Amie was just an average girl, living in her home town close to friends and family. She was happily married and she had her future all planned out. They would have two adorable children, while she made award winning programmes for television.
Until the day her husband announced he was being sent to live and work in an African country she’d never heard of.
When she came to the notice of a Colonel … notice of a Colonel in the Government, it made life very complicated, and from there things started to escalate from bad to worse.
If Amie could have seen that one day she would be totally lost, fighting for her life, and enduring untold horrors, she would never have stepped foot on that plane.
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I enjoyed Amie’s adventures very much. For me it was a very realistic depiction of how Africa can get into one’s blood despite the problems and cultural minefield that it undoubtedly is. The story unfolds quite slowly, but eventually it erupts into a nightmare scenario for the heroine. She gets swept along in the maelstrom of a civil war that she and her ex-pat community have nothing to do with. During the course of the nightmare, she witnesses (and survives) some very frightening and horrific events. A compelling read that will definitely make you want to read the next one!
This book has the WOW factor. I’d recommend it to everyone, regardless of preferred genre. One quick look at the author’s profile says this book has been written by an extraordinary woman.
To the book itself. During the first third, as a reader I felt I was experiencing Africa, alongside Amie. Not merely visually but also sharing her doubts, shocks and gradual change in perspective and confidence as she adapted to life in a new country. I related so much to Amie I fully understood her alienation when she returned to England for a few weeks. Only a talented writer who had lived and breathed what she was writing about could achieve this.
I don’t want to ruin the story for others, so won’t say too much about the turn the story takes. I will say it was breath-taking, edge of the seat stuff, that entertained but also showed what life in an unstable country is really like.
Believable characters, fantastic settings and an outstanding story. This is a very special book which should find its way onto everyone’s book shelf.
An adventure filled journey that perfectly captures the very heart and soul of Africa ..
My biggest regret about this book is that it had to end at some point, as all books do. It tells the story of young couple’s move to Africa for the husband’s career, particularly that of the wife, Amie. It starts off sedately enough, detailing their preparations and Amie’s initial fears and nervousness about leaving behind everyone she knows and loves and her way of life back in England, charmingly detailing many of the fears any of us might have at such a prospect. After their arrival in Africa, things seem to be working out for Amie as she adapts to and begins to enjoy a very different way of life. Now although I say it starts ‘sedately,’ right from the start the author has already hooked the reader with a harrowing and well-placed preface of things to come, and the reader knows that this is to be no ordinary foreign posting, that danger and adventure are sure to follow their initial settling in.
As the story develops, the author introduces the reader to the real Africa and its way of life for the majority. Yes, Amie lives the comparatively comfortable and indeed luxurious life of an ex patriot, shielded from much of the hardship, but she sees it all around her, and against advice goes out of her way to help as best she can. Within the story, with some truly beautiful writing and turns of phrase, the author manages to convey a real sense of being in Amie’s shoes, providing the reader a glimpse and real insight into the everyday life and comings and goings of the native population, of the poverty and corruption, and of course the dangers. We also learn though not to judge the culture and ways of the African people in relation to European ways of doing things. Amid the vivid descriptions of Africa, the ex-patriot community, and the local culture, the reader experiences the growing unrest of a volatile society, the dilemmas Amie has to face and deal with, and the sudden and explosive upheaval of an entire country. How she copes with everything around her is a story in itself, and perfectly complements the story of her African adventure.
Quite apart from the story itself, which was thrilling to say the least, I also admired and enjoyed the way Amie adapted and grew as a person, watching her confidence and self-reliance grow a little more every day. We see the transformation of someone initially afraid of travelling much beyond her home town and who probably thought that a package holiday to Spain was the extent of travelling abroad, into a resourceful and determined young woman more than capable of surviving the dangers of wildest Africa. What I would also say here though is that, while there is an element of memoir to the writing, this is still mainly an action and adventure filled tale, and one that won’t disappoint those who like to see the adrenalin flowing in their reading, combining an imaginative and descriptive narrative with just the right degree and tone of dialogue to drive the story forward. If I had but one tiny criticism it would be the cover, which if I’m honest, didn’t quite grab me or in my opinion, reflect or do justice to the story within. Other than that, I’m delighted to say the author is currently writing a much anticipated sequel to this wonderful book.