What do readers think of West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge? Write your own review.

Oh, what a delightful, escapist read that takes us on a most unlikely cross-country journey that had me laughing and crying—occasionally at the same time.

Beautifully written by Lynda Rutledge, this is a made-up story based on true facts. It's 1938 at the height of the Great Depression and 17-year-old Woodrow Wilson Nickel—that is, Woody Nickel—is orphaned in the dust bowl that hit Texas. With a little loose change in his pocket and a lot of guts, he travels to New York City where he has a third cousin who can give him a job. When a hurricane hits New York and kills the cousin, Woody is once again at loose ends. And then he sees an incredible sight in the harbor: two giraffes who were on a ship from Africa and managed to survive the hurricane at sea.

Through some tricks, gumption, and a bit of luck, Woody attaches himself to the giraffes, called Boy and Girl, and their caretaker Riley Jones, whom Woody calls Old Man, as they embark on the cross-country drive along the Lee Highway to the San Diego Zoo, the giraffes' new home. Following them whether they like it or not is Augusta Red, a gorgeous redhead with her own sad story, who is shooting photos for a spread in Life magazine.

The trio encounters obstacles, adventure, and nefarious plots, and through it all, as Woody and Red slowly have the courage to reveal their darkest secrets, Woody learns to love and trust for the first time in his short life.

One of the most beautiful and touching parts of this novel is the effect the giraffes have on the humans around them—be it Old Man, Woody, and Red or the many people who spot them on this most incredible journey as they tootle on down the road with two giraffes sticking their heads out of a trailer. Old Man has a perfect way of describing the giraffes: "towering creatures of God's pure Eden."

With bold and vibrant characters, a plot filled with twists and turns, a touching love story, and an ending that had me reading with a huge smile on my face, this is a heartwarming book to be cherished and one I'll remember for a long time.

Bonus: You'll learn a lot about giraffes!

This is a heartwarming story of Woody Nickle’s adventure. He is now 105 years old and is writing about his adventure when he was 17. There was a hurricane in 1938 in the north east. Giraffes were on board a ship to be transported to the San Diego zoo. Two giraffes survived this horrific voyage.

This book is fictional tale based on a true event. There are very interesting characters as they travel the Lee Highway from town to town from New York to California. The giraffes were welcomed by the people in each town as newspapers, documented their arrival.
This is a wonderful story that will stay with you for a very long time.

Highly recommended.

A most enjoyable book! I totally got caught up in their journey and Woody’s story. Love books based on true facts. An incredible story! Recommend to everyone!

I have been to many zoos around the US, and never once thought about how animals arrived here. I took for granted that they had human treatment and were cared for but never considered that it was perilous and heartbreaking. I enjoyed the character development of Woody and his boss who risked much to get the animals safely to the zoo. A truly inspiring story!

The writing style of the first 100 or so pages of WEST WITH GIRAFFES reads, I think, like a young adult novel, which I wouldn't normally care for. But I knew that this historical fiction is based on an actual story: in 1938 two giraffes really did live through a hurricane on board a ship to arrive at the coast of New York, where they were then put in crates and transported by truck all the way across the country to the San Diego Zoo. So I kept reading.

This book is a fictionalized story of their 12-day journey with their zookeeper (whose name has been changed to Riley Jones for this story) and two others who are pure fiction, the 17-year-old driver, Woody Nickel, a Dust Bowl orphan from the Texas Panhandle, and Augusta "Red," the redheaded photographer who follows the giraffes' journey. Together, including the giraffes, they deal with one adventure after another along their way. And it is these adventures that kept me reading until late at night. The book hooked me in, after all.

One problem I have with historical fiction is my need to know what is fiction and what is fact. Sometimes the authors include a note with the book to explain which parts they made up. Most often, they don't do that to my satisfaction, and that is the case with WEST WITH GIRAFFES. At least nowadays we have the Internet, so we can look it up. So far, I know that the zookeeper's name was really Charlie Smith.

Overall a really good story. We follow four characters; Woody, the Old Man, Red, and the Giraffes across the country from the east coast to the west coast during the dust bowl era. We get a glimpse of what that trip would have been like if we had taken it ourselves back in the day. Each character has a backstory that the author keeps us just interested enough to keep reading to find out how it all ends.