Overall, what did you think of West with Giraffes? (No spoilers, please)
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Created: 04/20/23
Replies: 44
Join Date: 10/15/10
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I did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. Novels about the depression era are not my favorite genre. My grandparents and parents survived the depression and shared so many stories with me. But, this book had giraffes!!! It was a very enjoyable read, with characters I cared about and I read it very quickly.
Join Date: 04/30/21
Posts: 4
I really enjoyed this book. It had been recommended to me by a friend so I was thrilled to see a copy of it offered on BookBrowse. It had adventure, a little romance, some history and was a wonderful “coming of age” story. I loved the characters, Woody, the “Old Man” and Red. I really liked that it was based on real events. I have recommended this book to several people.
Join Date: 01/10/21
Posts: 130
I also really enjoyed this book. It was a fun and easy story to read, even though there were plenty of painful and sad moments. I loved the connection between the human characters and giraffes. It was a breath of fresh air and a very good distraction and escape from the disturbing things happening in the world today.
Join Date: 02/03/14
Posts: 280
I usually avoid books centered around animals because I cannot stand reading any cruelty towards them. I was encouraged to try this novel and I am so glad I did. The very few episodes where animals were not treated well were well telegraphed and I was able to skip those parts. Additionally both Woody and the Old Man were animals lovers and protectors. The story was very engaging and I was rooting for the giraffes all along. I loved the historical details, well researched and well written. This one will stay with me for a long time.
Join Date: 10/19/20
Posts: 266
I really enjoyed the book and the story drew right in and wanted to ride with them to the end. The author provided enough detail so the reader felt part of the lives of Woody and the Old Man as made the journey from New York to San Diego Zoo both the high and low parts. The author did an excellent job in the researching this historical novel plus making it an enjoyable and engaging read.
Join Date: 01/06/22
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Join Date: 10/19/20
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An enjoyable and thought provoking book that drew you to wonder what would be Woody's and the Old Man's next adventure to enjoy and dilemmas to resolve. The reader became part of their lives and saw how Woody matured and the Old Man got to trust and rely on others.
Join Date: 03/02/23
Posts: 8
I think parts of this story will stay with me for some time. I appreciated the author’s efforts in taking a historical deep dive to bring such a unique story to light. The only story I ever read with a remotely similar concept was Life of Pi. And even after that I still never really considered the effort and logistics involved in moving wild animals from one location to another and I surely never considered what that task would be like during the Great Depression. I became most absorbed in the kinder parts of the story. The shear amazement Woody, Red and every other onlooker felt upon seeing the giraffes warmed my heart. The giraffes were so magical it must have been a life changing experience for all who actually saw them being transported on the highway. I also really enjoyed learning about how the giraffes screamed or hummed or kicked or cuddled. The author humanized them and I do believe that they were important characters, as opposed to just being a cargo mission.
Join Date: 04/22/23
Posts: 9
Where you are in your lifeline seems to impact your emotional response to books.
Having recently placed my sister in dementia care, I was particularly touched by the Old Man-Woodys (there are two old men in this book) interactions with nursing home staff and his perspective or reality versus theirs. Understanding the reality of an aging person with dementia and hallucinations is beyond the “normal” persons capability.
The Old Man-Woody’s perspective and what he was doing or trying to do with his fixation on writing, made me realize how little we can grasp of what is truly happening in the dementia mind.
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Join Date: 02/18/15
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I really enjoyed the book and appreciate the work the author did in researching this story. The characters were very well developed and I could feel for each one of them and what they were dealing with during the Depression era. The author covered so many themes; from poverty, racism, animal cruelty,circus vs, zoos, and coming of age and death. And did it very well. I would and have recommended this book.
Join Date: 04/08/13
Posts: 41
Join Date: 02/06/17
Posts: 466
What a pleasure it was to read this book! While I was rooting for the journey to be a success, by the time the group made it to Arizona, I wanted them to slow down. Woody’s learning to appreciate the little blessings in life touched me deep in my soul-what an incredible lesson he taught me. I didn’t want their story to end. And then I realized that this is the gift and beauty of stories. We don’t have to let them end as long as we continue to share them with others.
Join Date: 03/19/23
Posts: 59
As a new BookBrowse member, I am happy to report that I am enjoying this discussion! So much better than the more rigid options available—we get the opportunity to pick the book(s) we are interested in and choose the level of participation we wish. And with the added bonus of selecting convenient times based on our own schedules. I am also appreciating everyone's comments-it is interesting to see everyone's viewpoints!!
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Unlike most of your discussion readers, I do not find this book to be a compelling page turner. The idea appealed to me, but I feel the story to be uninteresting and a bit contrived at times. The author did a good job of building suspense for some of the driving escapades that Woody was involved in. I’m only half way through the book, but i don’t see that I will be any more interested in the story than I am now
Join Date: 03/29/16
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Join Date: 01/06/18
Posts: 65
The story seemed contrived. Historical fiction is a genre I like when it includes many real-life events and then develops the fictional side of the story that aligns through conversations and plot. There was very little historical information aside from brief newspaper articles and the historical notes addendum. As for the addendum, the entries, except for Belle Benchley had little to add to the "real" story.
Join Date: 03/19/23
Posts: 59
Join Date: 03/13/12
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I liked this book a lot and particularly appreciated the fact that it's based on true events. Animal stories have appealed to me my whole life, and as an adult my animal-lover heart has been intensified by many years of NGO volunteering with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation as well as USA-based volunteering with domestic animals.
Join Date: 10/21/22
Posts: 24
I really loved the story. For me, knowing that such an event actually happened, even if not exactly as Rutledge had portrayed it added depth and emotional impact to the whole book. And with Woody’s philosophizing at the end the book was one of the most emotionally satisfying books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve recommended it to our book club and to every reader I know.
Join Date: 10/20/21
Posts: 31
I enjoyed the book. In the words of Red, "We had some adventure!" While the premise of delivering the giraffes to the San Diego Zoo was interesting, it was really the characters & their interactions with the giraffes & the other humans along the route that made me enjoy it so much. Just like any good road trip should be--full of ups & downs & lessons that you weren't expecting when you started out!
Join Date: 02/22/21
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I just finished the book and I just stopped crying long enough to write this! This is a beautiful story, especially for a passionate animal lover like myself. The majestic beauty of the giraffes touched me in every way. Perhaps this was also heightened by my experience a few years ago on an African safari. To see giraffes, as well as a multitude of other animals, in their natural habitat living free, is truly a mesmerizing experience. I highly recommend this book because it is about so much more than 2 giraffes going across the country.
Join Date: 04/08/13
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Join Date: 02/26/22
Posts: 54
I absolutely loved this book and have recommended it to several friends. I didn't think I would like it so much at the start--Woody's accent on the page had me grinding my teeth. But I got used to it and got lost in the story. I love historical fiction, and I had never heard of this little episode before.
Join Date: 05/24/21
Posts: 113
The story included interesting information about the depression, Dust Bowl, Lee Highway, treatment of animals, hardships, and the role of women. The giraffes created positive energy for those that viewed them along their trip across the country and for those reading about them in the newspapers. While reading the story, I found some parts of their journey to be long and not very interesting.
Join Date: 10/14/21
Posts: 122
I absolutely loved this book and am telling everyone I know to read it. It was on my library to-read list and it probably would have been quite a while before I actually got a copy to read, given the long wait list. I am so appreciative to have gotten this copy through Book Browse.
Join Date: 01/14/15
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