It takes the average reader 5 hours and 17 minutes to read Giraffe by J. M. Ledgard
Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more
An astounding novel based on the true story of the life and mysterious death of the largest herd of giraffes ever held in captivity, in a Czechoslovakian town sleepwalking through communism in the early 1970s. In 1975, on the eve of May Day, secret police dressed in chemical warfare suits sealed off a zoo in a small Czechoslovakian town and ordered the destruction of the largest captive herd of giraffes in the world. This apparently senseless massacre lies at the heart of J. M. Ledgard's haunting first novel, which recounts the story of the giraffes from their capture in Africa to their deaths far away behind the Iron Curtain. At once vivid and unearthly, Giraffe is an unforgettable story about strangeness, about creatures that are alien and silent, about captivity, and finally about Czechoslovakia, a middling totalitarian state and its population of sleepwalkers. It is also a story that might never have been told. Ledgard, a foreign correspondent for the Economist since 1995, unearthed the long-buried truth behind the deaths of these giraffes while researching his book, spending years following leads throughout the Czech Republic. In prose reminiscent of Italo Calvino and W. G. Sebald, he imbues the story with both a gripping sense of specificity and a profound resonance, limning the ways the giraffes enter the lives of the people around them, the secrecy and fear that permeate 1970s Czechoslovakia, and the quiet ways in which ordinary people become complicit in the crimes committed in their midst.
Giraffe by J. M. Ledgard is 308 pages long, and a total of 79,464 words.
This makes it 104% the length of the average book. It also has 97% more words than the average book.
The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 7 hours and 14 minutes to read Giraffe aloud.
Giraffe is suitable for students ages 12 and up.
Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.
When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.
Giraffe by J. M. Ledgard is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.
To buy Giraffe by J. M. Ledgard on Amazon click the button below.
Buy Giraffe on Amazon