A review by a_phoenix_bookcorner
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

A man find himself at rock bottom with a goal of getting to California to try and turn his life around, when he spots two giraffes being hauled in from the New York Harbor.  The giraffes were set to be transported to San Diego, CA.  With no money, job, family, friends or a home,  these two giraffes become this man’s only beacon of hope of starting new and fresh.  He had to follow them and get to California.  Based during the time period of World War II,  West With Giraffes is a tale of reality, struggle, and dreams.  From research, there were two giraffes during that time frame that were transported from NY to CA- but it is my understanding that the majority of the characters in this book are fictional.  

I wanted to really like this book.  Perhaps it was the audio, I will never know, but it just fell a little flat for me.  It wasn’t a page turner by any means.  However, the ending of the story was not quite how I expected and I can appreciate the author not taking the typical route with the complete happily ever after because that’s not reality.  So in that regards, it was a breath of fresh air.  I also thought going in that this was based off a true story, and while it kind of is,  the giraffes were real and the giraffes handler was real but their actual journey and adventures within this novel are fictional.