I'm a sucker for hilarious books, and this one made me laugh out loud. Of course, I enjoyed reading about Kenya in the 70's, but what really makes this book a gem is the author's way with a clever turn of phrase and his self-deprecating humor. ( )

mesilla de Sitges, de Karin del Rey

Other reviewers here have reached quite different conclusions. For one, Bennun is irritating and self satisfied, and yet another concludes his work is touching and affectionate. The explanation is simply that his account of his early childhood is intensely irritating and artificial in tone, but he finds his voice as he starts to recount his adolescence about half way through the book. For the sake of the second half - which is very good indeed - I'd forgive the first half. However readers coming fresh to this book might do well to pick some point half way through and start there. Better to do that than give up (as the more critical reviewer admits to doing) while still ploughing through the much less satisfying first half. Highly recommended to those who are already interested in everything to do with East Africa and the European presence in Africa. If you were looking for an introduction to stories of European childhoods in Africa I'd start elsewhere though - perhaps with Peter Goodwin's 'Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa', before tackling this. ( )

The author is so self-satisfied that, even though his anecdotes deserved attention, he didn't get mine. Someone less pleased with himself could have made this an enthralling book. As it was, it was too irritating even to bother finishing. ( )

Witty, touching and affectionate ( )