I Dreamed of Africa

by Kuki Gallmann

‘Often, at the hour of day when the savannah grass is streaked with silver, and pale gold rims the silhouettes of the hills, I drive with my dogs up to the Mukutan, to watch the sun setting behind the lake, and the evening shadows settle over the valleys and plains of the Laikipia plateau.’ Kuki Gallmann’s haunting memoir of bringing up a family in Kenya in the 1970s first with her husband Paulo, and then alone, is part elegaic celebration, part tragedy, and part love letter to the magical spirit of Africa.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Travel, Kenya, Autobiography

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Kuki Gallmann is an Italian-born (born Maria Boccazzi) Kenyan national, best-selling author, poet, environmental activist, and conservationist.

Fascinated by Africa, Gallmann moved to Kenya in 1972 with her husband Paolo and son Emanuele, and acquired Ol ari Nyiro, a 98,000 acre estate in Western Laikipia, in Kenya's Great Rift Valley. At the time the estate was still a cattle ranch, which she would later transform into a conservation park. Both her husband and son eventually died in tragic accidents within a few years.

Kuki decided to stay on in Kenya and to make a difference. She chose to work toward ecological conservation in the early '80s, becoming a Kenyan citizen. As a living memorial to Paolo and Emanuele, she established The Gallmann Memorial Foundation (GMF), which promotes coexistence of people and Nature in Africa and is active in education, biodiversity research, habitat protection, reforestation, community service, peace and reconciliation, poverty alleviation and public health. GMF promotes environmental education of Kenyan students. She dedicated Ol ari Nyiro to this ideal, converting it into the Laikipia Nature Conservancy.

Gallmann published five books, all global best-sellers. The first, her autobiography I Dreamed Of Africa, became a feature film.

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Memoir reviews are a reflection of the reader's identification with the experiences of the author. This is why so many books receive a wide range of ratings. As you can tell by my 5 star rating, this book touched me deeply. It made me think long, and hard, about my death, the death of the ones I love ... and about what I'm doing with my life in the here-and-now. Soul-searching. Self-examination. Whisking the cobwebs away, and looking, really looking at my life.

The book is about an Italian woman who moves to Kenya with her husband, and young son. Many, many things transpire over the years that are covered in the book, some are heart-rending, some are euphoric, and everything in between.

If you're looking for a travel book about the glories of Africa, this isn't quite that. If you're looking for a memoir of a life lived in Africa, then this might suit you.

5 Stars = Exceptional. It made a significant impact.

[Eileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I wanted to like this story I didn't. Most probabaly it's me, because I guess I expected something completely different. I expected to read about the people in Africa their customs and culture, their daily life and Kuki adjusting to this. Instead I got the mistreatment of animals, a lot of horrible accidents, dead people, mourning and over all a depressing story that is written (with a lot of long descriptions) in a way that didn't pull me in. I skipped passages and just wanted to have it over with, because some things I just didn't want to read and some things sounded so unbelievable to me.

She had a husband who was a hunter, killed animals, killed an elephant without a reason and she was just standing there and watching. Not much later in the book she fights for the wildlife in Africa. I don't understand this. I'm not a wildlife activist, but I would never want a husband who kills an elephant just for the kill right in front my eyes.
She had a son crazy about snakes and they lived miles away from a doctor and any medical help. Knowing what she knew about her son shouldn't she have kept his hobby within proportions and have been better prepared for bites and the consequences? I don't know, but to me she seemed to be very naive.

What I do like is (that's the explanation for the two stars) that she obviously loves Africa very much and no matter what she wants to stay there and it must have been really difficult for her being there alone with a baby and so much grieve. I understand this so well, because I emigrated from the Netherlands to Greece and I also had to face some difficulties all by myself. Sometimes it is still hard, but I know that I love Greece and I will never leave, whatever happens Greece is my home.

[Iskreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I Dreamed Of Africa is a very touching memoir about the author, Kuki Gallman’s life in Laikipia, Kenya. One day when Mrs. Gallman was 12 years old her teacher in Italy told her class to write an essay about where they would be and what they would be doing in 20 years. She wrote about how she would be living in Africa and seeing the giraffes and the lions and the buffalo where ever she went, and when she got the essay back, there was a big check on it but no grade. When she asked her teacher why she didn’t get a grade, her teacher replied, “It is well written as usual, but totally absurd…Why did you have to write about Africa?” She replied, “But I do want to live in Africa, I do not want to stay here all my life. One day I shall go to Africa. I shall send you a postcard from there, signora, in 20 years time.” Twenty years later, she did.
I Dreamed Of Africa is about how she raised her family in Africa, and all the happy and sad experiences she had. She owns a game reserve and is trying to save its wildlife by educating the local villagers in the area about the effects of poaching and why they should stop. She is also trying to conserve Kenya’s amazing wildlife and vegetation.
I Dreamed Of Africa is an excellent example of a mix of an autobiography and a biography, because the book is written in such a way that she is telling her own story, and the stories of people who she loved and some of who died. This book also refers to some families who were good friends of the Gallman’s, such as the Leakey’s, who are leading archeologists, and the Blocks, who started the first international hotels in Kenya. She also made friends with some members of the Turkana and Tharaka tribes.
I Dreamed Of Africa is special to me because I met the author and she told my class and me from Lycee Denis Diderot (the French school in Nairobi) some of these stories. She told us these stories at a lodge on her ranch. We all sat around a campfire and I looked at her across the flames while she told some of these stories and pictured them in my mind.

Review by Ashraf Soltani

[Ermocolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un'altra storia sul mal d'Africa ma il racconto, pur essendo anche qui autobiografico, non mi ha stregato come per la Blixen.

Kuki Gallmann è una donna determinata, nonostante incidenti e lutti mantiene salda la sua voglia di sopravvivere e restare in Kenya, nella Rift Valley, dove si è sentita a casa fin dal suo primo arrivo.

"Restava la magia immutata del paesaggio africano. Le mattine incominciavano con gli uccelli, un cielo grigio che si colorava di un pallido lilla come l’interno di un’ostrica. Mentre l’argento si mutava in oro e la rugiada evaporava nel calore del nuovo giorno, la luce celeste di un’altra aurora mi trovava sveglia e pronta ad andare".

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Memoir reading is something very personal - it requires your own personal identification with the experiences of the author. This then, is not fiction - and requires from us, the readers, an emotive attribute that is sometimes missing in other works we read. Yet, for me, while reading I Dreamed Of Africa - I missed this emotional attribute. Gallmann's story is well-known - her enduring love story with Paolo, and her love for Africa resulted in a movie by the same name.

I am fascinated by Africa, make no mistake about it, which is why I purchased the book despite the hefty price tag of more than $12. (Well, in these recessionary times, I guess that qualifies as hefty). Gallmann writes well but I found very little about Africa in the book. The people of Africa are there only as stage props, as loyal servants to Gallmann, and thus, a vast void is immediately apparent.

As a personal story, Gallmann scores - she is weepy, sentimental, psychic, loving, and courageous. But after a point, I just had enough about superhuman characters who are divinely beautiful. Paolo was one - he was the one who foretold his own death, (all of Gallmann's family seem to foretell their own death), and when he was not out shooting elephants to death, he was 'taking care' of the vast ranch. Kuki's son Emmanuel - ah, like all mothers, Kuki idolizes him. His craze of snakes causes his death eventually - and Kuki spares no effort in ensuring that his memory is still alive in the reader, who by this time must surely be wondering if there are any characters in this book who are not "beautiful," or "handsome" or "wise."

By now, you must be getting my drift - if you are interested in a lot of details about beautiful Paolo, and Emmanuel, then, by all means, pick up this book. If it is Africa you are searching for - Achebe, Wole Soyinka or Achak Deng may be a better choice.

[Dries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where will I start?
Well, this was in a way one of the best books i've ever read. A great story about an Italian woman who leaves behind her live in Europa to start somewhere else: Kenia. There, in Africa, she finds true joy in her life but also true misery. She keeps fighting though, and she keeps loving her land in Africa which she calls home.

The story touched me, because life simply isn't easy in Africa and surely not when bad things happen.

I myself dream of a life somewhere else, far away from my luxury life here in Belgium. She truly is an example of someone who dreamed about Africa and eventually managed to live there.

What an inspiring book,

and that's why I give 5/5

[Vegancoral · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a memoir about an Italian woman that brought her family to Kenya and made a life for herself and her family. Kuki Galllmann, the author, described how throughout her childhood, she dreamed of living in Africa and that she eventually made that a reality. The book outlines hardships that followed her dream including the death of her husband, Paolo, death of her son, Emmanuelle and being a single mother in a foreign country.

The memoir was well written and easy to follow. I liked the way that the author organized the material and had a quote at the beginning of each chapter. Her writing style was almost poetic, descriptive and I felt taken away to Africa, was able to visualize the Kuki’s experience. I found the description of the relationships with her neighbors, the wildlife and the environment to be clear.

At the stage of writing a memoir, I admire honesty and openness and a sense of awareness and insight, especially because the author was being vulnerable by disclosing her struggles and challenges in her life. However, Kuki Gallmann seemed to lack some very basic awareness of her actions and how they impacted her family.

Kuki Gallmann was resigned from the parent role and hyper focused on her marriage to Paolo, which resulted in the unfortunate death of her son, Emmanuele. Once Paolo died, I was disturbed by how Kuki put her son Emmanuele in the surrogate husband role. At first , although Kuki showed no awareness of this fact, the actions and choices Kuki described in the memoir, sending her kids away while Kuki and Paolo explored Africa, showed her children were not her top priority. Then, after Paolo died, Emmanuelle took on a surrogate husband role, and more than once, when describing her son, Kuki described Emmanuele, “he is wiser beyond his years.” Given the circumstances of living in a foreign country on her own, pregnant with her daughter, I could understand why Gallmann may have resorted to having poor boundaries with her son, but the fact that Gallmann did not acknowledge this bothered me. Parts of the book, where she even said that Emmanuele was her confidant, although, she used the word “friend” and she told him about the affair she was having with Aiden, a man that already had a family and commitments. It was disappointing that she had no awareness or reflection on the burden she put on her adolescent son.
I had a hard time understanding why Kuki would allow her child and adolescent son to collect poisonous snakes and risk his life, eventually, causing his death. I am not saying that a parent has complete control over a child, but getting a snake pit, allowing him to collect venomous snakes lacks some very basic maternal instinct and common sense.

The other part of the book I found disturbing was the description of the elephant hunt and how Paolo, her husband had killed an elephant for the thrill of the catch and the experience. I found captivating animals, hunting, killing and torturing animals to be upsetting, but I also appreciated that she expressed regret over watching her husband kill an elephant and the description of her emotional experience of watching the helpless elephant die.

I would have anticipated more integration with the local culture and customs and it seemed that the author was fairly segregated. I wanted more exposure and connection to the local African culture and that was limited in this memoir.

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the great reads if someone is interested in European settlers and how they adapted to the African continent. Kuki Gallmann write so well, the reader can almost smell and taste the dust of the African savannas. Her books are a personal account of their happiness and sorrows in a tough environment and also confirm why Africa is born in everyone who lived there. Loved the book and the sequel 'African Nights'

I couldn't put the book down.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

No no no no. Arrivata alla nonna molto pia e pure medium ho veramente pensato di abbandonare, ma non posso perché mi serve per portare avanti un paio di giochi.
Intanto già mi ha fatto rompere una regola: di solito recensisco nella lingua in cui leggo, quindi quando leggo in inglese preferisco recensire in inglese. Torniamo a monte: il libro è scritto da un'italiana, che però l'ha redatto in inglese, e nell'edizione italiana spiega che sente più sua la versione inglese, cioè la lingua che usa in Africa e associa alla suua vita là. Ok, no problem per me. A pagina 10 già mi ricredevo: sicuramente la signora ha un ottimo inglese funzionale che le permette di vivere da cosmopolita, ma si capisce subito che il romanzo è "pensato" in italiano e messo su carta in altra lingua. Troppi aggettivi ed avverbi, che gli inglesi usano più sporadicamente di noi. E nonostante legga in inglese da 23 anni non credo di aver mai letto prima la parola "interlocutor".
Ma torniamo alla trama, che fa tanto revival anni '70. Kuki viene da un'ottima famiglia veneziana, ricca, e la fatica maggiore che ha fatto nella vita è stata interrompere gli studi universitari per sposare anzitempo un belloccio in Ferrari. Non si capisce se abbia passato anche il resto dell'esistenza a muoversi in Ferrari o altre auto veloci, ma una cosa è certa: non andrei mai in macchina con lei. Sono al 42% e ha già collezionato abbastanza incidenti da rappresentare un'anomalia statistica. Se non è lei è qualche amico o parente. Si fa qualcosa per evitarlo? Magari si comincia a guidare meno velocemente e facendo più attenzione? No! Perché altrimenti si perderebbe tutto il senso di fatalismo ed ineluttabilità dell'esistenza che permea il racconto.
Ma andiamo in Africa: dopo aver divorziato dal primo marito Kuki sposa Paolo, la sua vera anima gemella, e si stabiliscono in Kenya. Credo che l'obiettivo del memoriale sia quello di presentare l'epica di una famiglia che decide di trapiantare le proprie radici in un ambiente nuovo, diversissimo da quello di provenienza. In realtà finora sembra la cronaca del solito uomo bianco colonizzatore. Kuki e Paolo non fanno niente, ma proprio niente. Si scrivono lettere d'amore, poesie e bigliettini. Comprano e arredano casa. Assumono la servitù. Piantano un giardino con piscina e volano attraverso la savana su aeroplani di amici (che, portando al loro interno la Kuki, tendono quantomeno ad atterrare con il botto). Mentre lei scrive poemi all'ombra delle acacie lui spara a bufali, leoni ed elefanti. L'orgoglio del cacciatore che impallina tutto ciò che si muove è dura da capire nel 2015, quando stiamo cercando di salvare l'ultimo rinoceronte bianco dai bracconieri. Ma tant'è, erano altri tempi, i gloriosi anni '70. Paolo li celebra assumendo anche una qualche bacca psicotropa locale ed aprendo le porte della percezione in stile Huxley. Kuki ha premonizioni di morte. A un certo punto contagia anche Paolo, che profetizza di morire solo e comincia a parlare di metempsicosi. Intanto la figlia che ha avuto dalla prima moglie, raggiunti i 17 anni, abbandona il collegio svizzero per andare a cercare sè stessa in India insieme al primo marito di Kuki. Moderato disappunto risolto in due righe negli altri membri della famiglia.
Che altro? Escludendo la tendenza ad andarsi a schiantare coi mezzi di trasporto, Kuki è fortunata. La seccatura più grande sono gli animali che le mangiano le piante del giardino. Anche il suo unico figlio sembra uscito da un romanzo british dell'800: appassionato di natura fin dalla più tenera età, ha saltato la fase della lallazione arrivando prima del tempo a tenere conversazioni articolate con gli adulti che gli stavano intorno. Trapiantato in Africa si è trovato subito benissimo, e il Piccolo Lord gli fa una pippa. Nei suoi occhi di quattordicenne la madre vede una profondità ed una maturità da uomo che ha vissuto molte vite e, quando Paolo muore, c'è anche il formale passaggio di consegne sul tema "ora sei tu l'uomo di casa, ora dipendiamo da te". Ma cosa, dipendiamo da te? Deve forse andare a vendere fiammiferi per poter portare a casa una pagnotta con cui nutrire la vecchia madre? Santo cielo, si tratta del rampollo di una dinastia di ricchi e nobili veneziani, non di un moderno Oliver Twist.
Non capisco, davvero. Forse questo era il modo di pensare degli anni '70, ma per me non ha nulla di evocativo. Anzi, è noioso. Donna Kuki: siamo onesti: se tu puoi passare le giornate a scrutare l'orizzonte meditando sul senso della vita è perché sai che a casa c'è qualcuno che fa la lavatrice per te. Basta fluttuare nell'esistenza, fai qualcosa: abbiamo ancora più di 190 pagine da passare insieme.

[Christopher Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will stay with you for the rest of your life, seriously, you will live , eat and breathe n’owt but this amazing book till its very last paragraph, it was a TOTAL honour to read .❤️❤️❤️❤️

[dely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Questo libro non parla del Kenya, ma di Kuki Gallmann. Sembra un libro autocelebrativo in cui l'autrice sottolinea come sia stata brava in tutto ciò che ha fatto: aveva l'intuizione giusta al momento giusto, conosceva solo persone interessanti e intelligenti, tutte pronte ad aiutare nel momento giusto; sapeva rimanere lucida quando era necessario, trovava sempre la cosa giusta da dire e da fare, e anche i suoi silenzi erano sempre appropriati. Lei era circondata solo da persone colte e originali, e persino la sua servitù era istruita ed educata. Insomma, intorno a lei era tutto perfetto e quando aveva intuizioni, premonizioni e sensazioni, non ne sbagliava mai una. Anche se vorrebbe spacciarsi per una donna umile, si avverte una certa spocchia. In Africa frequentava solo altri bianchi occidentali e per tutto il libro si percepisce la sua mentalità colonialista. Vorrebbe spacciarsi per persona semplice e alla mano, però poi prende la servitù e dice anche che la deve "istruire". Durante la gravidanza della figlia parla anche di dover scegliere una tata che possa badare alla nascitura. Insomma, siamo al cospetto di una bianca (e indubbiamente molto ricca) che conduce una vita da privilegiata.
Un'altra cosa che non ho sopportato è quando parla delle varie tribù, gli abiti tradizionali e le usanze locali. Ho avuto l'impressione che volesse lasciare tutto così com'è per un suo personale piacere. L'ho notato quando parla di un ragazzino keniota che aiuta il figlio Emanuele a catturare serpenti. Ha inizio la descrizione dell'infanzia "idilliaca" dei bambini africani a contatto con la natura da cui imparano tutti i segreti per vivere sani e felici. Il figlio e le figliastre, però, hanno frequentato le scuole inglesi di Nairobi.
Ha descritto anche le scene di caccia a cui si dedicava il marito e non è stato per niente piacevole leggere dell'uccisione di un elefante. Lei si diceva contraria, ma non ha mai fermato il marito. Va bene, poi ha fondato la Gallmann Memorial Foundation per la tutela e conservazione della fauna e flora locale, ma durante i primi anni della loro vita in Kenya anche al marito piaceva andare a caccia.
Kuki Gallmann non ha avuto una vita semplice perché ha dovuto affrontare la perdita prematura del marito e del figlio, ma anche in queste occasioni è riuscita a trarre il meglio e ad affrontare tutto nel migliore dei modi per poter continuare a vivere. Come detto all'inizio, sembra di leggere il diario di una persona che sottolinea solo quanto sia stata brava in tutto, anche a superare il dolore causato dalla morte del figlio. Purtroppo è poco credibile. Ha sicuramente fatto moltissimo per il Kenya, per tutelare cultura e tradizioni locali, ma ciò non significa che il libro sia interessante o piacevole da leggere.
Leggendo questo libro imparate a conoscere l'autrice e la sua vita, non il Kenya. Se quindi cercate un libro sul Kenya, vi conviene cercare altrove.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

More emotionally intense than I had expected. 4 stars, 5 stars, I'm not sure, while captivating at times, periodically I had to force myself to not skim through some pages. I can not deny that it will stay with me forever . . .why is that books about Africa have such mystic about them? I've read stories fiction and non about so many other places on the Earth but the most affective are told from Africa.

My copy is a library book and I am reluctant to put it far from my reach, I'd prefer not to give it back. This edition has several pages of photos which connected faces with the story, and sped up the mental process of getting acquainted with Kuki's life. There is something so beautiful in the honesty of Gallman's writing; her story, though full of many once in a life time adventures is also full of equal parts grief. An emblem of sorts to how fleeting our time is on this planet, how important our relationships with friends and family are and how to live the journey true to your heart and with grace.

[penelopewanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heard Kuki Gallmann speak at a conference I attended and was swept away by the courage and dedication, strength and vision of this amazing woman. A colleague lent me this book and having given it as a birthday present to a student who just spent part of his summer holidays in Africa, I thought it was time I actually read it. I had been impressed by what a persuasive speaker Kuki Gallmann was- her written voice is often pure poetry. Her tale is lyrical but oh so tragic in many ways- I wept buckets even though, having heard her story, I knew full well what to expect.
I regret that the book ends before so many of the wonderful foundation projects are begun, but the tale is well-worth reading. Perhaps there is a continuation, I don't know, but at anyrate it is heartening to know that the work she describes at the end of the book is just the beginning of all she has achieved and continues to do for Africa, the country of her heart.

[Mandy Tewell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was an impulse buy since I normally love books about Africa. I understand that this was written in another time but it was racist and elitist. Kiki spent the entire time being superior to Africans and talking about all of the changes she had to make in order for her time in Africa to be livable and up to her standards. She clearly had a "privileged upbringing" and is the epitome of white privilege. She was also very judgmental of the people living on the land. Needless to say, I would not recommend reading this book unless you're racist.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out well, but I lost interest in the hunting stuff, put the book aside, tried again, put it aside again, and then it came due. Lots of other folks liked it, so maybe you will? Not for me, sigh. One I was expecting to like, and didn't. Happens.

Her Wikipedia page is worth a look if you are considering the book. Rural Kenya is still a violent and dangerous area.

[Haanim · Rating 2 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: This is more of a rant than a review.

