West with Giraffes

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge 371 pages

 

Author Lynda Rutledge has saved an almost forgotten story from slipping away for eternity. THANK YOU, LYNDA! “In 1999, while doing deep dives in the San Diego Zoo’s archives for a project, [Rutledge] uncovered a batch of yellowing news clippings chronicling the kind of story that captures the imagination and never lets go.”

 

Years later when Rutledge learned of the disappearing giraffes in their natural habit. She couldn’t let it go, and this novel was born.

 

For those of you who, like me, came late to reading it, all I can say is grab a copy as quickly as you can, clear your calendar and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!

 

The story is the telling of a pair of giraffes who landed in New York during the Great Hurricane of 1938 that battered the eastern seaboard. Thankfully, the giraffes survived! They were loaded onto a specially made truck and driven across the U.S. to the San Diego Zoo. You must keep in mind that the country was still reeling from the Depression and the devastation of the Dust Bowl and there were no interstate highways to make the trek a smooth one.

 

The story is narrated by Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Nickel, who is now 105 years old. He currently lives in VA hospital. Getting the urgent call to tell the story of how the giraffes (named Boy and Girl) hauled were the first giraffes in America.

 

The story follows Woody, the zookeeper who Woody calls the “Old Man,” and a young woman name Augusta, but Woody refers to as Red who follows them in a green Packard, snapping photos as often and as many as she could. Her goal was to get a photospread for Life Magazine.

 

I’ve seen many comments on this book on various sites. Many loved it; many hated it. But I LOVED it. West with Giraffes receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Truth According to Us

The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows   512 pages

From the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society comes a novel rich in secrets, eccentric characters,, charm, and an un-put-downable story.

It’s autumn 1938. Hotter ‘n a coon dog. In Washington, D.C., socialite Layla Beck has decided that she doesn’t want to marry Nelson, the man her father cherry-picked for her. Senator Beck is outraged and cuts off the young woman, going to far as to have her put on relief and gets he a job with the WPA.

The WPA sends Layla to Macedonia, West Virginia, to write the small-town’s history. This seems odd as the reader is not given any indication that Layla can write a book however brief. Layla settles in at the Romeyns home.

There she encounters the household: 12-year-old Willa (who reminded me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird); Willa’s younger sister, Bird; Aunt Jottie, Aunts Mae and Minereva: and Willa and Bird’s father, Felix. Nearby lives another uncle, Emmett.

Willa has reached an age where her perceptions are starting to heighten. She decides that she wants to attain the virtues of the town’s founder, General Magnus Hamilton: ferocity and devotion. In her new found qualities, she is keenly aware of the sparks, or something, flying through the air between Aunt Jottie and Mr. McKubin.  

Layla, a beautiful young woman, attracts the attention of most of the men in town, but especially that of Willa’s father, Felix. He comes and goes in their lives like a ghost. Felix begins to show her around, while she is conducting her research. Layla is determined to do a good job.

As Layla digs into the town’s history, Willa practices ferocity and devotion and begins to uncover some interesting things about her family

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The story is told in alternate chapters between Willa and a third-person omniscient narrator. I was quickly pulled into the story. Even at 512 pages, the story flew by and I had trouble putting it down. It’s the perfect read for a lazy, hot summer weekend.

I give The Truth According to Us 6 out of 5 stars.