Zarafa

by Michael Allin, Cihat Taşçıoğlu (translator)

Afrika'nın derinliklerinden Paris'in yüreğine bir zürafanın gerçek öyküsü 1826'da, üç buçuk metre boyunda bir zürafa Sudan'da yakalanıyor, Nil'i geçerek Akdeniz'i kat ediyor ve baharda muhteşem olan Fransa'nın kırsal bölgelerini yürüyerek Paris'e ulaşıyor. Gösterdiği sevgi ve güvenle ona bakan herkesi kendine hayran bırakarak. Yalnızca, bir zürafanın peri masalını andıran Paris yolculuğunun hikâyesi değil bu kitap. Osmanlı'nın Mısır'daki genel valisi Mehmet Ali tarafından Fransa kralı X. Charles'a armağan olarak gönderilen Zarafa'nın Paris'e yürüyüşünün tarihsel arka planına da ışık tutuyor Michael Allin. 19. yüzyılın ilk yarısına egzotik bir pencereden bakan Allin, Zarafa fenomenini sarmalayan politika, kültür, din ve açgözlülük ağını da gözler önüne seriyor. Zarafa farklı iki dünyayı bir araya getiriyor, uygarlık ve doğa arasında büyüleyici bir masal dokuyor.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Africa, France, Nature, Natural History

189 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1998

Reviews

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book - more the parts actually about the giraffe than the history lesson, but as a whole I have it in there with a solid 3 stars.

Other reviewers have criticised the non-giraffe aspects of the book, but without this history, there would be so many unanswered questions. There would necessarily be references to many people and without the background to their actions and motivations it would be a confusing read. Even now, I am less than convinced I have a clue about the history of Egypt and France in this era. Also it would be a very short book if it was limited to the giraffe telling.

On a side note, I can't tell whether this edition of the physical book, being rather narrow for its height is a subtle nod to the Giraffe, or whether this was a necessary device to reduce text width and pad this book out to its 215 pages! Anyways, some nice reproductions of sketches, maps etc and the book itself is rather nice.

3 stars

[Taveri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Te first third of the book was mostly historical and geographic background on wars in the Eygpt-Sudan prart of Africa. He learn "zarafa" means "charming" or "lovely one" in Arabic. Of all land animals giraffes have the largest eyes enabling them to communicate with one another a mile away. The distance they allow to be approached by a predator is 100 yards, farther than any other animal of the savanna.

Two young giraffes were sent to Europe; one to England and one to France. They were the Masai type, the smallest. Rothschild's are mid-size; Reticulated are the largest.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Allin has written an absolutely fascinating book about Zarafa, a young Masai giraffe who was gifted by Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, to Charles X of France in 1826. Zarafa was the first living giraffe Europe had seen in almost 350 years and the first giraffe ever to arrive in France. And what a journey to get there!

The idea to gift a giraffe to France was the brainchild in 1824 of Bernadino Drovetti, a young Italian soldier turned French bureaucrat who was the french consul general to Egypt. He was officially a diplomat but he made a fortune in trafficking in exotic animals, Egyptian antiquities, mummies and anything else his wealthy European clients desired.

Zarafa was captured as a calf in the Ethiopian highlands and subsequently spent two years making the 4,000-mile trip from Africa to Paris. She was shipped down the Blue Nile and the Nile, firstly in a large felucca, a boat of some 40 feet with a crew of 10 men, and then by ship across the Mediterranean to Marseilles. On board the felucca the giraffes, there were two of them, one going to England, were on the deck, amidships between cabin and masts in the shade of a specially erected canvas tent open fore and aft to the breeze. Sailing across the Mediterranean, Zarafa and friend stood in the hull and a hole was cut into the deck so that necks and heads could protrude safely.

