Out of Africa (Modern Library 100 Best Nonfiction Books)
Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time
In this book, the author of Seven Gothic Tales gives a true account of her life on her plantation in Kenya. She tells with classic simplicity of the ways of the country and the natives: of the beauty of the Ngong Hills and coffee trees in blossom: of her guests, from the Prince of Wales to Knudsen, the old charcoal burner, who visited her: of primitive festivals: of big game that were her near neighbors--lions, rhinos, elephants, zebras, buffaloes--and of Lulu, the little gazelle who came to live with her, unbelievably ladylike and beautiful.
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This edition is set from the first American edition of 1937 and commemorates the seventy-fifth anniversary of Random House.
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Community Reviews
Out of Africa is a lyrical, factual accounting of the times of Karen Blixen lived, virtually alone, on her farm in Kenya, South Africa in the Ngong Hill region. Karen was a restless soul, who elected to marry a rogue to facilitate a move from Denmark, so she could be more independent. She certainly achieved her goal, keeping a coffee farm, a poorly conceived idea that her ne’er do well husband surprised her with, rather than establishing a dairy farm. The Ngong hills were ill-suited for coffee. Karen made the best of it, through her hard work and her ability to gain the admiration and trust of the Kikuyu tribe.
I have read a number of reviews, written by people who viewed Karen as a racists. In my humble opinion, she was anything but a racist. She was, a product of her times, in some of her practices and beliefs, but in reading her insistence that the Kikuyu must be granted their own land and allowed to keep their way of life, she was a woman who truly cared for the Kikuyu, as well as the Maasai tribe, Somali, and all others of the area in which she lived and worked with.
There are some graphic moments regarding animals, but the situations as well as the time in which she lived must be understood.
If you were hoping for a romance novel, look elsewhere or watch the movie (also a masterpiece in its own right and genre) but do not expect to read this as a love story between two people. Rather, read it as a love story about the region, a time in history gone forever and a story of loyalty to her beloved people with whom she worked, most of all, her man Farah who was her right hand man and protector, and her many beloved inhabitants of her home, kitchen and coffee fields. It is as if the book is a poem, in a prayer format, in which she can mentally return to her beloved farm and people in her aging body and mind. A masterpiece, written by an extraordinary adventurer.
I found it less of a story, narrative structure and more of a series of short stories recounting her life and experiences on a Kenyan farm. The style of writing and language is different to what would be recounted today and as such I found it ranged sometimes from unemotional to offensive (particularly how she referred to her workers). But I had to remind myself it was a different time and when I spent time reading between the lines there was a lot of heart there. Love for the tribesmen and women, the sometimes eccentric ex pats, the animals and most of all love for the land.