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tigermuffin's review against another edition
4.0
Long ago I read this and decided to look it up as it still percolates in my mind. Delia Owens has a recent fiction book published and I just had to see if it was the same person (yes, 'tis).
sabrina_lindsay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Just okay for me. I found the book a bit dry in parts and it felt outdated. (The authors focused on their time in the Kalahari in the 70’s, and while the book was written more recently than that, it didn’t feel current or modern.) The authors seemed shockingly unprepared for this experience, to the point that it was uncomfortable to read about at times. They’re honestly lucky to have made it out alive if their experienced happened as told in the book. 😟 The animals were, of course, the stars of the show here, and the book included a wide range of stories and experiences from adorable to profoundly sad and discouraging. I’m happy I read it, but I don’t think I enjoyed it enough to continue to read the other books by these authors. (Also, I think I was the last person to connect that this Delia Owens was the same as the Crawdads Delia Owens. 😂)
wubledoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.75
This couple had SO many close calls that it seems like fiction. Amazing story of courage, determination and respect for our earth.
carolined's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
1.0
This is a terrible, racist book by terrible racist people who seem to genuinely believe that they were the first people *in human history* to explore part of the Kalahari desert. And they kept getting into bother because they were stupid, arrogant and ill-prepared.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, and Sexism
elsiebrady's review against another edition
4.0
So grateful for crazy folk like Mark and Delia. Their research should have led to many more regulations to maintain life on earth for humans and animals—we should know better. They risked their lives hanging out with lions, following brown hyenas and prides over Desolation valley in their Rover and plane. It’s amazing they made it home to write their stories! Thank you!!!
jcharlton's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. Two researchers write about their life in the Kalahari in the 70s. They write well and I found it quite interesting. Going to read their others.
pagesofglory22's review
No rating - non-fiction.
Thanks to Jonathan Ball Publishers for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Cry of the Kalahari follows the true story of Mark and Delia Owens, a married American couple who came to Africa to study the wildlife in the Kalahari. Once they arrive, they face many obstacles, but also have incredible experiences and learn a lot about how animals have adapted to this harsh environment.
I’ll start off by saying that, as someone who is very interested in and passionate about wildlife, particularly in the African context, I had high hopes for this book. I am happy to say that it exceeded my expectations, and that I think many people will enjoy it, regardless of whether or not they are interested in the topic.
I have read many similar books, and while the story always draws me in, I have often found the writing to be lacking. Luckily, that wasn’t the case with this book. The writing was excellent, and it painted a vivid picture of the location and animals that Mark and Delia witnessed. Even though it is a memoir, it often felt like I was reading a fiction book, simply because of how easy it was to get pulled into the story.
I will also warn that there are sad and gruesome parts in this book. It is, unfortunately, something that always occurs in these types of books. While heartbreaking, the inclusion of these parts sheds light on some serious problems that threaten the African wildlife.
Luckily, these harsh moments are also accompanied by heartwarming, funny, and entertaining tales about the interaction between the animals themselves, as well as how they react to the humans.
I have also never read a book about animals set in the Kalahari, so it was interesting to read about how the animals’ behaviour differs from those of animals in other regions, such as the Serengeti. I also appreciated that the authors didn’t just focus on the animals that often appear in wildlife books. While there is a fair amount of talk about lions, the main characters are brown hyenas – a species not often placed in the spotlight. Other, smaller creatures also played a key role.
I will however say that I did not always agree with Mark and Delia’s actions. While they did everything they could not to disrupt the animals’ natural habitat, I think that many of their decisions were incredibly dangerous and not well thought out. It’s pure luck that they survived until the end, in my opinion.
Overall, however, I found this to be an amazing book filled with incredible stories, a wealth of information, and a lot of love for Africa and its wildlife. I would highly recommend this to anyone.
Thanks to Jonathan Ball Publishers for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Cry of the Kalahari follows the true story of Mark and Delia Owens, a married American couple who came to Africa to study the wildlife in the Kalahari. Once they arrive, they face many obstacles, but also have incredible experiences and learn a lot about how animals have adapted to this harsh environment.
I’ll start off by saying that, as someone who is very interested in and passionate about wildlife, particularly in the African context, I had high hopes for this book. I am happy to say that it exceeded my expectations, and that I think many people will enjoy it, regardless of whether or not they are interested in the topic.
I have read many similar books, and while the story always draws me in, I have often found the writing to be lacking. Luckily, that wasn’t the case with this book. The writing was excellent, and it painted a vivid picture of the location and animals that Mark and Delia witnessed. Even though it is a memoir, it often felt like I was reading a fiction book, simply because of how easy it was to get pulled into the story.
I will also warn that there are sad and gruesome parts in this book. It is, unfortunately, something that always occurs in these types of books. While heartbreaking, the inclusion of these parts sheds light on some serious problems that threaten the African wildlife.
Luckily, these harsh moments are also accompanied by heartwarming, funny, and entertaining tales about the interaction between the animals themselves, as well as how they react to the humans.
I have also never read a book about animals set in the Kalahari, so it was interesting to read about how the animals’ behaviour differs from those of animals in other regions, such as the Serengeti. I also appreciated that the authors didn’t just focus on the animals that often appear in wildlife books. While there is a fair amount of talk about lions, the main characters are brown hyenas – a species not often placed in the spotlight. Other, smaller creatures also played a key role.
I will however say that I did not always agree with Mark and Delia’s actions. While they did everything they could not to disrupt the animals’ natural habitat, I think that many of their decisions were incredibly dangerous and not well thought out. It’s pure luck that they survived until the end, in my opinion.
Overall, however, I found this to be an amazing book filled with incredible stories, a wealth of information, and a lot of love for Africa and its wildlife. I would highly recommend this to anyone.