Once at Marseilles, arriving on 31 October 1826, after a period of quarantine, the walk to Paris began in May 1827; the 550-mile walk was to take two months. And the journey was quite a parade as people flocked to see her, even rioted to get a good view. At Lyons 30,000 people turned out to see her and once in Paris Zarafa was paraded around the city before being presented to the king and then housed in her enclosure at le Jardin des Plantes. Once settled she was left in the hands of her Egyptian carers, Hasan and Atir, with the latter sleeping on a specially constructed Mezzanine floor so that he could be close to Zarafa's head and tend to her every need.

Zarafamania struck the city; fashionable ladies had their hair styled à la Girafe, and the 'Journal of Women and Fashion' reported a chic 'necklace à la Girafe, a narrow ribbon from which is suspended a pink heart or better yet a small locket of the seraglio in the form of the amulet seen around the neck of the giraffe at the Jardin du Roi'. The ladies' hair was piled so high - to match Zarafa's long neck - that they had to ride on the floors of their carriages! Gentlemen wore giraffique hats and ties and children were eating gingerbread giraffes! Zarafa was indeed a national icon and even Honoré de Balzac wrote a pamphlet entitled 'The Discourse of the Giraffe with the Chief of the Six Osages (or Indians) on the Occasion of Their Visit to Le Jardin du Roi, Translated from the Arabic by the Giraffe's Interpreter.' As well as the visiting Indians, 100,000 people visited her during July and August.

Zarafa eventually died on 12 January 1845 and thereafter she stood for decades on display in the foyer of the museum at le Jardin des Plantes. Eventually needing space the museum loaned her out to provincial museums throughout France and she was thought to have been sent to Verdun and there destroyed along with the town's museum in World War I. But apparently that was not so, for she has been conclusively identified by her distinctive markings - captured by a variety of artists in paintings commissioned at the time of her celebrity - still standing on the landing of a staircase in a museum in La Rochelle on the west coast of France.

As well as the trials and tribulations of Zarafa's journey, Michael Allin adds colour to the story by capturing the times and all the personalities involved along the way. He also gives plenty of background history, beginning with Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and Syria in 1798 to 1801 that began the French interest in Egyptology, to support the incredible story of Zarafa's epic journey.

[Bob Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Necked Came the Stranger"----a tall, but true story

If you think about history books as beer, then this one is definitely 'Bud Lite'. You're thirsty to read a good book, so you reach for ZARAFA. You chug it down. Hmm. Definitely liquid but not much of a kick. Well, OK, who could resist buying a book about a giraffe ? Not me, who always loved those weird-looking creatures. But I like well-organized books of history too, and I fear that this is not one of them. It's a kind of "cabinet de curiosités" as found in the France of the Enlightenment, but in the early 21st century, I feel we might expect something deeper, something that gave us a story to hold on to. Perhaps, to return to beer, a drink that would quench one's thirst, not only just wet the whistle. Editing is a problem. The same information is repeated in many places, and on p.140-141 even a line is repeated. This reveals a certain hastiness. Michael Allin must be congratulated on a great idea, a nice collection of illustrations, and some pleasant writing. I would certainly try his next book, because I think he has what it takes. ZARAFA, however, does have certain failings. The book jacket promises "a fairy tale for grown-ups", but fairy tales are not usually so diffuse. You can read this book in a few hours, but if you are looking for information about giraffes, about the historical period concerned in Egypt, France or the Mediterranean, don't expect much here.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bit of a slow start to the story (to familiarize the reader with the surrounding history of the event), but all in all a fascinating, documented tale of the journey of the first giraffe ever seen in France, from the Ethiopian highlands to her permanent quarters in le Jardin du Plantes. Zarafa was a gift from the Viceroy of Egypt, Muhammad Ali, to King Charles X, in hopes of gaining a political favor. The politics were soon forgotten as the masses followed the journey of this gentle creature for thousands of miles. Paris especially adored her!! Marie-Therese-Charlotte, daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette is in 1827 married to Charles X and plays a small role in the narrative; a rather thoughtless role. Zarafa survived until 1845 long after Charles X with wife, Madame Royale, was forced to abdicate and flee into exile to Britain.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book with much research into the times and wider history of the cultures and countries involved. A young female giraffe was sent as a present from Egypt to post-Napoleonic France; she had been captured by hunters who killed her mother, very young, and needed to be fed on milk for years.

