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Man Eaters Motel
The author relates his adventures on a railroad journey through East Africa and explores both the romantic past and the turbulent present of Zanzibar and Kenya
253 pages, Hardcover
First published June 14, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 24, 2019
This book has sat unread on my shelves for probably about 15 years, and although the trip described is around thirty years old, it still holds some slight value for the armchair traveler interested in East Africa. Boyles warms up with about fifty pages about the island of Zanzibar, pages heavy on history and description of a sleepy, run-down backwater. (Readers are advised to contrast this with the opening chapters of Richard Grant's Crazy River: Exploration and Folly in East Africa, which details the same place some twenty years later, after it has morphed into a bustling tourist destination.)
The meat of the book, however, is Kenya -- more specifically, a hundred pages spent on the rail line from Mombassa to Nairobi, followed by another fifty or so pages on Nairobi. Boyles uses the rail line as a framework to muse on the colonial development of Kenya, while also weaving in the story of how lions stalked the work crews building the railroad just before the start of the 20th-century. (The story of these lions has been the subject of at least two books since this one: Philip Caputo's Ghosts of Tsavo: Stalking the Mystery Lions of East Africaand Bruce Patterson's The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters, as well as a major Hollywood movie, The Ghost and the Darkness). The story is rich in eccentric personalities, none more so than big-game hunter and WWI Jewish Legion commander J.H. Patterson.
In Nairobi Boyles conducts some moderately interesting interviews with white Kenyans, but it's so dated as to be somewhat skipable at this point. And the book kind of fizzles to a conclusion with a tacked-on trip to the Ugandan border, and two appendices. On the whole, the book is written in a kind of quaint pre-internet travel guideish voice with a lot of advice on logistics. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of funny anecdotes and observations, but unless you're especially interested in Kenya, I can't really recommend this.
The meat of the book, however, is Kenya -- more specifically, a hundred pages spent on the rail line from Mombassa to Nairobi, followed by another fifty or so pages on Nairobi. Boyles uses the rail line as a framework to muse on the colonial development of Kenya, while also weaving in the story of how lions stalked the work crews building the railroad just before the start of the 20th-century. (The story of these lions has been the subject of at least two books since this one: Philip Caputo's Ghosts of Tsavo: Stalking the Mystery Lions of East Africaand Bruce Patterson's The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa's Notorious Man-Eaters, as well as a major Hollywood movie, The Ghost and the Darkness). The story is rich in eccentric personalities, none more so than big-game hunter and WWI Jewish Legion commander J.H. Patterson.
In Nairobi Boyles conducts some moderately interesting interviews with white Kenyans, but it's so dated as to be somewhat skipable at this point. And the book kind of fizzles to a conclusion with a tacked-on trip to the Ugandan border, and two appendices. On the whole, the book is written in a kind of quaint pre-internet travel guideish voice with a lot of advice on logistics. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of funny anecdotes and observations, but unless you're especially interested in Kenya, I can't really recommend this.
June 26, 2017
TITLE: Man Eaters Motel
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It meet the category of travel memoir for my reading challenge
REVIEW: There is a lot to like about this book. The writer is knoweldgable about East African history and geography. I learned a lot myself and plan to read some books he referenced. I did not realize how much Asians (particularly Indians) and Arabs played a part of the history of Africa. And the amount of conflict between these groups as well as between blacks and whites.
His writing style is easy going. You can imagine talking to him in the same manner and tone. That is both a positive and a negative. What made me give this only three stars was the lack of cohesion. The book is supposed to be about this writer's tracing the route of the Uganda Railroad, talking about that experience as well as giving historical context. It was more historical than travel memoir. The history was good but I would have appreciated more travel memoir. He had room, the book was just over 200 pages. He also jumps around a bit and meanders.
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It meet the category of travel memoir for my reading challenge
REVIEW: There is a lot to like about this book. The writer is knoweldgable about East African history and geography. I learned a lot myself and plan to read some books he referenced. I did not realize how much Asians (particularly Indians) and Arabs played a part of the history of Africa. And the amount of conflict between these groups as well as between blacks and whites.
His writing style is easy going. You can imagine talking to him in the same manner and tone. That is both a positive and a negative. What made me give this only three stars was the lack of cohesion. The book is supposed to be about this writer's tracing the route of the Uganda Railroad, talking about that experience as well as giving historical context. It was more historical than travel memoir. The history was good but I would have appreciated more travel memoir. He had room, the book was just over 200 pages. He also jumps around a bit and meanders.
