West with Giraffes A Novel

Beautifully written story around the strong bonds between man and animals.

West with Giraffes has much to recommend it as I am a fan of historical fiction, coming of age, travel and animals and this is a book which combines all of these elements. It is based on a true life story of two giraffes who arrived in New York City after surviving a hurricane at sea. They became known as the Hurricane Giraffes and they were being trucked from NYC to the San Diego zoo. West with Giraffes re-imagines their trip across country with the young dust-bowler Woody Nickel at the wheel. (view spoiler)[It is somewhat reminiscent of two other coming of age stories set in the 1930s, Water for Elephants and The Lincoln Highway. It uses the element of a man in a nursing home remembering his youth as does Water for Elephants. While the Lincoln Highway traverses west to east, West with Giraffes travels east to west along the Lee Highway. (hide spoiler)] West with Giraffes has what a call a Perils of Pauline plotline, with something near catastrophic happening nearly every minute. While I am always about the story being interesting this kind of plot can wear and one begins to wish that a deeper level could appear. I loved that the book talked about the animals and love for animals, also examining the legitimacy of the belief that "it's only an animal." I would like to thank Lynda Rutledge for making me more aware of Giraffes and their plight.

I really loved the characters in this book - I find there is something so innately likable about animal lovers. At times the book was a bit hokey or fantastical, but I loved the overall story line, and the final chapters were bittersweet and beautifully written.

I’m not usually a fan of Dust Bowl-era fiction, but this book grabbed me and pulled me right in. A wonderful story of loving animals and recognizing the need for conservation. The narrator’s twist at the end had me in tears. Highly recommend.