$3:00

paperback

This is a collection of letters written from Africa by Karen Blixen. The letters are written primarily to Blixen's mother, brother, sister, and an aunt. I find the letters to her mother and brother the most interesting. In them, she details life in Africa in all of its vivid richness. Letters to another relative tend to veer into philosophical territory and her views on the way life is lived or should be lived by humanity. Those letters could get extremely tedious.

I think that one has to have a general knowledge of the characters and setting of Blixen's Africa if one is to dive into these letters. Certainly, watching the film "Out Of Africa" will help you, as well as reading Blixen's book of the same name. There are many well-known figures who make appearances throughout the letters which the reader will know: the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII), some members of the Happy Valley set, and others.

Good reading if you can disregard the philosophizing. ( )

I've actually read this twice before years ago, and on the third time around this time I was looking for something specific in it (so still have it marked as to-read mainly to remind me) - but I seem to keep getting waylaid with other books.. ( )

Kenya