The Turtle House

A Novel

By: Amanda Churchill

Narrated by: Joy Osmanski, Kelly Wilkinson

“A heartbreakingly resonant debut, The Turtle House is a tender, big-hearted story about women, family, and the complicated history of Texas. These characters, and their tentative, flawed stumblings toward grace, will stay with me.”—Elizabeth Wetmore, author of Valentine

“Sweeping yet intimate, Amanda Churchill’s Turtle House spans cultures and continents. Minnie and her granddaughter Lia are unforgettable protagonists, whose grit and grace will inspire you. Together, they find a way through in this gripping debut.”—Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City

Moving between late 1990s small-town Texas to pre-World War II Japan and occupied Tokyo, an emotionally engaging literary debut about a grandmother and granddaughter who connect over a beloved lost place and the secrets they both carry.

It’s spring 1999, and 25-year-old Lia Cope and her prickly 73-year-old grandmother, Mineko, are sharing a bedroom in Curtain, Texas, the ranching town where Lia grew up and Mineko began her life as a Japanese war bride. Both women are at a turning point: Mineko, long widowed, moved in with her son and daughter-in-law after a suspicious fire destroyed the Cope family ranch house, while Lia, an architect with a promising career in Austin, has unexpectedly returned under circumstances she refuses to explain.

Though Lia never felt especially close to her grandmother, the two grow close sharing late-night conversations. Mineko tells stories of her early life in Japan, of the war that changed everything, and of her two great loves: a man named Akio Sato and an abandoned Japanese country estate they called the Turtle House, where their relationship took root. As Mineko reveals more of her early life—tales of innocent swimming lessons that blossom into something more, a friendship nurtured across oceans, totems saved and hidden, the heartbreak of love lost too soon—Lia comes to understand the depth of her grandmother’s pain and sacrifice and sees her Texas family in a new light. She also recognizes that it’s she who needs to come clean—about the budding career she abandoned and the mysterious man who keeps calling.

When Mineko’s adult children decide, against her wishes, to move her into an assisted living community, she and Lia devise a plan to bring a beloved lost place to life, one that they hope will offer the safety and sense of belonging they both need, no matter the cost.

A story of intergenerational friendship, family, coming of age, identity, and love, The Turtle House illuminates the hidden lives we lead, the secrets we hold close, and what it truly means to find home again when it feels lost forever.

Such a great surprise and such a strong message on family

loved it and recommend to all and be endeared to the wise elderly and listen intently

Absorbing multigenerational story of Japanese Americans

An excellent debut novel, capturing great emotional detail the struggles of a Japanese American family starting after World War II to the present time- the characters were extremely well done, and the narrator was superb, especially in the voice of the grandmother

I think it would be an excellent book club book because it embodies many important topics to discuss about Japanese Society and the post World War II Japanese American experience

Give it a try!

MUST READ

How is this book not on the NYT best seller list yet?! So well written! My mom group has a book club on the side, and this book was chosen because we live in the same town as the author. It was a totally random pick, and wow does it not disappoint. The audible was fantastic, and I was easily immersed into both of the main characters lives. Hoping for more great reads from this author!

The love of a granddaughter

What a wonderful turn of phrase Amanda has with her writing. I liked the shifts in times and the similarities to Minnie’s and Leah’s stories with overpowering men even generations apart. Both women were strong and resilient. Fantastic book!

Grand mini and Leah

I liked getting the whole story of Grand mini and how the whole family came together at the end.