October 28, 2018
_Man Eaters Motel_ is a fun, quirky, entertaining book about Kenya, or perhaps more specifically, the railroad that created it. "To appreciate fully Kenya's enormous success," wrote author Denis Boyles, "it must be seen in the odd manner in which it was achieved." Kenya was essentially almost accidentally created. To bridge the "unhappy gap" between the East African coast, particularly the region once controlled by the then mighty and storied Zanzibar, and the lakes of Uganda, a railroad was created. The railroad was originally constructed to help safeguard the route to India and the headwaters of the Nile but had huge unintended consequences. "One thing lead to another" and people started to disembark from the train early, first to farm, then to hunt, and later for tourism, along the way making the final destination of the railway, a sleepy town on the shores of Lake Victoria, "somewhat incidental." Essentially, "Kenya was invented in the space of a lifetime along the tracks of a railway going nowhere." Without the railroad, there would have been little or no development of Kenya and Uganda, and indirectly, Tanganyika.
For those looking for a technical history of the railway from Mombassa to Kisumu they will be somewhat disappointed, as the author's admits in his introduction that he used the railway as essentially a plot device to provide a framework for stories from Kenya's past and the author's own observations. This is not to say that railroad is not covered, as Boyles discussed the railway stations, those who built the railway and operate it today, and what it is like to ride the train, noting what might be seen (and not seen) along the railway.
One of the things not seen, and something that may surprise tourists, is just about anything marking the famed attacks of the man-eaters of Tsavo. The author searched high and low in the area where the attacks occurred and interviewed a number of people resident in the area but found any memorial or indication of the attacks hard to come by (other than the hotel mentioned in the book's title). Happily, this did not stop the author from telling the tale of how two man-eaters held up the construction of the Uganda railway for nearly a year (in 1898), of the fight against the lions, and the personalities involved in the famed incident, notably of course Colonel John Henry Patterson (who was known for many things, the fight against the man-eaters being only one incident; other things he was noted for include fighting in the Boer War, commanding the Jewish Legion in World War I, and being a keen supporter of the foundation of Israel).
The Tsavo man-eaters were easily my favorite part of the book and read like a great adventure story (did you know that twice the workmen of the railway tried to murder Patterson?) but it is not by any means the only thing in this book. Boyles gives the reader a tour of Zanzibar, once a rich and influential island kingdom that ruled over much of the East African coast, at one time the richest place in Africa, sort of a "Hong Kong" for Africa, though boasting a wealth that was acquired in "hideous ways," from not only the ivory trade but most especially the slave trade. Now it is a sleepy, rundown place of ornate though neglected fascinating architecture, reeking and rusting ancient freighters in the harbor, and sleepy dreams of becoming a booming tourist resort (at least this was the case in 1991, I don't know what it is now).
Boyles interviewed a number of Kenyan whites, an odd class of people, descendents from the days when Britain ruled Kenya (if not resident themselves during British rule), a people unsure of their place and future in a black Kenya, an unease shared by many black Kenyans as well. Boyles never came to any firm conclusions as to their future, as some whites felt discriminated against and others felt quite the opposite. He did however have some pointed words about a few famous white Kenyans and others, such as Karen Blixen, the "precious, affected, patronizing, self-absorbed Dane" who was more worried about her aristocratic title than anything else in her life, portrayed on the silver screen by Meryl Streep in the "only version of her life that matters," and Henry Morton Stanley, a "murderous" explorer who was unfortunately "canonized" in the movies by Spencer Tracy.
The author spent some time on President Daniel arap Moi, the dictator who shaped much of post-colonial Kenya, discussing his corruption, a corruption that is suspected to include covering up the murder of political rivals.
The history of tourism - particularly of the safari - in Kenya is well-covered,, from the early days of the large, expensive practically paramilitary hunting expeditions, ones with many porters, trucks, good china, professional chefs, and often lasting months, to the modern economical package tours of today, in large part made affordable to the middle-class thanks to the advent of low-cost international jet travel. Interestingly, Boyles wrote that the abolition of hunting in Kenya in 1977 had the opposite effect intended, as many former hunters stated that without hunters to keep tabs on animal numbers and to go after poachers many thousands of elephants and hundreds of rhinos were slaughtered. Without a hunter police force, not even Kenya's military can keep poachers in check, though others dispute this, noting that many Kenyan law enforcement officials are neck-deep in corrupt ties with the poachers.
For those looking for a technical history of the railway from Mombassa to Kisumu they will be somewhat disappointed, as the author's admits in his introduction that he used the railway as essentially a plot device to provide a framework for stories from Kenya's past and the author's own observations. This is not to say that railroad is not covered, as Boyles discussed the railway stations, those who built the railway and operate it today, and what it is like to ride the train, noting what might be seen (and not seen) along the railway.
