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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
A lively selection for book club that I listened to on Audible. We will have plenty to talk about regarding this actual event that took place in the late 1930s.
Novel based on the true story of the first two giraffes’ arrival from Africa to the San Diego zoo via a long, eventful and often dangerous road trip across the USA in 1938. This was an easy read that I liked but did not love, as the events of the road trip did seem to go on a bit. I enjoyed learning about a part of American zoo history that I was completely unaware of. Read for Vickie’s Book Club, Ashe Co Library
adventurous
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:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed this a lot more than expected!
After having just finished another book that was a heavy read, this one was just what I needed.
It's a coming of age story, set in depression era/pre war U.S. and the author has built in a lot of historical realities of the time.
The protagonist wangles his way onto the truck carrying 2 giraffes across continental U.S. to deliver them to the San Diego zoo - the delivery of these giraffes to San Diego is a true story. What follows is the imagined trip, adventures, scrapes and bonding - both with people and with the giraffes.
It's a lovely read.
It's a coming of age story, set in depression era/pre war U.S. and the author has built in a lot of historical realities of the time.
The protagonist wangles his way onto the truck carrying 2 giraffes across continental U.S. to deliver them to the San Diego zoo - the delivery of these giraffes to San Diego is a true story. What follows is the imagined trip, adventures, scrapes and bonding - both with people and with the giraffes.
It's a lovely read.
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
solid historical fiction with a interesting premise, based on a real event of two giraffes traveling cross country in 1938. The giraffes survived an Atlantic crossing in a hurricane and then were driven cross country to the San Diego Zoo. For me, the characters and situations fell a little flat, and I'm not quite sure why. The relationship between "Red" and "Woody Nickel" did not inspire me - and this really affected my enjoyment of the book. Read for book club and will be interesting to see what everyone else has to say.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
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:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes