Lynda RutledgeRezensionen

I loved this book. It took place during the dust bowl.½

Faith Ann Bass Darling lives on Old Waco Road in Bass, Texas, the town that her great-grandfather, James Tyler Bass, founded. She lives shut up tight in the beautiful mansion that James Tyler Bass built for his bride, Belle, where she is surrounded by a plethora of family heirlooms, collectibles, and fine antiques that she cherishes. That is until she opens the front doors and has the neighborhood boys lug all the fine antiques, collectibles, and heirlooms out onto the front lawn for her (very first!) and last garage sale. This story tells what can happen when you have everything, then lose everything, and are left with only your memories ... and then you start to lose your memories too. What is left of you when all you had left is gone? What value do valuables have when you don't recall why you hold them dear? What do you do when someone you loved, then were afraid to love, and then lost comes back into your life, and you aren't even sure if they're real. What a tale of love, despair, anger, depression, and faith, or, in this case, Faith. A very good read well worth five stars.

Self-realization

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this! Deserves more than 5 stars! A heartwarming, historical, coming-of-age story that takes place during a time of massive cultural upheaval, this remarkable novel explores the power of friendship, hope, and progress.

The novel begins with this paragraph, “In 1964, a small miracle of a summer happened in Kate “Corky” Corcoran’s tiny, segregated town because of a softball game, a pastor feud, a drugstore sit-in, and a girl named America who Corky saw run as fast as Olympic champion Wilma Rudolph, the fastest woman in the world.”

After reading that sentence, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s well-written, with realistic characters, authentic dialogue, and edge-of-your-seat plotting. The book smoothly shifts from various characters’ points of view, including a dog, as well as an omniscient narrator. The suspenseful foreshadowing kept me turning the pages in anticipation. Talented author Lynda Rutledge (“West With Giraffes”) creatively takes the larger 1964 issues of racism and the Civil Rights Movement, women’s rights, the Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy assassination, Viet Nam war, Martin Luther King Jr., and makes them personal by telling the story from the perspective of naïve 13-year-old Corky.

Rutledge explains how “The moral of this novel, if it has one, is about the absolute miracle of friendship and also about the miraculous ability that books and sports possess to draw those new worlds together.” Of course the book she is referring to is “To Kill A Mockingbird” and the sport is girls’ softball. If you want to read similar heartwarming 5-star coming-of-age novels of small-town drama mixed with poignant humor after finishing this one, I highly recommend “The All-American” by Susie Finkbeiner, “The Incredible Winston Browne” and “Kinfolk,” both by Sean Dietrich.

This would be great for book clubs and is one I’ll be telling everyone to read. Don’t miss this feel-good novel!

A 17 yr old Woody makes his way from Texas to New York after the Dust Bowl kills his family. He happens to be there when he sees two giraffes being taken off a ship and put in a trailer bound for San Diego, CA. He becomes infatuated with them and decides he will follow them to California. When he is over 100 and a nursing home, he feels it is purpose to journal his story so it can be shared with other after he passes. It is a remarkable journey getting the giraffes to San Diego. Princeton Book Review: PBR Review: (by- Andrea)Based on an actual event, West with Giraffes is an endearing story about transporting two young giraffes across the country in 1938. 17-year-old Woody, a dust bowl orphan, finds his way to NY during the hurricane of 1938 and ends up driving across the country with a scrappy older man, Riley, to deliver the giraffes to the San Diego Zoo.The journey is complex and filled with adventures and mishaps. They encounter shady characters, unforeseen circumstances, and several obstacles. Both good and evil people are interested in these beautiful animals, and they struggle to deliver them safely. Throughout this challenging journey, Woody is given many opportunities to grow and reinvent himself.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.Barnes and Noble: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.

This is my second book by Lynda Rutledge and I have really enjoyed both books that I’ve read. Mockingbird Summer was more of a coming-of-age, young adult novel about some serious issues that people faced during the early sixties. She builds these issues around the popular novel of the time, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Set in the small Texas town of High Cotton, a young girl named Corky is experiencing a pivotal summer as she learns much more about the world. Having befriended an older black girl from across the tracks, Corky realizes that not everything is as it should be in terms of equality and opportunity.

Corky is lucky in that she has a wonderful family and community to guide her as she questions racism and a few other serious topics. Her older brother Mack is the big brother every kid needs and the perfect connector between Corky and her parents. He sees life from a younger perspective, which helps his parents embrace the changes the world is experiencing.

I think Rutledge accurately captured small town Texas in the 60’s. I felt some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, but I liked that there were so many in the town that had a desire to do the right thing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

4.25 Stars

We all have that summer, the one where we come to understand so much, the one that defines us. Summer, 1964 is THAT summer for naive, 13 year old Corky. Her brother is home from college and seems different. She meets 16 year old America from the other side of the tracks and wants to be friends, but is discouraged. Her parents are arguing and she doesn’t know why. A beautifully written book set in a small town in Texas, but it could be any town in the US.

The characters are well written; their innocence, hope, ugliness, the fear of change and the ability or Inability to accept it. I loved the depiction of summer in a small town with its endless days, walking to the library, soda fountains and ice cream cones, watching or listening to ball games, Sunday dinners and the family unit. The developing friendship between Corky and America was unique. A minor character, Roy, steals my heart. As with its famous To Kill a Mockingbird, the tough topic of racism is tackled, along with emerging Civil Rights Movement. I found the ending emotional and satisfying. I have this author’s previous novel on my bookshelf and need to move it to the top. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

My sister visited in the summer and "shared" several dead-tree books that she had recently read. I generally read on Kindle, but I accepted the challenge of reading one or two of the books she "donated" to us. This was the first such book, and I rather liked it.

It concerns a young man, Woody Nickle, who grew up in the Texas Panhandle. Basically, his family was wiped out during "dust bowl" days. at 19, Woody found himself in New York living with Cuz. But a massive hurricane took out Cuz, and Woody was alone. But, down on the docks, he saw a ship unloading a pair of giraffes who were bound for the San Diego Zoo. One, "Girl", was injured, and needed some medical treatment, including a splint for a broken leg. Somehow Woody was enraptured and felt a need to be with the giraffes. So, when the giraffes headed out on their truck, Woody followed them in a "borrowed" motor cycle.

Eventually, the driver quit and Woody somehow wrangled himself into the job of driving the giraffes, but "only to the next town or two". But, he managed to keep on and, after rather a lot of adventures, Woody and Riley Jones, the Zoo Keeper, delivered "Boy" and "Girl" to the zoo.

Along the way they kept running into another person who was enraptured by the giraffes, a young woman known as Augusta Red. She was claiming to be a fancy photographer who would get the story in Life magazine, but she really was just another giraffe junky.

I dunno, it sounds a bit silly, but it was really an intriguing story. I guess I owe my older sister.

As a wildlife and historical fiction lover, I anticipated liking this book quite a bit after reading the summary of it. That did not turn out to be the case, however. I did not like this book. In fact, I very much did NOT like West with Giraffes. You can likely chalk that up to personal preference with genres, writing styles, symbolism, etc.

The idea of the book was born from an actual event that took place in the 1930's involving a pair of giraffes who had survived a hurricane and were transported across the country to the San Diego Zoo. The fictional characters in this book are introduced to us in small, shadowly details; with little flashbacks, never fully illuminated and always cloaked in mystery. Thus I found they kept me at an arm's length, to say the least. I could not grow close to them. Actually, I ended up disliking all of the characters populating the story, to one degree or another. The details we were given about them were dark. This was not the upbeat, adventurous story of transporting giraffes across the country at a time when no one had ever seen one before more or less. The characters and symbolism were focused on the dark side of human nature and as such, I found them disagreeable. The giraffes were the central point drawing these humans together. It was truly a window into the tangled webs we humans often make of our lives. Even the awkward attempt at a romantic interest in the book was unsatisfying and somewhat repulsive under the circumstances.

I gave it three stars rather than a lower score based on my personal dislike of the storyline, because the writing itself was fine, although the story was laid out in a choppy, disjointed manner; purposefully I assume.

Excellent book, especially if you love animals and spent a lot of time at the San Diego Zoo (like I did!)
Would be a great choice for book clubs - lots of interesting topics to discuss. Now I want to read more about Belle Benchley!

Read for FUMC-Evanston Book Club. It was okay; I am just not a fan of novels.

Fabulous book. During the depression a boy and old man have to drive 2 giraffes from New York to San Diego. Narrated by the young boy as a very old man. Nice surprises. Don’t forget Red.½

Written like good literature...good description, well researched, deliberately, thoughtful. A 105 year old man recalls his life at 17 as he helps transports two giraffes across the US in 1939. The story tells his adventures as well as the people he meets and his first love. Slow to get into, but good after that. Good giraffe descriptions, as well as geographic descriptions.

I don't give many books 5 stars, only books that linger with me after I've finished them, and this is one of those books.
A 105 yr old man suddenly realizes that he has a story that must be told, so that it won't be lost forever, and proceeds to frantically write down his story of 12 days that changed his life.
Woodrow Wilson Nickel was 17 when he was orphaned. Dust Bowl Pneumonia took his family. He made his way to NYC to his last relative by hopping freight cars and hitching rides. Life with his relative wasn't much better than surviving the dust bowl. While in NY news spreads of a ship that survived the hurricane (of 1938) is straggling in and miraculously its precious cargo, 2 giraffes from Africa, made it. They are destined for San Diego. Once Woody sees the 2 giraffes, he knows he has to go with them. The story that unfolds is amazing. The historical notes at the end are very interesting also, as the story is based on a true story.

I was in the mood for a road trip, and I don't think I could have found a better one to read about than Lynda Rutledge's West With Giraffes, which was inspired by actual events. The book weaves real-life figures like the world's first female zoo director with fictional ones.

The narrator of the story, young "Woody" Nickel, is an almost feral child, barely surviving a brutal father and a harrowing life on a farm during the Dust Bowl in the Texas Panhandle. But no matter what he's had to do to survive, his voice tells you that he's basically good. He may not always do the right thing, and readers may wince a time or two at what he does, but everyone will want Woody to come out on top. Watching his growth as a person is one of the many highlights of the book.

He has a tough time convincing Riley Jones, the caretaker in charge of getting the giraffes to San Diego, that he's just the driver Jones needs, and it doesn't help when a pretty red-headed female photographer starts following them, but Woody is determined to get to California.

The well-paced story of West With Giraffes will sweep readers right out onto the road with Woody, Riley, and the giraffes. It's part adventure story, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, and it has a lot to say about the kindness of strangers, being changed by the grace of animals, and the need to tell a story before it's too late. The setting is spot-on, and anticipating what the passengers in that custom-built truck will be facing next is part of the fun of reading the book.

If you're in the mood to turn back the clock and experience a cross-country road trip in 1938, I strongly suggest that you pick up West With Giraffes.

Amazing page-turner with all the elements of a great novel taking an actual event and adding a plot full of suspense, improbable realism, antagonists, unexpected character development, and possible settings.

Story of Woody as he travels from New York to San Diego with two giraffes as the cargo. I could only admire the dedication and tenacity of the Zoo administrator and the driver to get these two giraffes safely to San Diego. It wasn’t easy since it is 1938 and the roads are not exactly pristine. Many adventures and misadventures occur in this epic roadtrip.

Set during the Depression, this is the story of a young man, Woodrow Wilson Nickel, known as Woody Nickel, escapes Oklahoma after his family has all died and heads to New York to a distant cousin. Here he accidentally sees a crate of giraffes being unloaded from a ship that has been hit by a hurricane. Becoming fascinated with the animals, he maneuvers himself on the truck that is heading to San Diego to the Zoo where they will be displayed.

Based on a real situation during this time, the story reflects life during the Depression and the desperation of those hit by the Dust Bowl. The "Old Man" is responsible for the giraffes has a bad hand which makes driving difficult so Woody finds himself driving this truck containing the crate of two giraffes. Red is a young woman whose goal is to have photographs appear in Life magazine. He follows the truck through the many adventures heading west including terrible roads, flash floods, and curious people along the way.

I especially liked the format of the book in which Woody is writing his story while living in a nursing home. The ending was believable and satisfactory. A good read.

I liked the premise of the book and I appreciated how Faith had such difficulty keeping things straight. I imagine that Alzheimer's Disease may present just as it did for Faith. For the entire book to span one day was interesting with all the characters' flashbacks and memories. Unfortunately the characters were not developed enough to really gain empathy with any of them. And I still can't figure out what Father George truly had to do with Faith's story - that could have been developed a lot more. Unless, of course the author was trying to reveal how people throughout the small town only knew Faith from one's own superficial perspective.
Growing up with a reference for antiques, I almost did not make it through the first part of the book where people were buying the Tiffany lamps for $1. I was almost panicky! And of course, the practical side of me came through in which I was concerned that by giving her possessions away, that Faith would not have enough money to maintain herself as she aged even more. I doubted that she was really going to die that day and I thought she would outlive her resources.
The idea of a book with the structure of the story to cover one day and then fleshed in with flashbacks was very creative. However, I could not give the book 4 stars due to shallow character development and choppy narrative. It's a strong 3-star book.

This story is told by a 105 year old man in 2025. Woodrow Wilson Nickel is 17 years old when he experiences the 1938 hurricane in New York City. He was forced there when he buried his mother, baby sister, favorite horse, and father in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl years. When he sees the two giraffes that landed just after the hurricane, he decides to follow them to the San Diego Zoo in California. The story relates the happenings along the way, his meeting and relationship with Augusta Red (a photographer), navigating mountain roads, fending off kidnappers, surviving a flash flood, and dealing with all the people who wanted to see the giraffes along the way.

Audiobook - Wasn’t sure about the narrator (Danny Campbell) at first but he was perfect once I understood it was an elderly man recounting the story. Great characters and lots of action.
Looked up photos of the actual truck and can’t believe they got them across the country in it.

Book on CD performed by Danny Campbell

As the world struggles to escape the Great Depression, and on the cusp of a new World War, orphan Woodrow Wilson Nickel finds himself cast adrift in the wake of the devastating Hurricane of 1938. Stumbling about hoping to find some shelter he comes across a scene that completely changes his life.

Rutledge based this work of historical fiction on an actual event: In 1938 two giraffes DID survive a hazardous ocean voyage and then an arduous cross-country road trip to finally arrive at the San Diego Zoo. Belle Benchley was the first woman to head the San Diego Zoo. But Woody, Red, and “the old man” are fictional characters, marvelous though they be.

I was completely captivated by this story. It helps that I am a big fan of road trips, especially getting off the major interstates and following the less-traveled “blue highways.” I’ve traveled through much of the landscape this group drove through. I recall those “wigwam” motor courts (never stayed in one, though). My family was helped by a local farm family when our car broke down in the middle of nowhere (on a Sunday, no less). I know what it’s like to drive the switchbacks of mountain roads, or a long empty drive across a desert plateau. This made the novel all the more real to me.

Woody is a wonderful character, and narrator, though I did get tired of the “breaks” that brought us back to the present when he is anxious to finish writing his memoir while in a nursing home, and away from the road trip itself.

Rutledge balances Woody’s naivete and basic good instincts, with the Old Man’s experience and compassion. I’m not sure we really needed Red’s storyline, other than as a reason for Woody to write his memoirs.

Danny Campbell does a superb job of performing the audiobook. The basic story is, after all, told by a very old man; Woody is 105 when he sets out to write his memories of that historic road trip. And Campbell give him an “old voice” throughout, which I found very effective for this work.

So many ways to describe this book – historical fiction, coming-of-age, a hero’s journey, cross-country road trip, ultimately heartwarming – but especially “memorable.” So glad to start off the new year with this memorable novel. This is one I highly recommend. Told in flashback sequences by Woodrow Wilson Nickel when he is 105 years old and living in an assisted living facility, most of the story takes place when Woody is nearly 18 years old. He survives the Dust Bowl, the Hurricane of 1938, an epic road trip across the country, and World War II. But the primary narrative is the story of Woody as he drives two giraffes from New York to San Diego in a tricked-up animal trailer with Riley Jones, the “Old Man” who works for the Zoo.

As soon as Woody sees the two giraffes that will be transported to the San Diego Zoo, he also meets Red, a female photographer who is as smitten with the giraffes as he is. They have several opportunities for introspective conversation, and she tells him: “Home’s not the place you’re from Woody. Home’s the place you want to be.” This leads Woody to realize: “If home was not where you came from but where you wanted to be, then the rig, the Old Man, and the giraffes were more home – and more family – than any home I’d ever had.”

Everyone who sees the giraffes is mesmerized. In 1938 these animals were often considered as rare and magical as unicorns. Driving the long-necked “darlings” was an enormous responsibility. Woody and the Old Man have many adventures along the way - from natural disasters, to crazy varmints, to hateful and conniving boogeymen, to generous and kind-hearted people.

The novel is based on the real-life facts of the two African giraffes who arrived in New York from their overseas ship voyage, survived the Hurricane of 1938, and were actually driven across the country to the San Diego Zoo. Author Lynda Rutledge thoroughly researched the Dust Bowl, giraffes, the San Diego Zoo of that time period, and created a story of mythological proportions weaving together the themes of family, dreams, truth and trust, storytelling vs. lies, destiny and fate.

If you enjoyed "This Tender Land" and/or "The Lincoln Highway," you must read "West With Giraffes." I’ll be telling everyone to read this memorable, heartwarming novel.

I read this for a reading challenge list at work, one of the books being something that a library patron recommended or raved about. It's historical fiction, based on the true story of two giraffes that survived a hurricane during a ship voyage to America in 1938 and were then driven across the country to the San Diego Zoo. The director at the time was the first woman zoo director, Belle Benchley, and after reading this, I'm really curious to read her memoirs.

The narrator is an old man, over 100 years old, who has sat down to write his part in the story--a teenage orphan trying to escape his Dust Bowl past who becomes the driver for the zookeeper charged with getting the giraffes safely across the country. I listened to this on audio, and I have to say, any descriptions of this as "sweet" or whatever do not take into account how stressful a novel filled with animals in jeopardy can be. I kept getting antsier and antsier, and by about the middle of the novel, I had bumped up the speed to double, something I almost never do. I wanted to stick with the book, but I wanted to finish quickly so my anxiety over the giraffes and the various scary situations they were in would be over. So, high-strung animal-lovers: there's your warning.

I really liked learning about this piece of history, and I thought the last chapter was especially good as the old man wraps up his story and muses on memory and life. I think I read there's something about the author's research in the print version of the book, so I'll have to check it out. Surprisingly for me, the thing I had the least patience for was the love story. It felt unnecessary to this tale, and I wouldn't have minded it just being about Woody and the old man's trip with the giraffes. I know leaving out the love story would have messed with the framing of the novel, so there's that. I think it would have been a better book without "Augusta Red", but it was still a good book and worth reading. It got me interested in reading more about giraffes and Belle Benchley, and I'm glad I checked it out.

As an animal lover this was my kind of book to enjoy and it did not disappoint . I really felt like I was there with Woody, the Old Man, Red and the 2 giraffes, Boy and Wild girl along their epic trip from NYC to San Diago Zoo.It is a trip filled with adventures of all kinds showing us post depression life in 1938 in a cross country story. Woody as an old man is retelling us his story. He wants it written down as he learns of present day extinction rates including those of giraffes shakes his soul as it should ours at the thought of losing these” creatures of God’s pure Eden”, forever.