Nowhere in Africa: An Autobiographical Novel

Rating:
Summary: Amazing survival story
Review: I anxiously awaited the release of this English translation after I saw the movie. In comparison, there are a few differences in the plot, but the story in both is moving. My primary reason for wanting to read the book was to understand the characteres better, to hear that inner voice that does not translate well on film. The book certainly provided this, though some times I found myself frustrated with the lengthy descriptions of secondary characters, such as the Professor and Diane. Still, the chapters that do delve more closely into the hearts and minds of Regina, Walter, Jettel and Owuor do not disappoint. Overall, though the writing at times wavers between meandering and powerfully direct, the story is heartbreaking and inspiring. I look forward to the sequel.

Rating:
Summary: A sensational story
Review: I was not disappointed when I finally laid my hands on this translation of Nowhere in Africa. I had been looking forward to it after watching the movie. It is rich nonfiction, a beautifully written autobiography of a life in self-exile in Africa, precisely in Kenya. It is an extraordinary tale of Walter Redlich, his wife Jettel, and Regina their five-year-old daughter, a Jewish family that fled the Nazi Germany in 1938 and made a new life in a remote Kenyan farm. It portrayed the different capacities of the Jewish family members to adapt to their new life. The father , a former attorney accepts the situation and works listlessly to put life bearable for his family, Jettel the mother never reconciles herself to her new life, while their sensitive daughter overcomes her inhibitions and falls in love with her "new world". In Regina's enchanted kingdom, understanding started with learning the local language and customs, feeling at home and began when she Owuvor, the family cook becomes her new friend, opening up the world around her and giving her the joy she never had in Germany. The family grows with the birth of a baby boy and eventually returns to Germany for another new and strange life for the children.

The story is inspiring, the pace is fast and the characters are rich and wide-ranging. Set in a world we are not very familiar with, made this story so unique.

I recommend DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, DISGRACE and GRACELAND