West with Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge
West with Giraffes, Lynda Rutledge
12 Rating(s)
List: $42.99 | Sale: $30.10
Club: $21.49

West with Giraffes

Author: Lynda Rutledge

Narrator: Danny Campbell

Unabridged: 10 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/01/2021


Synopsis

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.

About Lynda Rutledge

Lynda Rutledge, a lifelong animal lover, has had the joy of petting baby rhinos, snorkeling with endangered turtles, and strolling with a tower of giraffes in her eclectic freelance career writing nonfiction for well-known publications and organizations while winning awards and residencies for her fiction. Her debut novel, Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale, was the winner of the 2013 Writers’ League of Texas Book Award. It was adapted into the 2018 French film La dernière folie de Claire Darling starring Catherine Deneuve. Lynda, her husband, and their resident dog live outside Austin, Texas. For more information visit www.lyndarutledge.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by jessica on December 29, 2021

a really sweet coming-of-age story that combines american history, animal friends, and a cross-country roadtrip. quite the fun adventure! whist reading this, i could tell that it was well-researched. i actually learned some things about the dust bowl era, which was unexpected. i think this does a gre......more

Goodreads review by Catherine on January 02, 2021

A delightful read, I couldn't put it down. Told through the memory of an aged veteran, the story is set against the background of the Dust Bowl, the Depression and the advent of a World War. This improbable, but fact-based, story of two giraffes transported cross country in what was basically an ove......more

Goodreads review by Alice R. Gorski on October 15, 2023

My great escape This story offered a delightful escape from today's stresses. I devoured it in two days. One of those books you don't want to put down yet hate to see end. A wild rollicking ride with unique humans in touch with their better selves as they are drawn in by two gentle wild "beasts". Fo......more

Goodreads review by Melissa (Semi-hiatus for Work) on September 02, 2022

4.5 stars, rounded up What a gorgeously written and life affirming book! This was my book club read for September and I really enjoyed my reading experience. I listened to it as an audiobook (via KU) and Danny Campbell does a fantastic job of giving voice to Woody as both a young man and as an elderl......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on December 13, 2023

From the beginning, this remembrance of a few short weeks of one man’s life captured both my attention and my heart. (At over 100 years old, our elderly narrator is compelled to tell his story before it is too late.) If you are an animal lover, then you’ll understand why this slightly sentimental and......more


Quotes

“A delightful read.” The New York Times Book Review

“Every year I find at least one book that soars above all the others. This year West With Giraffes is that book.” Florida Times Union

“[A] larger-than-life story about the power of both animal magnetism and human connection…witty, charming, and heartwarming.” Booklist