Even though this is a remarkable story, touching, tragic and moving, I cannot help feeling a bit annoyed. Before I say what about the book gets my goat, I must say that I appreciate what Kuki Gallmann did for conservation in her part of Kenya. I admire her attitude towards the land on which she lives. She recognises that she is not a land "owner". No one can own land. She is a custodian, a protector with a responsibility to preserve the land and maintain the bountiful state in which she found it. If more settlers had this attitude, we would not be facing the conservation problems that exist today.

The entire book, however, tickles one of my biggest pet peeves.
AFRICA AFRICA AFRICA
I HATE when people refer to Africa in red-dust, lion-road terms. While I appreciate that this was the author's experience of Africa (dated as it may be), and it is the experience of many, it is not THE Africa. Africa is not a country. It is not a jungle. It is not a desert. It is not a snake pit. It is ALL of these things, PLUS PLUS PLUS white sandy beaches, mountain ranges, tropical jungles, national parks, trading docks, universities, malls, FIFTY-SIX countries PLUS PLUS PLUS
I guess what I'm annoyed with is the wording. Maybe she could have called the book "I dreamed of rural Kenya", instead of "I dreamed of Africa".

Even though I'm unreasonably annoyed, I admit that there is a spirit to Africa, an undeniable force that is emitted in the sunshine (who's being a cliche-monster now?)-wildlife aside. It's the kind of spirit that makes you laugh at tourists who wear safari hats in the Cape Town CBD, but you still help them when they look lost. It's the kind of spirit of sharing that allowed all African footballing nations to feel like they were hosting the World Cup in 2010, when the official hosts were South Africa.

One thing the book did do for me was to make me miss my Kenyan friend very much. I need to give that gal a call :/

I'm a native of Cape Town, South Africa and of course I identify as "African", and even though I have traveled extensively throughout my own country as well as neighbouring Namibia, I would never claim to know Africa. It is just too vast and varied. I have my experience of Africa and the next person's might be more extensive than mine, but I feel it so presumptuous and arrogant to lump Africa into one cookie cup and say, "I've been there".

A constant cause for consternation and amusement for me is some tourists from the US who come to Cape Town (one of the most cosmopolitan cities in South Africa and even Africa) and they leave with a tattoo of the African continent. Eish...

[Susan Henderson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's hope the movie is better.

[Ejayen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! I was not expecting this book.
The first accident, I was stunned. The big accident, classic, but the first one. I don't have words hardly.
The were a couple of relationships that I wasn't a fan of.
I read a number of other reviews about this book and some of them pointed out things I really agree with. I was a bit frustrated with the "Africa" ness of the book, but I think the author was well aware and is going off of how she felt as a schoolkid, which is fun. It is a memoir and we shall not judge people to harshly for being...
If you are interested in Kenya, conservatism, or grief I'd really suggest this book, if not, it's okay.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A description of the author's life in Africa in the 1980's.

Almost as an aside but a little unnerving - I had been reading the latest National Geographic magazine (April 2012) earlier in the day. There was an article describing the slaughter of rhinos in Africa for their horns, more than 1000 killings alone since 2006, and suddenly in Gallmann's memoirs one confronts the same ugliness from thirty years ago. Toward the end of the book, as a way to honor her husband's and son's lives, Gallman becomes involved in helping to protect the environment and wildlife of Kenya. She went on to found the Gallmann Memorial Foundation - http://www.gallmannkenya.org/ Most of the book however simply revolves around her life as a wife and mother in Kenya.

Three of the last books I have read - I Dreamed of Africa, West with the Night by Beryl Markham and Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa - have been by European women who have lived in the same area of eastern Africa. It has been interesting to read of the land and the people from three different perspectives. All were excellent reads.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a child growing up in Italy, Kuki Gallman heard stories of Africa from family and friends and dreamed of the opportunity to live there hereself one day. In 1970, as a single mom and recovering from a horrific car accident, she had her first opportunity to travel to Kenya with her eventual second husband. In 1972, after they were married and she'd fully recovered, the family moved to Kenya and made their home at Ol Ari Nyiro ranch in the west-central part of the country. Family tradegies ensued but Kuki persevered, determined to remain in the land she called Home.
For me, I had a hard time putting this down. Although coming from totally different perspectives, her love for Africa and desire to make a life captured me. Several times I had the experience of putting it down and having to remind myself where I was, as I'd gotten caught up in the story and the people and land of Kenya.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kuki Gallman’s memoir of her transformation from a young Italian wife and mother to the overseer of a vast Kenyan ranch and homestead in the 70s is at times a bit florid, even ingenuous, but does reflect her genuine love of the land. Born into privilege, the young mother and divorcée is terribly injured in a car accident that also takes the life of a friend’s wife. While she learns to walk again that friend, Paolo, becomes her constant companion and then her husband. Sharing a deep desire to live in Africa, they leave Italy for Kenya. Gallman’s at her best describing the land and wildlife she loves but tragedy continues to stalk her family. At times her emotional outbursts, while valid, seem more appropriate to a pulpy romance novel than a memoir by a woman who still lives in Kenya and has been recognized for her conservation work. Appropriately, Kim Basinger—not Meryl Streep—had the lead role when the book was turned into a movie.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

An autobiographical novel about Kuki Gallman's experiences in Africa...
The book is filled with wonderful descriptions of the African landscape and the struggles of daily life in this enigmatic
country. Kuki engages the reader with tales elephants in her garden to the very real threat of lions that can kill in one moment of carelessness. It is clear through her writing that she truly loves and feels a spiritual conncetion to this land.
Her upbeat attitude, "There has never been a day of boredom" and sincere desire to protect the environment has bolstered her through two tragedies that would break a lesser person.
You may not agree with some of Kuki's life choices but you will be inspired, awed and envious of the adventures and environmental achievements she has made in her lifetime.

[Antigone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The movie didn't do it for me. But the book was very compelling. My friend, Julian, went to the same school in Kenya as the author's son. Having heard all about the school and life back there (when he moved to the DC area) it was so interesting to read her account of life as a modern day pioneer (alright, some might say colonialist as a European settler but the author's work with elephant preservation really was amazing). This is not a book about ecological conservation. It is a very tragic biography that reads quite easily considering the author's native tongue is Italian. It gives a very interesting perspective on modern day Africa and is a must read if you are going to travel to Kenya.

[Cristina Bianca Maria Sartori · Rating 5 out of 5]

L'autrice ci consegna un ritratto di se' molto impietoso: la storia narrata tratteggia una donna incapace di assumere responsabilmente il rischio, ma assolutamente privilegiata in patria. Nonostante ciò, decide di stabilirsi in Kenya, poichè è mossa da una spirito d'avventuriera ed è circondata e sostenuta da altri della stessa risma. Senza scrupolo alcuno, si intesta ettari ed ettari di ranch nel cuore del continente nero che, bellissimo, affascinante ma pericoloso, le chiede di pagare un prezzo molto alto. Kuki Gallmann non ci dice se ne sia valsa effettivamente la pena.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy-handed on premonitions. Told about upcoming incidents as well as explained their emotional impact. Felt the reader was often left with nothing to think about, to try to predict or feel. Best at descriptions of African areas. Author too sure of how her husband Paolo would have changed when she should have left his character within the timeframe of his life instead of into a future he did not live to be changed or unchanged by.

[Achieng Onguru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kuki has the most amazing way with imagery, one of my favorite styles of writing. This book will bring you to tears in a way that no other has made you cry. A sad story of love; looking for it, finding it, losing it and trying to keep it's flame alive even after experiencing so much tragedy. She's indeed a true daughter of the world, mother, wife and nurturer with the spirit of a warrior - a trait I especially admire.

[Ruby Maggard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've realized that as an adult memoirs are actually one of my favorite genres, especially when it's a story that takes place in a country foreign to me. This story is sad, and encouraging. I found it easy to follow along with Kuki, rejoicing in her success and weeping at all her misfortunes. She is an inspiring woman, although I'm not sure we would get along. Anyway, she paints a beautiful picture of Africa, and has rekindled my desire to fly far from home, and start anew!

[Margaret Crampton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books paints a vivid picture of the wild wide open spaces of Africa, specifically Kenya and a lifestyle of freedom, affluence and adventure in a country teaming with wild animals. This is a memoir of coming to terms with tragedy and loss, love and life. It is a little too slow moving to warrant five stars but is nevertheless a memorable book.

[Veronika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputtable!!! Very touching! I just couldn't stop reading it. Kuki is a very enthusiastic, brave and strong woman! She is a true heroine making her dreams come true. I really liked the way how she let us see into her life and the way how she describe her love for Africa.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I really liked this story & sincerely appreciated most of the sentiment, not sure I enjoyed it. Is that possible? Quite spiritual in a soul seeking way, but very sad. Of course it is always stories of the animals that break my heart.