The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
by Elspeth Huxley
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Book Summary Information
Author: Elspeth HuxleyEdition: Paperback
Published: 2000-02-01
ISBN: 0141183780
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
Book Review: Flame Trees of Thika
Summary: 5 Stars
Having watched the DVDs of The Flame Trees of Thika several times, I was delighted to see the reissue of Elspeth Huxley's book of the same title. This is a unique case of both the book and the movie being about equal. Knowing the story from the movie in no way detracts from reading the book. Huxley's devotion to the land and people of Kenya shines through her descriptions of encounters with both. A semi-biographical account, it not only gives the reader insight into the colonial thinking of the times, but accurately predicts the inevitable conflicts (for example with the Mau Mau) that would later occur. It is a description of what must have been, for Huxley, an idyllic childhood living in the shadow of Mount Kenya, with its exotic animals and her interactions with the local tribes people. A most enjoyable read, this is a cameo of a time long past.
All that is now needed is a re-issue of the sequel : The Mottled Lizard.
Summary of The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)
New editions of Elspeth Huxley's stirring account of her childhood in Kenya and her novel of the destructive forces of colonization.In an open cart Elspeth Huxley set off with her parents to travel to Thika in Kenya. As pioneering settlers, they built a house of grass, ate off a damask cloth spread over packing cases, and discovered--the hard way--the world of the African. With an extraordinary gift for detail and a keen sense of humor, Huxley recalls her childhood on the small farm at a time when Europeans waged their fortunes on a land that was as harsh as it was beautiful. For a young girl, it was a time of adventure and freedom, and Huxley paints an unforgettable portrait of growing up among the Masai and Kikuyu people, discovering both the beauty and the terrors of the jungle, and enduring the rugged realities of the pioneer life.
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