This book explains how she was raised and walked or transported by boat from the smaller Nile rivers to the main course and the delta; she sailed to France and was walked the rest of the journey, about fifteen miles a day at two miles an hour, following her milk cows and handled by African stable men who were handsomely rewarded for their devotion. The King of France installed her in a royal menagerie and she was highly popular with everyone who saw her. Zarafa was praised for her elegance and gentleness, though some horses were afraid of her and the trip had wrecked the health of her procurer.

We also hear how the Romans had brought ill-fated giraffes to Europe in earlier times, while nations paid for every modernisation by exporting slaves. We see that Lake Nasser behind the Aswan Dam has raised the water table of the Sahara area, so that in some places the desert is coming to life, but unfortunately salt is creeping up with damp into temples and tombs, wrecking the paint. Experts reckon that in two hundred years there will be nothing left of the wall paintings and hieroglyphics. Removing antiquities has helped to preserve them in museums around the world. France carries the linking tale of Napoleon and the revolutions.

At times the account is less than riveting if you are not a student of this historical period. But the giraffe, and the idea of telling her tale, with those of the people who handled her, is lovely.

[Hubert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant, enticing amalgam of history, politics, and science from the Mediterranean early 19th century of Egypt and France. Though ostensibly a story about a particular animal and its travels, at the beginning of this text you get to learn about Napoleon's role in inducing naturalists, scientists, and scholars to gain interest in all things Egypt. The subtle cross-cultural political maneuvering that viceroy Muhammad Ali did to gain power in Egypt is well documented here.

As we move to the more straightforward narrative of Zarafa the giraffe's journey down Nile (northbound) and then across the Mediterranean and then onto Marseilles, and then upward by foot through France onward to Paris, we get a sense of how her main human companions (esp. Saint-Hilaire, a noted naturalist) communicated with the monarchs of the Restoration, and with Viceroy Ali of Egypt, to negotiate the best monetary and travel conditions for himself, his traveling crew, and ultimately for Egyptologists / naturalists in France.

At times it would have been more useful for Allin to play the foil in deliberating among his various historical sources, and discuss more of the basic historiography, contradictions, debates surrounding the particulars of Zarafa's journey. He does this to some extent, but doesn't follow through as the narrative progresses in tandem with Zarafa's journey.

It's nice to finally read this; I've had a copy for a while. Actually, the most bothersome thing about reading was the book's physically more narrow width - moreso than even your average trade paperback - which made it hard to read in a continuous fashion.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book for my giraffe-loving father several years ago and spied it on the shelf when I was visiting at Thanksgiving. My father gave it a lukewarm review, but it wasn't long and I love giraffes, too, so I brought it home to read. There was surprisingly less about the giraffe, Zarafa, then I expected. Nearly the first half of the book is dedicated to Egyptian and French history and the relations between the two countries. In fact, Zarafa's 550 mile walk from Marseille to Paris is almost glossed over. I would have found it entirely disappointing if not for the descriptions of "Zarafamania" in Paris, which were amusing, and an enchanting letter describing the giraffe: "One can say that the Giraffe has nothing elegant or graceful in the detail of her forms; her short body, her high and close-together legs, the excessive length of her neck, the declivity of her back, her badly rounded rump, and her long and bare tail, all these thing contrast in a shocking manner; she seems badly built, unbalanced on her feet, and yet one is seized by astonishment at the sight of her, and one finds her beautiful without being able to say why."

[B A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biraz tarih, biraz antropoloji, arşivler, resimler... Hoş bir öykü. İnsanlar nelere merak salıp emek veriyor? İlgiyle okudum, Sunay Akın'ın İstanbul'da Bir Zürafa'sını okuyup beğenenlere tavsiye ederim.

