All The Way Home

by Bookey Peek

'All The Way Home' is a testament to one family's passion for Africa's wildlife, as well as their conviction that nothing can change the essential nature of the land and its people.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, Animals

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Bookey Peek runs a game ranch in Zimbabwe

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing stories from Africa. How can you not love tales of a woman and her pig? Will be kept around the house for escape as needed.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy to read but moving account of the Peek family's passion for African wildlife and for “Stone Hills”, their home/wildlife sanctuary in the Matobo Hills region of Zimbabwe. The author, Bookey Peek, is a talented story-teller who was able to evoke a very powerful sense of place throughout her accounts of the life she and her family were living. There were many laugh out loud moments throughout the book, but accounts of sadness and distress underlay some of the realities facing creatures struggling to survive and at times I found these very upsetting to read. I appreciated her thoughtful, and thought-provoking, reflections on conditions in Zimbabwe when the family was living at Stone Hills, and her thoughts about this troubled country’s future. She clearly has an acute and observant eye, which enables her to describe animal (and human!) behaviour in an entirely convincing way – although there were moments when I felt that her accounts of the family’s interactions with wildlife did border on the sentimental!
Although I did come to love Poombi the warthog, as I don’t like the idea of wild animals being in any way domesticated, and although the animal was eventually returned to her natural environment, I found myself struggling with ambivalent feelings about this aspect of the story-telling. I also found myself becoming increasingly irritated by what felt like an excessive amount of time devoted to it, sometimes at the expense of other aspects of the author’s reflections, e.g. on conditions in Zimbabwe, both for the wildlife and for the people. On balance however, an entertaining and enjoyable read.

[Agne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, audio

These people love nature the right way. Their sanctuary in Zimbabwe focuses on rehabilitation and natural life for local species. The stories were all pretty great and painted a vivid picture and once started, you will stay for Poombi. If not that then kitchen raids and dumb guests and mamba scares and owls and Labradors - something for everyone. But the stories are sort of in a random order both chronologically and topic-wise, so it's sometimes frustrating.

There is an elephant in the room, though.

The shadow of colonialism does lurk, but it is never really engaged with in a personal way. Threats to take away the land for redistribution by an autocratic government are discussed but not what the deeper meaning of white ownership in Africa is all about. BUT, I guess I don't really want to fault the author for this - their life's work is definitely a net positive impact on the world.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story of a couple and their child on a wild life sanctuary in Zimbabwe. Funny, sad, very well researched.

[Victoria Pearse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious

[Connor Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice stories about the writer's relationship with the animals at the sanctuary, told with humour, and wonderful writing about the landscapes she encounters in Africa!