Giraffe: A Novel - Hardcover

Ledgard, J. M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594200998 ISBN 13: 9781594200991

Publisher: Penguin Press, 2006

Synopsis

A novel based on a bizarre, real-life incident that took place in 1975 Czechoslovakia describes the destruction of the world's largest captive herd of giraffes at a zoo in a small Czech town, recounting the story of the giraffes from their capture in Africa to their apparently senseless slaughter by the secret police. A first novel.

About this title

About the Author:

J. M. Ledgard was born on the Shetland Islands, Scotland, in 1968, and educated in England, Scotland, and America. He has been a foreign correspondent for the Economist since 1995. He divides his time between Europe and Africa.

From AudioFile:

Ledgard's novel, based on a true story, takes us from East Africa and the birth of a white-bellied giraffe cow to a Czechoslovakian zoo and the 1975 extermination of the largest captive giraffe herd in the world. Narrators Jamie Heinlein and Pablo Schreiber create characters oppressed by the harsh realities of Czech communism and tempered by dreamy inner moments. Heinlein is particularly poignant as Amina, a nightwalker in a nation of sleepwalkers, who loves the giraffes. Schreiber effectively handles Emil, a scientist who studies blood flow; Tadeas, the virologist who diagnoses the plague among the animals; and Jiri, the hunter who must exterminate the herd as humanely as possible. Legard's haunting story and the understated, powerful performances by Heinlein and Schreiber make this a remarkable listening experience. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1594200998
• ISBN 13: 9781594200991
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304