[Iñaki Tofiño · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how a giraffe was sent from Egypt to Paris at the beginning of the 19th century was definitively worth telling and Allin does it with interest. However, while he tells the story of the men who made travel possible or who accompanied the giraffe by foot from Marseilles to Paris, he focuses on the geopolitical side of the travel (the relations between France, Egypt, the Ottoman empire and the rest of European powers) and pays little attention to the cultural side of the event, the giraffemania that developed all over France. In any case, captivating and worth reading.

[Catrinea Carr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like giraffes so it would make sense that I would like this giraffe book that my aunt gave me but honestly it’s really mid as far as giraffe books go. It hardly talks about the giraffe but it delves deep into the history of the regions that the giraffe passes through. I think I would have liked this book more if it was from the giraffe’s perspective.

[Luis Prendes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris", de Michael Allin, me gustó mucho. Es un libro ameno que narra de forma agradable y fluida la travesía de Zarafa, una jirafa que recorrió medio mundo para convertirse en un símbolo de maravilla en el París del siglo XIX. Cada detalle de la historia, desde los paisajes africanos hasta los salones europeos está meticulosamente documentada. Una lectura que combina entretenimiento y aprendizaje en perfecto equilibrio.

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is subtitled: A Giraffe’s True Story, From Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris.

In October 1826 a ship arrived at Marseilles carrying the first giraffe ever seen in France. She was a gift from the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt to the King of France; a politically-motivated offering to ensure a powerful ally. Zarafa had already travelled over 1,000 miles to that point, but still needed to get to Paris. Eventually it was decided that the best approach would be to have her walk the 550 miles from Marseille to Paris, where the King awaited the presentation of this extraordinary gift.

Allin did exhaustive, and difficult, research. Many of those who were responsible for capturing and transporting the exotic “camelopard” were illiterate; crude or inaccurate translations further muddied the story. More importantly, the kinds of detailed records that Allin needed to confirm the giraffe’s itinerary (and to flesh out the story) – bills of sale for feed and lodging, for example – were long since destroyed as unimportant. Still, Zarafa was such a sensation in France that her presence had a wide-ranging effect – ladies had their hair coiffured a la Girafe (piled so high they had to ride on the floors of their carriages), children ate giraffe-shaped gingerbread cookies, towns along the giraffe’s route named streets and squares in her honor. She was, indeed a celebrity.

So the book should have been fascinating and interesting to someone like me – a lover of natural history as well as world history. My assumptions were wrong. The sections that dealt with the difficulties, inventive solutions and plain delight of Zarafa’s actual journey were the most interesting to me. On the other hand, Allin’s book bogged down in details of the politics and changing military powers of the time. In total, I thought it was okay. I’m glad I learned about this tiny little detail of history, but I’m not telling everyone to run out and read it.

[Max Renn · Rating 3 out of 5]

i really was looking forward to loving this book. on paper it looked perfect. the charming tale of a gentle giraffe's long journey from the headwaters of the nile to the heart of paris complete with fairy tale pashas, dashing tomb robbers, devoted handlers and lovable bureaucrats (?!) to pump the romantique.

unfortunately, despite this wealth of potential loveliness, too much of this slender volume reads like an accountants diary. perhaps its the source material, apparently the lions share of primary documentation were official records and expenditure forms, but the rote diversions regarding route, timing, costs, miles traveled per day, etc... interrupt what should be a fantastical travelogue that ambles along itself at a giraffes graceful loping gait.

whats really sad is that 'the goods' are there, you just cant lose yourself in them the way you should. all that being said, i think this is a delightful readable book full of wonder, and i do recommend it, i merely mourn for the essential and treasured bit of perfection it could of so easily been.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly charming and well-written and researched book. Michael Allin condenses a lot of complicated political history of the 18th and 19th century in a straightforward and clear way, all entwined around the journey of Zarafa the giraffe. I was especially excited to read about Zarafa's brief stay in Valence, where I used to live in France. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer. I wanted to know more about Zarafa's life in Paris, but I guess the really interesting story is of her voyage from Africa to the Jardin des Plantes. For anyone who has visited the Jardin, this book will make your next visit more interesting as you imagine where the much loved giraffe lived during its life as an adopted Parisian. And for anyone who hasn't, Michael Allin perfectly captures the grace the well-plotted garden still possesses today.

[Tittirossa · Rating 2 out of 5]

E' la storia della prima giraffa giunta, nel 1826, sul suolo europeo, regalata dal viceré d'Egitto al re di Francia Carlo X. Interessante ma niente di più di un resoconto. Non c'è pathos, abilità narrativa, storia.
Avvincente come una tesi di laurea.

[Hahtoolah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zarafa: A Giraffe’s True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris, by Michael Allin (1998)

This is the delightful story of how, in 1826, a baby giraffe was captured in the Sudan and transported to Paris as a gift from Muhammad Ali, Ottoman viceroy to Egypt, to Charles X, King of France. In the process, the reader is treated to a brief glimpse of the world as exploration in Egypt was opening up, compliments of Napoleon.

Napoleon exposed Egypt to Europe. For centuries, the artifacts of ancient Egypt had been buried to the world. After Napoleon’s army landed in Egypt, Europeans began looting its tombs for profit. Europe was intrigued. Muhammad Ali, a brutal ruler to his own people, wanted to forge a link to Europe, so arranged to have a baby giraffe captured and transported to France as a gift to the post-Revolution King of France.

Allin explained how it was possible to trap the young giraffe, probably no more that 2 months old at its capture, and have it sent down the Nile River, across the Mediterranean, and finally the long walk from Marseille to Paris. The young giraffe had not yet been weaned, it could be separated from its mother, while it was still tame. Because it hadn’t been weaned, several cows travelled with it to provide it with 25 gallons of milk per day. Details of the trip from its initial capture until it reached Cairo are sketchy, however, detailed records existed on the trip from Cairo to Paris. Two and a half years after its capture, it entered Paris, where it lived for the next 19 years.

Modern Europeans had never seen such an exotic animal before, so during its trek through France, hordes of people flocked to see the creature. The reader learns that the ancient Romans had imported exotic animals for gladiator fights, but that had long been forgotten.

This is a fun book that describes not only a bit about the lives of giraffes, but also a slice of political life in France at the beginning of the 1800s.

[Rmslis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In early 1800s a young giraffe is made a gift from Muhammad Ali, Viceroy of Egypt to Charles X, King of France. The author chronicles this actual event of the journey of the young giraffe, from the plains of Sudan up the Nile, across the Mediterranean to Marseille, France, and then up north to its final destination, Paris. This was the first giraffe the citizens of France had seen in over 300 years and it became a cultural icon for the country at the time.

Apparently there was not enough historical information about the giraffe to justify an entire book solely on the topic of its journey, so the author also included information about the various people connected to the giraffe’s journey, descriptions of some of the locales through which the giraffe traveled, a smattering of other case histories involving the transport of exotic animals to destinations in Europe dating from the time of the Roman Empire, and even included some snippets of European history around the time of the French Revolution through the Napoleonic Wars with some interesting trivia about Napoleon, himself. This made for a cohesive mosaic that immersed the reader fully into the life and times of that period in history. Although the author jumped around from one subject matter to another, each diversion wasn’t a long or far departure from the actual topic of the book, the journey of the giraffe, and each diversion did end up being relevant in some way to the giraffe, making the unfolding of the story more varied and overall comprehensive. The time frame was a period of European History I was not too familiar with, and learning about it while following the progress of the young giraffe through early 1800’s Africa and France made for a very interesting read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful little book about a factoid of zoology : the first giraffe ever to be seen in France (in 1827).

A relationship gift from the autocratic but Francophile ruler of Egypt, Muhammed Ali, to King Charles X, the giraffe was captured as a calf in the heart of Africa. Delicately fed on camel and cow milk, she was then shipped up the Nile towards the Mediterranean, and from there to Marseilles. After the obligatory quarantine, she spent some time recuperating in Marseilles, under the benevolent eye of the local dignitaries. The question of how to get this big creature to Paris was solved in the simplest way : on foot. So there began a weeks-long march through France, Zarafa ambling amiably through the countryside, led by her keepers and following the cows whose milk she depended upon. The exotic creature cited interest and affection wherever she went, and the eminent zoologist who accompanied her on her march wrote of her in a mix of scientific amazement and attachment. After being presented to the royal court, the giraffe spent the rest of her life in the Jardin des Plantes, delighting her visitors.

This story is the backbone around which the geopolitics of the early 1800s, and the scientific interests of the time are arranged. Napoleon and his Egyptian army, the ferocious Mamelukes, scientific prodigies, mercenaries and intrigants.... what a cast of characters!

[Drillon Kincaid · Rating 2 out of 5]

What we have here is an extremely thin tale of a giraffe embedded in a great deal of context. The context, granted, is interesting to any reader of history, but the point remains. This is not so much the story of Zarafa as the story of post-Revolutionary France:its explorations, exploitation of and relations with Egypt, its own internal politics. It's the story of Muhammed Ali, Egyptian viceroy and his courtship of French support, education, culture. To that end he sends Charles X a giraffe.

Really that's the story. It isn't so much about the giraffe as is it about why the unfortunate creature was orphaned, captured and shipped all that way and paraded from Marseille to Paris. Perhaps there are not enough sources for Allin to employ, the material might be too thin? It certainly seems too thin to support a book about the giraffe. But then this book isn't really about a giraffe is it? She's more an afterthought, incidental.

Allin relies heavily and often upon context when info about the giraffe fails him. If that context interests you, read on, but if your interest is purely the giraffe ignore the book. Go to Wikipedia.

Zarafa is enjoyable in its way, but one finishes it feeling that one has been duped, misled, lied to. One truly can't judge a book by its cover. Shame on you Mr. Allin

[noorannina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sain tämän kirjan lahjaksi noin 20 vuotta sitten. Luin sen nyt osana kirjahyllyn tyhjennystä, muuten en todennäköisesti olisi siihen tarttunut.

Zarafan tarina on kirjan punainen lanka, mutta siihen liittyvistä alueista, ihmisistä, valtakunnista ja sen ajan tapahtumista kerrotaan melko laajasti niin että välillä kirahvi unohtuu. Kirjassa esiteltyjä ja seurattuja historian pienempiä ja suurempia merkkihenkilöitä on niin hirveä määrä, että itse ainakin putosin kärryiltä monta kertaa. Kirjan suurin ongelma kuitenkin on sen eteneminen vain hyvin hataralla kronologisella pohjalla. Vuosien ja vuosikymmenten välillä pompitaan koko ajan, mikä ei ole ainoastaan raivostuttavaa vaan sotkee tarinan kokonaisuuden.

Ei tämä kirja nyt ihan hypetä eurooppalaisten suorittamaa ihmisten ja eläinten riistoa Afrikassa Zarafan aikana mutta joitain asioita se tuntuu glorifioivan, joka on vastenmielistä.

Itselleni tästä kirjasta ei juuri ollut iloa, mutta jollekin Välimeren alueen 1700-1800-lukujen historiasta tai Cabinet de curiosités-ilmiöstä kiinnostuneelle kirja voi olla hyödyllinen.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I recommended West for Giraffes to a friend, the same friend recommended this book. Zarafa is about the journey of a giraffe from present day Sudan to Paris, a gift from the head of Egypt to the King of France in the post-Napoleonic era. Unlike West for Giraffes, Zarafa does not have a fictional element to it, but a strong historical narrative explaining the relationship between France and Egypt. The details of the giraffe's journey itself was derived from journals and other historical artifacts. While interesting, the historic detail the interrupted the flow of the book and the giraffe's journey. I liked West for Giraffes better because the author's device of a fictional narrator helped me to better imagine the journey itself and the reaction from locals as the animals passed through their towns.

[David L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming, amusing, even Fascinating! Who knew. I gave this book a mention in my just-published journal: Across Two Novembers: A Year in the Life of a Blind Bibliophile. I said this: "On an historic note, in 1827, Muhammad Ali, Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, sent a young female giraffe to French King Charles X as a royal gift, to firm up relations between the two countries. Her journey by ship, her walk across France, and Paris’s reaction are described by Michael Allin in Zarafa: A Giraffe’s True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris."
www.dldbooks.com/davidfaucheux/
PS I must research and find out what else this writer has published.

[Liam Haslam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally I was more interested in the history and politics of the nations involved during this period than the actual account of Zarafa's journey to Paris. I would have preferred to read less about her health updates in dusty old letters of correspondence, but hey, this might really appeal to others! However the narrative is full of wonderfully colourful characters and paints an interesting caricature of early 19th century life.

The book also contains some fun facts about Giraffe's! Plus the long-lasting effect Zarafa had on French society. It's a good short read I'd recommend, but ultimately didn't quite live up to the enticing description for me.

[Jochem Bodewes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beetje irritant geschreven, echt een classic Amerikaan die Franzoosje probeert te spelen. Overdreven volgepropte zinnen met veel nodeloze woorden.

Wel een boeiende geschiedenisles. Wat me voor altijd bij gaat blijven is Napoleon die op de rug van zijn kameel boeken las ter intellectuele verlichting. Na het omslaan van een pagina scheurde hij de vorige af, liet die op de grond vallen, en eiste vervolgens van zijn voetsoldaten dat zij het papier oppakten en zo, achter zijn kameel aan marcherend, met hem meelazen. #educateyoursoldiers

[Kathryne Baldwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked this up for my A-Z challenge thinking it was a story about...I don't know...A GIRAFFE. While the giraffe did make some minimalist appearance, this was largely a historical non-fiction book. If you are looking for additional information on French naturalist Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, Muhammed Ali (the Ottoman Albanian governor, not the boxer), Charles X of France, or the Napoleonic Wars - this book is up your alley.

If you are looking for a book about a GIRAFFE, you might be better served looking for a children's book about the Toys R Us mascot. This is a skip from me.

[Bookslut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. There were a lot of things to like in here, but there were too many things that rode roughshod over my feelings for me to really love it. So many atrocities against animals from Roman times somehow wrapped into this decidedly non-Roman era book. What is it with men and Roman times?? I also, despite loving the basic premise, often found the writing confusing and would waste a lot of time looping back to try to figure out what the author meant. In the hands of another author, it could've been a perfect book.

[K.R. Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is story is exactly what historical non-fiction should be. A small story that might have been forgotten. I am a sucker for a good story about a journey. To me journey implies long, arduous or challenging, much more than just a trip. From the handlers to the noted naturalist to the royalty involved (and of course the giraffe) each is a plausible character in a great fictional tale. A quick read at just over 200 pgs. and a memorable story.

[Charles James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a Giraffe who was a Royal gift from Egypt to France in 1826 . The is a little slow to start . The most interesting part of the book is then biographical details of the the then Egyptian rules Mohamed Ali .
This was the first Giraffe many Europeans had seen and the journey through France creates massive crowds and interest . All ends well .

How one was left with the feeling a Biography on Mohamed Ali would have been more interesting

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

As others have said, this book is heavy on the background politics and history before you get to the giraffe. Its helpful to place her on a timeline but I was hoping for more detail about her actual journey. Also beware of historical animal welfare as some context (although historical fact) can be hard to swallow. This doesn't relate too much to the giraffe although thankfully zoological practices have come a long way since the 1820s.