turtle. (0:07:11)

This book is brilliant; one of the best animal biology books for popular audiences that I've ever read. I learned so much about turtles, things I've never even considered, and I *have* a pet turtle!

I think what makes this book so special is how Montgomery aligns the turtles' experiences and motivations with our own. In this book are a dozen or more inroads into the author's subject of the day. I read some criticisms of this book that the secondary topics are distracting. But I think if this book had been about nothing other than maimed and endangered turtles, not as many readers could find a way to connect to such a sad state of affairs, the subject of turtles in the US.

All said, this is a beautiful book, beautifully researched. (Montgomery spent a year volunteering for a turtle rescue, in part so she could write this book from a place of experience.) Give this a try, if you like books about animals, conservation, and resilience.

We're kind of like turtles. The more we experience, the better we are. (5:19:07)

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. Sometimes I think that writers include too many details, too much information about their topic, and don't include enough supplemental information or all that fun stuff, like complex examples, graphics, or case studies, all that stuff that glues it all together. Montgomery seems to choose just the right amount of data and deliver it in just the right sequence, using secondary subjects to keep the reader's attention, to keep them invested in the subject.

2. This book gave me hope. Turtles do too.

Second Reading

3. I'm so glad this book starts off on this note: [...If] a turtle's organs are not smeared all over the road, you might well be able to save her. We never give up on a turtle. (0:07:11)

4. "The turtles give me a reason to get out of bed every morning." This level of animal love is definitely my vibe.

5. The audiobook narrator, also the author, Sy Montgomery, added so much to this story. Her voice is expressive, and her reading, interesting.

6. Chris is a fascinating character. Yes, he's real. He's also quite a character!

7. Memories of course are how we are the way we order our fundamental understanding of time and change. The way we anchor our sense of self in the flow of life. But what if nothing seems to change, from day to day, week to week, month to month. What we have then is a collapse of the reassuring feeling that our lives follow some kind of progression. (4:11:03) The way Montgomery weaves in thoughts about the pandemic really works well when discussing animals who seem to live outside of the flow of time.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Turtles have survived everything nature has thrown at them, from both Earth and outer space (e.g. the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs...). But will they survive modern humans? (1:14:35) This is one of those books that makes me realize how destructive humanity is as a collective. Books like these teach me a lot but also make me feel sad and frustrated.

2. This book accomplishes more than just educating about turtles. One of those things is providing an eerie view from the perimeter of the wilderness of the global onset of Covid. This book is, in fact, the first book I read that even mentioned the pandemic, when I read it in early 2023.

3. I get secondhand embarrassed about how bad this author's understanding is of trans issues, and how clumsy she is when addressing them. But I appreciate her purpose, which is to start a conversation about something she doesn't know enough about, and encouraging others to learn more like she did.

Rating: 🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢 /5 rescued turtles
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Nov 14 '24
Format: Digital, NetGalley; audiobook, Libby
Read this book if you like:
🐢 turtles
🪧 animal activism
🚙 impact of human activity
🏞 preservation efforts

Thank you to the author Sy Montgomery, publishers Simom and Schuster, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of OF TIME AND TURTLES. I found an accessible audiobook copy on Libby. All views are mine.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

These silent aquatic beings move about the seas, the great lakes, ponds, water filled trenches, occasionally showing up in someone's backyard coy pond or swimming pool.

They rarely harm a human. Let your toes or fingers wiggle in the water over the side of a rowboat, drifting in a weedy lake. Well, an old large snapper may decide it looks tasty, and God help you they do not let go.

The book is an interesting read for those who love these sleepy looking pacifists.

I have seen a snapper fondly called either old Moe or big Al. he resides at an animal refuge center.

The legend around this very old fellow is that he was nearly boiled for a soup but rescued by a good Samaritan many years ago.

Another legend told to me years ago by his caregiver was that a civil war pistol cap was removed from his thick shell decades ago.

He slowly puts his head above the water in his tank about every 20 minutes. My daughter and I used to like to sit and time him. He takes a huge breath of air and submerges again..
Yup, 20 minutes. When he is fed, he does look engaged and moves about.

If this very old snapper could speak, he might have looked quietly on at some interesting events.

Perhaps a younger big Al raised his head from a deep pond and got a whif of cannon smoke from a battle going on nearby.

I can say the ordinary wild river turtle can be bad tempered. My husband saw one walking in the middle of a Wisconsin forest rd. Being kind-hearted as he got older, he stopped the car, picked it up, and had nothing to hold it in. He rested his left foot on it to hold it in place.

This angry turtle was hissing its head off. I,m saying, hey, he gets loose, and I'm getting bit! He's laughing, but he found a good pond along the road and released a very
aggravated but saved turtle into the buggy, weedy pond.
My husband got about a couple of dozen mosquito bites, but he did his good deed.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many odd things in this book that made me so uncomfortable and seemed to reveal an obsession with turtles that gratified the humans without the ethical treatment of animals. For example, the author does not detail what training a conservationist has to be able to do surgery on turtles, but never mentions that they are a veterinarian. The word ethic, or ethical is never used. I completely understand how the illegal trade in turtles as pets is part of the problem, but that is another subject.

And when a conservationist starts to talk about keeping 500 turtles at home, and 600 turtles at the conservation area, you are treading into very dangerous territory closer to obsession. Saving turtles to give them a life in a box or cage has to have a limit; it is unethical to not have a limit. As with many animals in the wild, or even our domesticated dogs, they do not show they are in pain until it is excruciating so how do we know that these turtles are not suffering?

Turtles are so long lived and fascinating and hold special places in the human imagination. One of the turtle rescues does try to rehab them and release them back into the wild, but ones that can't be released have a home with them for the rest of their lives, but they likely will outlive the rescuer, and there is not enough money set aside in a will to help the hundreds of them, if even that is possible, the author did not write of millionaire owners and no word of where they get funding.

The author admits that experts recommended euthanasia for many turtles, yet the rescuers went ahead anyways, and that seems unethical. Overall, such a disappointing book.

[Shanereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally love reading Sy Montgomery's books. I have read several of them and have hand sold numerous copies of The Soul of an Octopus. I learned so much about turtle preservation and rescue, and that is why I read this book, and it is what I enjoyed about this book.

However, Of Time and Turtles took a surprisingly political turn in the last half of the book that I found to be pretty disappointing. I find that a lot of people are reading to escape the politics of COVID and the riots, and political agendas that have all stemmed from this time period in our lives. I just didn't want to read about it in this book, other than to know that Of Time and Turtles took place during COVID. If the politics had been left out, I probably would have given this book a 5 star review instead of a 3 star review.

This review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Mai H.]

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books

[Maven · Rating 5 out of 5]

7 stars, one of the best animal non-fiction writers writing today.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved reading about these sapphic trans turtle hippies

[Nora Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sadly going to have to DNF this book due to humans not understanding anthropomorphism and what it is truly like to understand the love shared between humans and their pets. The reason why I am DNFING this book is for this very same reason I was fired from my first job at The Employer Group in Verona, WI simply because I would rather marry a pet than a human and my coworkers were uncomfortable with that fact. The only reason why I wanted to marry my pet is because most of the people that I was around were despicable humans who made fun of me because I am disabled.

I do want to say that this book is probably one of the best at portraying disability in a positive light that I have read recently.

[Shelby Tkacik · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the gay turtle ladies and the time talk at the end but i found the writing kinda cringey at points which distracted a lot unfortunately

[Kayla Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite reads this year. I love reading Sy Montgomery because she really tries to get to know the animals she writes about. She lets them teach her by being inquisitive and respectful towards them, then puts what she has learned into her wonderful books. I was fascinated by this book. It focuses on turtle rescue and the plight of turtles everywhere in an increasingly difficult world. Climate change and human interference have made it very hard for turtles to live the long lives they normally would, but Sy documents the brave people trying to right this wrong. She weaves in many of the uncomfortable events happening in the lives of humans as well. Telling what she has learned about life from these beautiful and misunderstood creatures, Sy Montgomery has produced another fantastic read in her classic nature memoir style.
(While reading this book I had the honor of witnessing a box turtle cross through my yard. To say that I was elated would be an understatement. Thank you turtles for filling the world with wonder.)

ARC courtesy of NetGalley

[Jordan K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading and learning about the turtles. The first third of the book was interesting, but the rest of it dragged and I nearly gave up on it. I trudged through the end.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars ⭐️!
So much to unravel here. Deep insights about time, life, us.

[Sarah Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Growing up with a father who had multiple species of tortoises and being an owner of 5 tortoises myself, I was really excited to read this book. I didn't realize the book wasn't just about turtles/tortoises, so that threw me off a lot, making it difficult to finish the book. Putting that aside, it is quite spectacular how amazing a turtle and their bodies are, and I see them in an entirely different light now. I loved seeing such a gentle side to snapping turtles since they are so very misconstrued to people today. I also didn't realize turtles tend to move in summer / winter - I live in Florida, though - so it may not count here. 2.5, rounded down to 2.

