‘They could not save the animals, Tom’s collection, so lovingly assembled – the pet monkeys, the bears, the tapir, the tiger. ‘My Noah’s ark’, he’d called it – all now aflame on one great, terrible funeral pyre. Sophia knows she will never forget the hellish crescendo of the beasts’ barks and cries, loud even above the cracking of the burning wood and the thunder of the hungry flames; the frantic, futile flapping of countless feathered wings against iron bars.’

The Zoo tells the story of the first 25 years of London Zoo’s existence, from one man’s mad vision to a thriving tourist attraction. Along the way we meet trailblazing scientists, pioneering surgeons, rival zookeepers and aristocratic naturalists, all fighting to make a success of the weird and wonderful oasis in the middle of the bustling city of London.

In Charman’s new non-fiction book, each chapter focuses on a different key player in the early days of London Zoo. It is full of interesting and surprising facts. It was shocking to learn how many of the first animals at the zoo died because the keepers didn’t know how to look after them, as some of the animals had never been seen in England before, and horrible to read how the animals were treated by visitors (ladies often liked to poke them with their parasols).

It was also interesting to learn how much of the zoo’s founding was motivated by rivalry. Charman displays these conflicts in her book with cinematic flair, so that the race to be the first man to display a live giraffe in London becomes as tense and exciting as any Hollywood car chase. Charman is a great writer and her enthusiasm for the subject shines through on every page.

The book is written with impressive detail, bringing these Victorian characters to life and making their every emotion feel relatable. Charman has clearly undergone a wealth of research to tell this story through the eyes of the people who made this dream into a reality. The story is of course centred on the zoo itself but Charman knows when to take a step back and give us a wider view of what was happening in Britain at that time, creating a more complete picture of the environment in which this story takes place.

I thought the book lost its way with the penultimate chapter, which concerns Charles Darwin. Although he was involved with the early days of London Zoo he was not a key player like the others so his chapter feels like the odd one out, as it is largely concerned with Darwin’s private research rather than the zoo itself. Interesting though Darwin is, his story was not the one I picked up this book to read.

At times it feels as though Charman is perhaps taking advantage of artistic licence, particularly with characters’ thoughts and feelings, but I understand why she did it; it serves to bring us further into the characters’ world and helps us to empathise them.

This is the story not just of London Zoo but of man’s quest to better understand the natural world around him. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural sciences or zoology, or even for those just looking for a good story.

Many thanks to Penguin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.