This is the story of a young woman’s first encounters
with rural South Africa. Coming from the all-mod-cons
society of Britain at the beginning of the 1980’s, the
author is literally transplanted to a farm in the foothills
of the Drakensberg mountains in what is now Kwazulu
Natal - where life was considerably more primitive than
the one she had come from.
Once there, she finds her feet in the ways of Africa
with the help of a charming, elderly Dutch couple,
an appealing but wily African farm hand, his practical
and motherly daughter and a wise and fascinating
neighbour who has a fund of local knowledge.
They are tales of a different kind of life, which
include living without electricity, hand-milking cows,
drought, veld fires and mad-cap adventures into the unknown,
all told with affection, respect and a liberal dose of tongue-in-cheek humour.
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People Reviewed This Item
By Margaret Jevons
Jun 15, 2009
"Window to another world" This hugely endearing book tells of one woman's experiences in actually doing what many of us just wish we had the courage to do; up sticks and go to live in another country in a society very far removed from our own cosy experiences. Valerie writes naturally and with with great warmth, humour and insight, painting vivid and affectionate pictures of those who helped and mentored her on her journey. She makes light of hardships less brave readers would consider intolerable, and throughout the book has a happy knack of bringing alive the people and places she came to know so well. This is a lovely book, full of wonderful stories. Perfect reading for we less adventurous "what if...."s.
"Recommended for everyone" I read this and can say I can definitely recommend it for everyone. The stories of the author's life in South Africa are vibrant, full of life and colour. I especially like her skill in drawing pictures of people and things so that the reader can see them with his/her own eyes.
I found this book an exceptional read. It's highly educational ,heartwarming and humorous at the same time, I would recommend this book to anyone, a pure pleasure to read.
"African Ways Review" Valerie Poore is an author, teacher, linguist, traveler, adventurer and most importantly a citizen of the world. This book describes her adventures as a young mother and wife living in a rural region of Natal. Her stories have a light-hearted humour as she shares her adventures and humour with the reader. A light-hearted, happy read that makes you smile all day long.
"African Ways Review" I had the pleasure of reading this book on Val's blog, one installment at a time. She writes with warmth and gentle humour, and captures a time and place with visual richness and great charm. For anyone who loves Africa, or who loves a good story with a wonderful cast of characters!