[Katarina Bosse · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is barely even about turtles. The author is constantly going on tangents about something that has nothing to do with the subject and quoting random movies, plays, books, friends, etc when it’s not necessary.

[Emily Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, I used to watch turtles lay their eggs in the sandy yard by my parents house in NH. We would monitor them as best we could until they hatched, and then collect them in buckets and host them for a few days before releasing them back into the pond in our backyard. I have so many fond memories of this experience, and so it began my love for all things turtles. I felt so much joy and nostalgia reading this book. It was a beautiful recollection of the rehabilitation of injured turtles woven with lessons of time, hope, and healing. I fell in love with each turtle’s story and personality as if I was right there with them on their healing journey.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, entertaining, and moving.

[Mary Kasputis · Rating 5 out of 5]

filled with mirth :)

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus, which I first read in 2015 and still often recommend to people, so I leapt at the chance to read Of Time and Turtles.

In Of Time and Turtles, Montgomery, along with illustrator Matt Patterson, volunteer at the Turtle Rescue League in Massachusetts, beginning in the Spring of 2020. Founded in 2010, The Turtle Rescue League is a nonprofit organisation that focuses on the rehabilitation, incubation, conservation, and education of primarily native turtles. Over a period of about 18 months the pair work with hundreds of injured, abandoned and rescued turtles aiming to rehabilitate them to return to the wild.

Montgomery is able to show in Of Time and Turtles, that turtles are complex creatures who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion. Sy in particular bonds with Fire Chief, so named because his home was a pond near a suburban fire house. Severely injured when hit by a truck, the back legs of the snapping turtle, estimated to be between 60 and 80 years old, were paralysed, but turtles are capable of extraordinary feats of healing, and after two years, Fire Chief has begun to recover movement. The conviction that turtles are capable of remarkable powers of healing underpins the care offered by the TRL, who give them the time and support necessary to recover. Turtles that cannot be rewilded are offered for adoption once healed.

I learnt a lot of fascinating information about turtles, including the shocking fact that turtles, who have existed for millennia, are now the most imperiled major group of animals on earth, primarily due to human activity such as urban sprawl, traffic, illegal trade, pollution, and climate change. I developed a clear understanding of what it takes to care for injured turtles, and was intrigued by some of the unique methods used to help them. I so admired the passion of Alexxia and Natasha, among others, who dedicate everything to their cause.

Montgomery’s musings on time connect the extraordinary lifespan of turtles, the interruptions to everyday life wrought by CoVid, and her own feelings about ageing. These bring a sense of intimacy to the narrative, and I find her blend of personal experience, scientific knowledge, and philosophical opinion to be very readable.

Remaining indifferent to the plight of turtles is impossible after reading this book, Fire Chief, Pizza Man, Sprockets, and Snowball are among the turtles who will steal your heart. Of Time and Turtles is a wonderfully absorbing read I highly recommend.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for the most part and was inspired to advocate for and protect turtles.
I was disappointed in Sy Montgomery and how the rehabbers were presented. Generally a problematic book overall. The way that turtle rehabilitation was portrayed was not following best practices or even good welfare; Not much if any Vet care. No anesthesia when needed. Keeping turtles way too long.

[Bethanys_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
This book was EVERYTHING for my turtle loving self! Made me fall even more in love with turtles if that was even possible!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

About ready to quit my job and go work at a turtle rescue center after reading this...

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LIKE TURTLES

[mippers · Rating 1 out of 5]

animal lover, s* hater

[Lucy · Rating 1 out of 5]

it’s difficult when your calling is to be a hater. but someone has to do it

[Mary Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much personal story from the author, not enough turtles. It was not a book about turtles: it was a book about Sy Montgomery meeting 7-10 turtle enthusiasts and hanging out with them for a year. It was the personal story of certain individual turtles??? But mostly of individual people.

The author attempted to tackle big topics and themes that had nothing to do with the book.

Any book that places itself too deeply in 2020 becomes an impossible read for me. I know it was the entire world at the time, I lived it too. But it’s not fun to read, it’s not interesting, and we don’t learn anything new.

I don’t think the author was wrong to include the gender identities and sexuality of the “characters” but it fails to add anything to the book. I am glad this woman has learned about how difficult it can be to be queer in this country, I’m annoyed I had to read about her journey.

Why did she have a crush on a turtle? That was spooky.

I found myself cringing at her behavior and writing. From the story when they rescue the sea turtles, she gave this little speech on the beach. It was strange and uncomfortable to read.

Next time I will do a better job vetting my nonfiction for Author-Inserts. This was a memoir, and I far prefer to read memoirs of people I find interesting.