Reading this book was an experience. Alexandra Fuller paints the most wonderful and vivid picture of her parents and their life in Zambia. What zany people with many endearing personality traits. Overall, it is a beautiful portrait of her father and the acceptance of his death. On this journey I laughed, I got teary and was made to pause a few times to reread some intensely beautiful lines. ( )

Amazing. I've read all of Alexandra Fuller's memoirs and find her to be an great writer....often writing about terrible things, but always with an ability to see the humour in life. She also displays a strong tendency to accept people as they are....even her own parents, which is a challenge for many of us. And her parents are certainly unique, strong, quirky characters.

This book opens with the death of her father and explores issues of loss and moving on. It has many flashbacks to her life in Africa and things she learned from her dad. There is an unexpected development at the end of the book that is heartbreaking. Ms. Fuller has faced many challenges -- I hope she writes another book and that she finds happiness.

While I really enjoyed this book, I often wonder if readers will be able to appreciate its significance unless they've read some of her earlier work, especially Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight. I fear some of the significance of things mentioned in this book will be missed if readers don't know the back-story. ( )

Anyone who has read this authors non fiction before knows she had a very unorthodox upbringing. Her books chronicle different aspects, often humorous, episodes of her life in Africa. Although this book opens with her father's death, which is a sad occurrence since he died away from the home he loved, the tone of the book is not. Fuller relates in a series of vignettes, the many amusing ways her parents had of surviving together. I laughed so many times, two very different people, but characters both, her parents were definitely unique, as was the way they lived. So grieving yes, as she and her mother return to Africa, but laughter admidst the tears.

The ending though, an update on Fuller herself and her life following her father's death, is plain heartbreaking. Even more so is something else that happens at books end. Laughter and tears, what lives are made of, the full circle. Fuller is such a fantastic writer, at least in her non fiction. She is honest, clear and forthright. She puts it all out there, the proverbial good, bad and the ugly.

An emotionally difficult read at books end, but how lucky to be able to express both ones happiness and grief in words. A truly interesting, inspirational and stirring read.

ARC from Edelweiss ( )

I have been reading Alexander Fuller since her first memoir. I like her memoirs better than her fiction and in fact she finds it easier to write about her life than fiction.

This is a book about loss although you don't realize it right away (or maybe it was just me). And once again I marveled at her descriptions of living in Africa. It seems like the most beautiful thing as well as the scariest thing to do. I know that I couldn't do it.

Another excellent book. I hope she continues on--I wish her some happiness. ( )