A collection of anecdotes that depict a true reality, beautifully

books:


	• African Nights: True Stories from the Author of I Dreamed of Africa Kuki Gallmann Harper Paperbacks, 2000 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 17 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Attentiveness That's Admirable

How she does it I don't know. She's incredible, seeing beauty in everything, painting vivid pictures for all to delight in. Presuming it to be only remnants from her perfect book I Dreamed of Africa, I doubted the caliber of this work. I was skeptical but willing - but Gallmann has proved that everything she touches illuminates in melodious detail. Whether it is the amplification of a salmon pink sky, silhouettes at dusk, a tree that appears imbued with knowledge, or a night sky saturated with the sounds that are Africa, Kuki's awareness and ensuing stories are exceptional - encroaching inspirational. There is something in every story that appeals to heart and soul. I almost wanted to frame each story separately as if it were a sapphire or quartz rarity, explicit, precious and real. I'm so impressed by her writing and the lighted manner in which she takes in Africa. It's wonderful.

I liked this book.

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A collection of anecdotes that depict a true reality, beautifully

My family and I visited Kenya last year and were utterly overwhelmed by the experience. Following that trip we read several books on Africa and amongst them was firstly "I dreamed of Africa" and latterly "African Nights". On a subsequent trip to Oman, I was reading the former book on the plane and had to stop, lest the flight attendants and fellow passengers witness me breaking down in tears. (Kuki's words at her son's funeral service). The spirit and the eloquence of her writing and indeed of her very experiences touched our hearts deeply. So much so that we traveled this year (August 2007) to Likepia, to her 'ranch' (now a conservation area), as a kind of pilgrimage to an Africa that has mostly vanished, swallowed up in commercialism, in over-grazing and exploitation. What did we find? An incredibly special place where conservation efforts harmonise with nature; where people are valued. Where students from all over the world come to research 'projects', encouraged by the owner of the land - Kuki. We met a variety of people, both African and otherwise. Pokot Tribespeople. Belgium guides. Eastern European Photographers. Kenyan Musicians. Village children at the custom built school... An eclectic mix of people with a common passion - for Africa, for its people and for its land. All inspired by one person. An author of two books.

The grammar in Kuki's second book may, according to several reviews, not be immaculate or even American, but given the life that Kuki has led, and indeed continues to lead, I believe that people should simply get past such utterly insignificant details and try to feel the reality that the author describes.

Kuki tells her story her way, and obviously leads her life her way. She has suffered loss and tragedy, but this is an author who has 'moved on', in control of her destiny and embracing change with a passion and an artistry that the vast majority of us could not hope to emulate.

Perhaps her sentences may be deemed a bit long by some. But when she describes a vignette of her family, of Africa.... you are there with her: With her husband at the coast. With her son catching snakes by the lake... And in being there through her writing, you are actually the closest you'll likely come to a very special part of Africa. A part that isn't on the tourist trail. A part that is rapidly encroached by charcoal burning; by agriculture, by population explosion. But a part that is still home to both Elephant and to Lion and to a very special community.

Put criticism of grammar or sentence structure behind you. These matters do not rate for much in the overall tapestry of life. And it is that tapestry that Kuki so artfully weaves, allowing you to enter her world, and become a part of her life by doing so.

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An Admirable Woman

When I finished this book, I felt I had learned something, or perhaps been reminded of something I already knew. What struck me was the author's capacity to love, to suffer, and ultimately to find strength and see the beauty in her experiences. I admire this woman's spirit and her unique spirituality. The connection that she finds with the land and the animals and the people that pass through her life make me think, "wow, that is a life well-lived and worth reading about."

I Dreamed of Kuki's Africa-so I went

I did volunteer work at Kuki's Ol Ari Nyrio in 11/07 and it was the most amazing experience of my life. I also had dinner with Kuki and she is an artist- attentive, creative, intelligent, and misses nothing. Africa is a place like no other-you cannot expect the norm - truth is always more interesting & stranger than fiction, remember. Kuki is an amazing person and the work she has done for the people & animals in the area, without spoiling the natural habitat or trying to change the people's ways, is well told. The death of her son and husband, so tragic, has led her to different levels in life, where so much work has been done for the good of generations to come. Read her books-they are wonderful!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

Lyrical, beautifully written tales of life in Africa

Africa evokes a deep sense of mystery. It is a place that retains what most of the world has lost: space, roots, traditions, awesome beauty, true wilderness, rare animals, and extraordinary people. In this wonderful and haunting collection of stories, Kuki Gallmann writes of her life in Africa, where every day brings challenge and adventure. African Nights is a treasury of memories, in which fascinating people and places are brought to life. The healing powers Africa can have on those who embrace the land as a place of mystery, superstition, danger, and beauty.

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