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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Historical fiction set in late 1930s about a young man who sees some giraffes that needs to be driven from east coast to west and how he tries to go with them. Like most historical fiction, I come away thinking I’ve learned a lot about the time period. I enjoyed this story immensely.
Marvelous book. It was hard to put down, once I started reading it. It really made me want to help giraffes and other animals at high risk for going extinct in my generation's lifetime. It also really made me want to visit a zoo.
I loved the characters, particularly Girl, Boy, the Old man Jones, Woody, and Red.
Thank you for all the hard work you put in on the research for this book. It really shows.
I have been recommending this book to friends and patrons at the 2 public libraries where I work.
I loved the characters, particularly Girl, Boy, the Old man Jones, Woody, and Red.
Thank you for all the hard work you put in on the research for this book. It really shows.
I have been recommending this book to friends and patrons at the 2 public libraries where I work.
Ultimately, this story's execution of all its elements are "just okay", which averages out to "okay". The plot is the attention grabber of the story, and the possible themes that could arise about connection to nature, taking care of the planet, the treatment of animals, and empathy with animals are very potent at the start of the story. About 20% of the way in, however, the story lets go of all those potential themes and conversations and instead latches the plot to cheap thrills and a doomed romance subplot. The prose is cinematic and a bit boring, the characters are all built on major secrets they have but don't develop much beyond that, and the main character is annoyingly almost well-written but is mainly used as a catalyst for the plot or before mentioned cheap thrills.
I don't regret reading this story, though. There is something like a slightly more thrilling lifetime movie waiting to be made from these pages, and I did enjoy the experience. Though the writing and execution is lackluster, it is still worth picking up if you like the premise and enjoy quick, surface-level reads.
I don't regret reading this story, though. There is something like a slightly more thrilling lifetime movie waiting to be made from these pages, and I did enjoy the experience. Though the writing and execution is lackluster, it is still worth picking up if you like the premise and enjoy quick, surface-level reads.
This could be my favorite book of the year. It was descriptive of the time without being overwhelming or confusing. The giraffes were portrayed with enough personality to make you love them.
Based on true events of how two giraffes were driven cross country to the San Diego Zoo after surviving The Great Hurricane of 1938. Love learning about the characters through the journey. A few areas were slow, but overall a completely unique story.
slow-paced
3/5 - There were some things I liked about this book and some things I didn't. I liked how the story went back and forth between present day (an old man in a nursing home writing down his story) to the past (the story of the giraffes). I really liked the writing style and the use of different graphics and newspaper articles to move the story along, but I do feel like the pacing could have used some work. I found several chapters to drag on far too long and become redundant. Overall, not sad I read it, but not sure if I'd recommend.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes