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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Just wasn't drawn into the story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lovely, lovely story. Well-researched, and took me back to one of my favorite Dust Bowl novels, The Grapes of Wrath. I am an animal lover and craved a deeper emotional connection with this one. While I enjoyed reading it, I wanted to feel more attached to the animals and characters than I did.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
An adventurous tale based on a true story! Two young giraffes wind up in Maine after a hurricane. A teen orphan named Woody is immediately drawn to them and follows them into quarantine and as they begin a cross country road trip to San Diego. As things would happen, Woody ends up being the driver of the rig and we follow him throughout America in the late 1930s, meeting characters good and bad along the way, through rocky roads, twists and turns. I thought this was a fun read perfect for any animal lover or someone looking to follow along on a passionate quest.
Historical fiction 1930s. While a good story, it felt long and was not a quick read for me.
I truly wanted to love this book. It has a great premise and I love stories set during the Great Depression. But about fifty pages in, I began to have doubts. The book should have had another pass or two with an editor to catch repetitions and to develop character and dialog more.
I read it on my Kindle, so I began marking a few things. I will just mention one particular item. The word "mumble" and variations on it were used excessively--over thirty times. The lead character, Woody, seems to have mumbled his way through the entire book. The same phrases are used over and over to describe the giraffes, Augie, and the Old Man. The writing lacked depth and variation.
As a person who has traveled across the USA a number of times, I paid attention to the geography of the story. Very few places are given more than a cursory description. Adding more in this area would have given the story more texture. But a bigger problem occurs when inaccurate descriptions are applied. It made me wonder if the author had ever traveled these roads she wrote about. This was especially apparent when the story takes us through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Let me say that there are no Joshua Trees in eastern New Mexico and a quick internet check would have prevented this error.
The true story of the journey of the two giraffes from New York City to San Diego is a phenomenal, heart-tugging story. I just wish this book was written better. Giving it three stars is being generous.
I read it on my Kindle, so I began marking a few things. I will just mention one particular item. The word "mumble" and variations on it were used excessively--over thirty times. The lead character, Woody, seems to have mumbled his way through the entire book. The same phrases are used over and over to describe the giraffes, Augie, and the Old Man. The writing lacked depth and variation.
As a person who has traveled across the USA a number of times, I paid attention to the geography of the story. Very few places are given more than a cursory description. Adding more in this area would have given the story more texture. But a bigger problem occurs when inaccurate descriptions are applied. It made me wonder if the author had ever traveled these roads she wrote about. This was especially apparent when the story takes us through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Let me say that there are no Joshua Trees in eastern New Mexico and a quick internet check would have prevented this error.
The true story of the journey of the two giraffes from New York City to San Diego is a phenomenal, heart-tugging story. I just wish this book was written better. Giving it three stars is being generous.
Loved this book based on a true story of hauling 2 giraffes across country. Loved the road trip adventure and meeting people along the way. Takes place during dust bowl era/WWII
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes