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. Young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow Wilson Nickel is behind the wheel. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, an old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.
My retired-librarian friend Joanne recommended this book, so I promptly downloaded it to my Kindle. She thought it was great, so I look forward to reading it for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2022.
Sisters Asia Butler and Ivy Butler Morelli have not spoken in fifteen years. The two endured brutal emotional abuse from their mother, Veronica, and want only to forget the past . . . and each other. But the past comes calling when they each receive a letter from Veronica’s attorney promising much needed cash if they will fulfill her dying wish and consent to cleaning out their childhood home. Asia and Ivy reluctantly return to their hometown of Emerson, Florida, only to discover the house is a hoarder’s nightmare filled with strange mementos and clues hinting that they were not the only victims of Veronica’s sadistic nature. Can this new pain be the path to their healing? Will they be able to choose forgiveness over resentment?
Good Thing #1
A warm apartment on a winter's day.
Good Thing #2
Being able to continue staying at home.
Good Thing #3
Having plenty of food on hand for Clawdia and me.
Fascinating! I've never seen anything quite like this.
Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon,
a place for us to link up and share what
we have read and done during this week.
7 comments:
West with Giraffes sounds like a story that offers some lift, and that's something we can all use right now, I think. I often think about my grandparents and their struggles during the Great Depression. How did they go on during that long, rough time?
I've never seen a sign like that before either. I like it.
I'm glad that I don't have to leave home while I have this cold, and I'm terribly glad it's just a cold, not Covid.
Somewhere I read that fully-grown giraffes cannot be transported by road because there are always overpasses that are too short for them. I wonder if that was not yet true in the 1930s or if it's just historical fiction.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
That sign is really something!
West with Giraffes sounds like a great story. I just read another review for Fresh Scars - it sounds good.
Have a safe, warm and cozy week!
Hi Bonnie - curious question is Clawdia your cat ? LOL (if so love the name). West with Giraffes sounds so good. Have a great week.
Mae, I'll watch for that to see. I do know that the Interstate highways in the United States were not built until the 1960's, and that's where most of today's overpasses and underpasses would be.
Diane, I'm sorry. I should have mentioned that Clawdia (yes, spelled with a W) is my little black cat. The top of my blog used to say "Bonnie's Books . . . and Clawdia's shenanigans." Maybe I should put that back up there. For now, you can see (and read about) Clawdia by clicking this link:
https://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=Clawdia
That icy sign is amazing! I hope you are staying warm and safe in your apartment; this new variant is no joke.
I love the sound of West With The Giraffes, I’m adding it to my TBR
Wishing you a great reading week
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