One of the things not seen, and something that may surprise tourists, is just about anything marking the famed attacks of the man-eaters of Tsavo. The author searched high and low in the area where the attacks occurred and interviewed a number of people resident in the area but found any memorial or indication of the attacks hard to come by (other than the hotel mentioned in the book's title). Happily, this did not stop the author from telling the tale of how two man-eaters held up the construction of the Uganda railway for nearly a year (in 1898), of the fight against the lions, and the personalities involved in the famed incident, notably of course Colonel John Henry Patterson (who was known for many things, the fight against the man-eaters being only one incident; other things he was noted for include fighting in the Boer War, commanding the Jewish Legion in World War I, and being a keen supporter of the foundation of Israel).
The Tsavo man-eaters were easily my favorite part of the book and read like a great adventure story (did you know that twice the workmen of the railway tried to murder Patterson?) but it is not by any means the only thing in this book. Boyles gives the reader a tour of Zanzibar, once a rich and influential island kingdom that ruled over much of the East African coast, at one time the richest place in Africa, sort of a "Hong Kong" for Africa, though boasting a wealth that was acquired in "hideous ways," from not only the ivory trade but most especially the slave trade. Now it is a sleepy, rundown place of ornate though neglected fascinating architecture, reeking and rusting ancient freighters in the harbor, and sleepy dreams of becoming a booming tourist resort (at least this was the case in 1991, I don't know what it is now).
Boyles interviewed a number of Kenyan whites, an odd class of people, descendents from the days when Britain ruled Kenya (if not resident themselves during British rule), a people unsure of their place and future in a black Kenya, an unease shared by many black Kenyans as well. Boyles never came to any firm conclusions as to their future, as some whites felt discriminated against and others felt quite the opposite. He did however have some pointed words about a few famous white Kenyans and others, such as Karen Blixen, the "precious, affected, patronizing, self-absorbed Dane" who was more worried about her aristocratic title than anything else in her life, portrayed on the silver screen by Meryl Streep in the "only version of her life that matters," and Henry Morton Stanley, a "murderous" explorer who was unfortunately "canonized" in the movies by Spencer Tracy.
The author spent some time on President Daniel arap Moi, the dictator who shaped much of post-colonial Kenya, discussing his corruption, a corruption that is suspected to include covering up the murder of political rivals.
The history of tourism - particularly of the safari - in Kenya is well-covered,, from the early days of the large, expensive practically paramilitary hunting expeditions, ones with many porters, trucks, good china, professional chefs, and often lasting months, to the modern economical package tours of today, in large part made affordable to the middle-class thanks to the advent of low-cost international jet travel. Interestingly, Boyles wrote that the abolition of hunting in Kenya in 1977 had the opposite effect intended, as many former hunters stated that without hunters to keep tabs on animal numbers and to go after poachers many thousands of elephants and hundreds of rhinos were slaughtered. Without a hunter police force, not even Kenya's military can keep poachers in check, though others dispute this, noting that many Kenyan law enforcement officials are neck-deep in corrupt ties with the poachers.
January 25, 2021
Not that I wanted anyone to get eaten but I expected a bit more action especially considering the facts that became legend (concerning the lions of Tsavo). A whole movie was made about this story. Nevertheless I had hoped , too, for some riveting stories of adventure apart from the Hungry Lion aspect. Well.
March 20, 2021
An interesting Kenya travel book. Light reading for the train ride from Mombasa to Kisumu. Good coverage of the hunt for the man-eating lions of Tsavo. More detailed information in contained in Patterson's book about the hunt. Very entertaining and light hearted. Some true fish stories weaver there way in to the tale. Enjoyable but somewhat out of date.
July 26, 2022
I read this more than 25 years ago, so details are not my strength, but it was an enjoyabke read for this trivia/history interested reader
July 14, 2016
Engaging and entertaining if not a chohesive book. He has taken a couple of magazine pieces and made very little effort to string them together into a single narrative. Its also amusing to read twenty years later and see how differently the future turned out then was predicted. Be warned, his nostalgia for the British Empire is excessive.
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July 20, 2009Denis Boyles is an underappreciated travel and current events writer. He has a sharp wit and a real talent for expressing his keen observations in unique and hilarious ways. A must-read for anyone interested in past and present Africa travel.
August 19, 2009
The author kep going off on such long tangents that you'd barely remember what he had initially been talking about. It just got boring because I felt like i was just waiting for the story to resume all the time.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews