Review: To the Land of Long Lost Friends

Title: To the Land of Long Lost Friends

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: 10th September 2019 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 227 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary fiction, Africa, mystery

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

Mr J. L. B. Matekoni usually steers clear of Mma Ramotswe's cases, but on this occasion he is approached by a client of the garage who tells a tale of woe. This man has entrusted his brother to oversee the building of a house, yet the project is complete and now the brother won't leave. How is he to get him to move on? Surprisingly, Mr Polopetsi comes to the rescue. Elsewhere, a woman with a troublesome daughter comes to see Mma Ramotswe, and Mma Ramotswe finds herself trying to reconcile the two. Finally, Charlie is still enamoured of Queenie-Queenie. She, however, has developed a fancy for Fanwell. With the threat of an awkward love triangle looming, Mma Makutsi gets involved and so do her shoes . . .

My Thoughts

"Mma Ramotswe sighed. You had to sigh sometimes, because life was so complicated or impenetrable; or because people behaved in a messy way; or because there was simply no ready solution to a human mix-up ... you should not expect a resolution of everything because some details in any picture were simply not there, and never would be?" 

I cannot tell you the complete and utter joy I get in opening up a fresh new tale from the ‘No.1 Ladies Detective Agency’. It is hard to believe this is the 20th instalment! Yes! You read correctly, twenty .... and still going strong. Precious Ramotswe and her life in Botswana is a place I long to retreat to after a long, hard day. 

Followers of this series are in it for the long haul as it’s like catching up with old friends. More often than not, it’s not the slow, gentle story/investigation that unfurls that draws you in, but rather the tidbits that make you smile, or pearls of wisdom that cause you to pause and consider. These are tales that make you feel. 

Alexander McCall Smith has managed once again to write another wonderful tale where our leading lady, Precious, encourages us to slow down, ponder and express gratitude. To many it might at times appear trite, but such is the superb craftsmanship of Alexander that it provides us with a gentle reminder to be more open minded and extend warmth to those around us. 

"She rose from her desk. She had already had a cup of tea at home, before she left for the office, but that was no reason not to have one now. A cup of tea usually restored perspective on things,and that was what she needed now, rather than to sit and think about the ways in which the modern world was ordered. And she was right: a steaming cup of redbush tea was sufficient to banish thoughts of change and decay and to restore the spirits. This was going to be a good day - she was determined to make that so -  and she was going to work steadily and efficiently through the list of tasks she had written out for herself."

Thanks goes to Hachette Australia for a copy to read and review. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: Child of Africa

Title: Child of Africa

Author: T.M.Clark

Publisher: 20th November 2017 by Harlequin (Australia), TEEN / MIRA

Pages: 381 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: Africa, fiction

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

After returning from Afghanistan, ex-British marine Joss Brennan embraces living as a double amputee, but he finds life at his safari lodge near Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, not quite as idyllic as when he left.

Peta de Longe is a big game veterinarian and no stranger to hard decisions. Working in the messy political society of Zimbabwe, she’s engaged in a constant struggle to save the national parks. When she nearly drives over Joss, the reunion isn’t joyous – Joss let down her dying sister eighteen months before, after all. But once she uncovers the terrible ordeal that Joss has gone through, can she learn to forgive and move forward?

When a corrupt and dangerous businessman with close ties to government threatens all he holds dear, Joss realises he doesn’t need to save strangers in a faraway land. But will he fight to save his own country and the people he considers his family?

My Thoughts

‘Today you have proved you are a child of Africa. I will see you now-now.’

Having lived in Africa I have a great affinity for the wondrous continent. However, even if you don’t have personal experience, there is nothing like a well written tale that can truly transport you to far off places. T.M. Clark’s novel is one such tale. This is brilliant! I was fully engaged from beginning to end in this mind riveting story.

This tale has a little of everything, from intrigue and mystery that goes on to build tension and drama. If the individual tales of Joss and Peta (and her father) are not enough, the whole emotion surrounding corruption and poaching is heartfelt and real. The violence is confrontational, but it’s meant to be. On the flip side of this, is the beauty and majesty of the wildlife, especially elephants. The tale of Ndhlovy is truly touching and I just love how Clark followed through with her tale right to the end.

‘Poor guy. We’ll settle him down and get him used to his guards before he’s let out. He’ll never be alone again. Two teams of men will watch him twenty-four hours a day; it’s the only way I can keep them alive.’

I particularly appreciated the ‘Fact vs Fiction’ at the end, that detailed and debunked many of the core issues covered in this book. For example, ‘It is estimated that wild elephants will be extinct within twenty-five years’. A sad fact and this book helps highlight that more action needs to be taken now.

‘This country is so full of corruption, I do not know if we will ever get out from underneath the tyranny that is our leadership.’

I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for those of you interested in delving into this exciting genre. The writing is compelling as Clark weaves tales of corruption and traditions, ravages of war, poaching and preservation. Add to that a cast of characters - both human and animal - that demonstrate real depth, whether it be leadership and compassion, to being evil and sadistic - you have a story here that is worthy and totally engaging.

‘He had been so determined to go and fight against the injustice of the world with the commandos that he hadn’t noticed how messed up his own country had become.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Review: Leopard at the Door

Title: Leopard at the Door

Author: Jennifer McVeigh

Publisher: 13 July  2017 Penguin Books (UK) 

Viking

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre:  historical fiction, cultural Africa

My Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

Stepping off the boat in Mombasa, eighteen-year-old Rachel Fullsmith stands on Kenyan soil for the first time in six years. She has come home.

But when Rachel reaches the family farm at the end of the dusty Rift Valley Road, she finds so much has changed. Her beloved father has moved his new partner and her son into the family home. She hears menacing rumours of Mau Mau violence, and witnesses cruel reprisals by British soldiers. Even Michael, the handsome Kikuyu boy from her childhood, has started to look at her differently.

Isolated and conflicted, Rachel fears for her future. But when home is no longer a place of safety and belonging, where do you go, and who do you turn to?

My Thoughts

Having spent time living in Africa, I am always on the lookout for any books that capture the real essence of this amazing continent. Jennifer McVeighs first book, ‘The Fever Tree’ was very good, so I was open to trying her new novel. WOW! What an amazing read, she has really lifted the bar on this one. So much happens (and I don’t want to spoil a thing for those of you going to read it) that you will be left speechless. This is a truly riveting read through a complex time in Kenyan history. There will be love and loss, hero’s and villains to capture even the most determined reader. 

I was captivated from the moment I opened ‘Leopard at the Door’ with McVeigh’s lyrical prose detailing the harsh yet beautiful reality of this story and landscape. It clearly played out in my mind’s eye. The amount of research undertaken here is truly commendable - 1950s British Mau Mau Rebellion - and McVeigh leaves no stone unturned in her, at times graphic portrayal, of this period in history. In fact, you cannot help but commend her for the enlightening and thought provoking story that I felt was handled in a truly realistic and mature fashion. 

‘there are still men who look at the fight against injustice and call it savagery.’

Yes, the book includes violence but you cannot sugarcoat what went on here - it was indeed horrific and a truly ugly period in British Africa. But it was real and seen through the eyes of a vast array of characters and sides that leave the reader seriously contemplating many of the actions undertaken. Isn’t that what good historical fiction is all about? Complex characterisation that truly capture and reflect both time and place - some you will love and some you will hate. So in many ways, it is not an easy read, but expertly handled to give the reader a realistic snapshot of what it might have been like for those who witnessed so much. 

‘I have been hoping all this time that the farm would be the same, but no gentle fairy has built a forest of thorns around my home; or made sure that those I love would be waiting for me, unchanged, just as they were when I left them. I have come home to find the farm ransacked by a future I don’t yet understand.’

Seen through the eyes of Rachel, she discovers that nothing is ever simple, whether it be politics of a country seeking to free itself from colonial shackles, to confronting a home that will never return to the days of her childhood. It’s a tense situation for her, from dealing with her father and his new lover, to Kikuyu friends of times past and present - she will be tested and her loyalties called into question. I think McVeigh did a fabulous job at presenting both sides of this conflict, especially the stereotypical ‘evil’ stepmother. She was the necessary epitome of all the ‘old rule’ stood for and believed. She was truly horrible but there for a purpose. 

‘the things which were so important to me as a child, the memories which are seared into my mind, out of which I am assembled, might be meaningless to him. The platform on which my childhood was built has dissolved over time.’

‘Leopard at the Door’ is an extraordinary read for history buffs and I highly recommend this absorbing tale. It will shed light on a dark time and shock you. But for those in any way familiar with this continent, you will understand and appreciate a truthful and realistic portrayal during a momentous time in Kenyan history. 

‘I have forgotten this other side of Kenya: a raw physicality that has no shame in the inevitability of pain.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release