Reading the blurbs on the jacket cover, my cynical self said The
author has a lot of friends! A third of the way into the story,
I felt they had grossly understated the book!

It IS fantastic...how can so many things happen so quickly to one
person, and lead to such adventuress? But they do, and the reader is totally involved in the consequences for Casey, the
reluctant college kid who friends call the Wizard. In your mind, you agonize with him, scold him for not havilng better
sense, and believe in him as he hurdles the next step in his
Christmas trip home to Kansas from California.

Michael Allin has created for the reader a charismatic protagon-
ist who, on his circuitious joourney east encounters some far-out
characters, good and bad, from whom he gains a bit of insight
about his own self, and his own abilities.

It's great reading, and when you realize you've reached the end,
you long for more of Casey, the Wizard.

I was very disappointed in this book. Reviews of the book proclaim it to be a magical retelling of the story of the charming giraffe, Zarafa, and her odyssey from Africa to Paris. Unfortunately, this is not a correct evaluation of the majority of the book. Allin's book focuses very, very heavily on the political intrigues of the politico-warriors who ruled Egypt, France, and Turkey in the early 19th century. In attempting to set the stage for the world history, climate and culture of the time, Allin goes way overboard with the tales of war, slaughter, slaving, court intrigue, deceptions, petty rulers and such other matters. As a result, the story of Zarafa the giraffe is lost amid the pages.

It seems that very little of the book is actually devoted to telling the tale of Zarafa, and what there is about her and her journey is swathed in grisly details of warring and giraffe butcher. All this policical-historical clutter prevents the reader from reaching Zarafa except in only the barest sense. The gore of war and descriptions of heinous acts committed by those in power while on the route up to power overwhelmingly distracts from the tale. The somewhat graphic descriptions of animal slaughter at Roman fetes served no purpose. Gross.

Allin gets very wound up in the telling of the historical facts. In fact, he is so wound up in it that much of the book reads like a tangle. I had to re-read numerous paragraphs to try to make the transition from the surrounding paragraphs. There was no linear thread to guide the reader. It seemed like he just decided that a certain fact would be good at a particular point and inserted it without regard for the context of the surrounding text. It was convoluted to put it shortly.

Zarafa was apparently a beautiful, gentle creature and this could have been a magical tale. Perhaps if Allin had fictionalized the story more and added more likeable humans the story would do credit to Zarafa's legacy. I am still interested in reading the tale of Zarafa's journey -- it didn't really get told in this book.

The only part of the book which is outstanding is the design and styling of the book jacket and the binding for the volume. The book jacket is luminous, the end papers a treat. The font follows the mood. But, why the printer chose margins which necessitated numerous hyphenations on each page is a mystery. The excessive occurrence of hyphenated words distracted from the flow of the story.

Heard the taped version of ZARAFA by Michael Allin, the true story of how a giraffe in 1826 got from Africa to become the first such animal ever seen in France . . . she was a royal offering from Muhammad Ali, Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, to King
Charles X of France, presented in the hopes of keeping the French out of Ali's war against the Greeks . . . although her arrival did not accomplish its intended task, Zarafa did become an instant celebrity and fascinated all of Europe for the next 18 years.

Although the tale skipped around a bit too much, I did find it a fascinating history lesson . . . what's more, it gave me a good look at what publicity was all about--back in the nineteenth century . . . and it made me appreciate the herculean effort that took place in moving this magnificent creature such a distance.

Zarafa was totally enchanting book. I was drawn to it by the cover and once I started reading had difficulty putting it down. Allin has taken an obscure event and with painstaking research and deft prose has given us a story that should appeal to adults and older children alike. The story of Zarafa stayed with me and I have recommended it to my family and friends. Both my husband and I would now like to go to Egypt and follow Zarafas path. My next trip to France will take me to the museum in Beaune to view the original cover painting and possibly La Rochelle to see the remains of Zarafa although I might find that distressing. Some of the historical data was repetitious but it did serve to emphasize the atmosphere of the time and the situation. I plan to read it a second time and recommend it highly to those of a romantic nature. I think of Zarafa often and Allins perception of her grace and calm temperment have stayed with me and every giraffe that I encounter will now represent Zarafa. I just wish I could have seen her stately presence gliding through the town from Marseille to Paris.