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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Sheldrick paints a vivid picture of life in Kenya for the settler community during the twentieth century. Her descriptions of the land, the animals, and the establishment of Tsavo National Reserve and orphan rescue is fascinating, but I struggled with her lack of acknowledgement of non-white figures in this narrative. They are rarely mentioned by name and most that are are enemy poaches or politicians. Do not misunderstand me: I enjoyed this book a lot, but I feel like there is more to the story.
Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story is the memoir of Dame Daphne Sheldrick, widow of David Sheldrick and founder of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (known among local expats as “the elephant orphanage”). This account of Dame Sheldrick’s life is engrossing and beautifully written. Her love of the natural world and of animals radiates from the page. If you enjoy poetic descriptions of natural landscapes and detailed accounts of animal behavior, you’ll love this book–and if you don’t enjoy those things, you can enjoy the book a little more quickly by skipping over them.
Dame Sheldrick’s story begins long before her birth, with the arrival in Kenya of her father as a young boy. She recounts the exploits of her grandparents and parents with the love and loyalty of one who was raised by them, with sympathy to the culture of the time. Her own childhood in Kenya was shaped by the natural world and her interactions with it–even as a child, she raised orphaned animals and then (unwittingly at first) released them back into the wild. The book continues to talk about her first marriage, her developing relationship with David Sheldrick, her introduction to the wildlife of the newly-created Tsavo National Park, and her experiences during the tumult of the Mau Mau uprising and the early years of Kenyan independence. The sudden death of her second husband and the desire to honor his legacy led to the creation of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which continues to rescue orphaned or injured animals, work for the well-being and protection of Kenya’s wild areas, and raise awareness of wildlife issues locally and around the world.
Although I enjoyed this book overall, it did drag a bit at times. The poetic descriptions of landscapes and animal behavior were beautiful, but I would have appreciated them more had they been shorter. I also found some of Dame Sheldrick’s assumptions and attitudes jarring, despite my recognition that such attitudes are to be expected from one raised by settlers during a time of colonialism. Finally, I was torn between my respect for her obvious love for her husband and pride in the organization that bears his name and my sense that the book came across at times as more of a eulogy and fundraising platform than an honest memoir.
Despite these drawbacks, however, I enjoyed learning more about Dame Sheldrick’s life. Her childhood was the stuff of dreams–surrounded by nature, frequent interactions with gentle but still-wild animals, and a large and loving extended family. Her adult life was filled with love, meaningful work, and even more interactions with gentle but still-wild animals. I recommend this book for anyone who would like to learn more about the origins of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or the woman who founded it.
Dame Sheldrick’s story begins long before her birth, with the arrival in Kenya of her father as a young boy. She recounts the exploits of her grandparents and parents with the love and loyalty of one who was raised by them, with sympathy to the culture of the time. Her own childhood in Kenya was shaped by the natural world and her interactions with it–even as a child, she raised orphaned animals and then (unwittingly at first) released them back into the wild. The book continues to talk about her first marriage, her developing relationship with David Sheldrick, her introduction to the wildlife of the newly-created Tsavo National Park, and her experiences during the tumult of the Mau Mau uprising and the early years of Kenyan independence. The sudden death of her second husband and the desire to honor his legacy led to the creation of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which continues to rescue orphaned or injured animals, work for the well-being and protection of Kenya’s wild areas, and raise awareness of wildlife issues locally and around the world.
Although I enjoyed this book overall, it did drag a bit at times. The poetic descriptions of landscapes and animal behavior were beautiful, but I would have appreciated them more had they been shorter. I also found some of Dame Sheldrick’s assumptions and attitudes jarring, despite my recognition that such attitudes are to be expected from one raised by settlers during a time of colonialism. Finally, I was torn between my respect for her obvious love for her husband and pride in the organization that bears his name and my sense that the book came across at times as more of a eulogy and fundraising platform than an honest memoir.
Despite these drawbacks, however, I enjoyed learning more about Dame Sheldrick’s life. Her childhood was the stuff of dreams–surrounded by nature, frequent interactions with gentle but still-wild animals, and a large and loving extended family. Her adult life was filled with love, meaningful work, and even more interactions with gentle but still-wild animals. I recommend this book for anyone who would like to learn more about the origins of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or the woman who founded it.
This is a beautiful memoir of Daphne Sheldrick's life in Kenya. She is very British (a bit lacking in emotion and flowery words) - which is likely accentuated by the narrator's, Virginia McKenna, reading. It is a great audiobook, I would recommend that reading experience for everyone. This book takes us through Dame Sheldrick's life, starting before she was born, up until the publishing of this book. It's filled with adventure and romance, family . We learn about her love for animals (although I was expecting a lot more elephants than were present in the book), she really loved and saved any animals that came her way. She's an amazing woman and doing wonderful things in Kenya to preserve wildlife despite the numerous obstacles. She is very much absorbed in the African wilds where she felt at home. The focus of the book is on her life with David, it is truly a wonderful love story. Their desire and dedication to the animals is noble and really wonderful. A great read for animals lovers!
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5 stars
Initially, I found it much easier to put this book down, than pick it up. In the first five days of reading this book, I'd only read 50 pages.
The going was slow, but then once the animals really came into play, things picked up quite a bit.
Reading this book, it is evident that Daphne Shledrick loved Kenya and loved its animals. She also loved her second husband, David Sheldrick, quite passionately. Between the two of them, they were able bring awareness to the plight of Africa's elephants and rhinos. David Sheldrick was ahead of the times as far as awareness of the connectedness of animals and their environment.
Today, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust continues to bring awareness to Africa's wildlife.
While this book does break your heart time and again, it does ultimately leave you with a sense of hope. However, it is tragic that as long as there is a want for elephant tusks and rhino horns, these animals will never be really safe.
Initially, I found it much easier to put this book down, than pick it up. In the first five days of reading this book, I'd only read 50 pages.
The going was slow, but then once the animals really came into play, things picked up quite a bit.
Reading this book, it is evident that Daphne Shledrick loved Kenya and loved its animals. She also loved her second husband, David Sheldrick, quite passionately. Between the two of them, they were able bring awareness to the plight of Africa's elephants and rhinos. David Sheldrick was ahead of the times as far as awareness of the connectedness of animals and their environment.
Today, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust continues to bring awareness to Africa's wildlife.
While this book does break your heart time and again, it does ultimately leave you with a sense of hope. However, it is tragic that as long as there is a want for elephant tusks and rhino horns, these animals will never be really safe.
slow-paced
Author was insufferable, blind to her privilege, and there was no real "story." Not inspirational. Just...nothing.
Didn't hold my attention enough to get into the book. Cut my losses and picked up another book.
Digital audiobook narrated by Virginia McKenna
Subtitle: An African Love Story
From the book jacket: Daphne Sheldrick, whose family arrived in Africa from Scotland in the 1820s, is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya’s rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death.
My reactions
This is a wonderful memoir that takes the reader from Sheldrick’s birth and childhood through her teen years, and first love, on to the love of her life, David Sheldrick, and the work they accomplished together. He truly inspired her to a variety of achievements, perhaps most famously the founding of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the orphans’ nursery in Nairobi National Park.
She writes in a frank and open manner, describing her missteps as openly as her triumphs. I can feel her empathy with the animals, cheered with her when she achieved success, and shed tears at the heartbreaking events that befell some of her favorite animals. While I was interested most in her work with elephants, Sheldrick had room in her life for a wide variety of orphaned animals – rhinos, antelope, mongoose, and a mischievous zebra, among others.
Virginia McKenna does a marvelous job voicing the audio book. She has great pacing and really brought Sheldrick’s voice and point of view to life.
Subtitle: An African Love Story
From the book jacket: Daphne Sheldrick, whose family arrived in Africa from Scotland in the 1820s, is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her deep empathy and understanding, her years of observing Kenya’s rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death.
My reactions
This is a wonderful memoir that takes the reader from Sheldrick’s birth and childhood through her teen years, and first love, on to the love of her life, David Sheldrick, and the work they accomplished together. He truly inspired her to a variety of achievements, perhaps most famously the founding of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the orphans’ nursery in Nairobi National Park.
She writes in a frank and open manner, describing her missteps as openly as her triumphs. I can feel her empathy with the animals, cheered with her when she achieved success, and shed tears at the heartbreaking events that befell some of her favorite animals. While I was interested most in her work with elephants, Sheldrick had room in her life for a wide variety of orphaned animals – rhinos, antelope, mongoose, and a mischievous zebra, among others.
Virginia McKenna does a marvelous job voicing the audio book. She has great pacing and really brought Sheldrick’s voice and point of view to life.
This book is full of insights into how the conservation infrastructure in Kenya developed over the second half of the twentieth century, with lots of fascinating observations and anecdotes about animal behavior. I was a bit put off by Sheldrick's attitudes towards the Mau Mau crisis and the Kenyan independence movement, but I'd imagine she is reflective of general stance of her generation/social circle in Kenya--making her views on this more understandable if still short-sighted. She and her second husband were absolutely critical players in the trajectory of Kenya's wildlife conservation efforts, and it makes for a very interesting read about a fascinating life.
In spite of the fact that I'm not an animal lover and in spite of the occasional repetitiveness, I enjoyed this memoir. Dame Daphne Sheldrick,born and raised in Kenya, has devoted her life to preserving wildlife and developing National Parks in Kenya. She is the first person to successfully hand-raise orphaned elephants. Dame Sheldrick was largely influenced by, and deeply in love with,her husband David Sheldrick. This is the story of their relationship with each other, their families, and mostly with the amazing wildlife in Kenya. It's also a story of politics, poaching, and greed. After David's untimely death from a heart attack, Dame Sheldrick and her daughters have spent several decades continuing their work by managing the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. If you like stories of animal behavior, there are some incredible ones here.