ANNA S. (SanJoseCa) reviewed The Flame Trees of Thika : Memories of an African Childhood on + 328 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In 1913, at the age of six, the author accompanied her parents from England to Kenya. In this autobiography, Huxley recalls her childhood as a time of "adventure and freedom." She writes an unforgettable story of growing up among the Masai and Kikuyu people and discovering the beauty and the terrors of the jungle. A real literary treasure!
Nancy S. (nancys) -
Helpful Score: 1
wonderful imagery of africa, lush descriptions of the sites and sounds. it's amazing to realize that this takes place before world war 1. this book is timeless.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed The Flame Trees of Thika : Memories of an African Childhood on + 1229 more book reviews
The Flame Trees of Thika is Elspeth Huxley's reminiscences of her childhood in British East Africa (what is now Kenya) from 1912 to 1914. She was only six years old in 1912 and must have been a very precocious child with a good memory to be able to write this narrative almost 50 years later. She tells the story of how her parents, Robin and Tilly, moved to Africa to start a coffee plantation on 500 acres between the banks of two rivers near Thika. Her father, Robin, bought the land sight unseen with the faith-based knowledge that the soil was ideal for coffee growing and the expectations of making a fortune a few years down the line. But first, the land had to be cleared and planted during the rainy season. The native people, the Kikuyu, had to be persuaded to help in this task and most of them were very reluctant to do so. But eventually, the land was cleared and a crop planted. Huxley tells the story of living on the land and observing and delving into the culture of the native people and the beauties and hazards of the landscape. These hazards included wild animals and insects including ticks which Elspeth learned to pluck off of her and squash them in her fingers. "There were also jiggas. These burrowed under your toenails, laid their eggs, and created a swollen, red, tormenting place on your toe." And then there were the siafu or driver ants that could attack and eat animals to the bone.
But Elspeth learned to enjoy her home in Africa and had a couple of chameleons as pets. She also had a young duiker, a small antelope, that she kept as a pet. It often got into the family's garden and its exploits reminded me a lot of the novel The Yearling. Eventually, the duiker ran off to be in the wild but when it did, Elspeth thought it may have been eaten by the python that lived in a pool in the river. The python was swollen after eating some kind of larger animal but it turned out that after it had been killed, it had swallowed a young goat. She also tells of her white neighbors and their relationships that were probably hard to understand for a six-year old. There were also the eccentricities of some of the neighbors, such as having a velvet upholstered couch and a grand piano in a dirt floored cabin. But mainly this narrative was about living in the wildness of Africa with Mount Kenya in the distance.
At the outbreak of WWI, Robin joined the armed forces to fight against the Germans and Elspeth and Tilly returned to England. Elspeth and Tilly did go back to Africa after the war as related in her book, The Mottled Lizard.
I enjoyed this look at the early days of life in Kenya. It was an interesting narrative of a time and place now long gone. There were some disparaging comments made by some of the whites against the native Kikuyu who often viewed them as lazy savages. The "n word" was also used a few times in these descriptions but I think Huxley did this to show the narrow-mindedness of the settlers at the time. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in European involvement in turn of the century Africa.
But Elspeth learned to enjoy her home in Africa and had a couple of chameleons as pets. She also had a young duiker, a small antelope, that she kept as a pet. It often got into the family's garden and its exploits reminded me a lot of the novel The Yearling. Eventually, the duiker ran off to be in the wild but when it did, Elspeth thought it may have been eaten by the python that lived in a pool in the river. The python was swollen after eating some kind of larger animal but it turned out that after it had been killed, it had swallowed a young goat. She also tells of her white neighbors and their relationships that were probably hard to understand for a six-year old. There were also the eccentricities of some of the neighbors, such as having a velvet upholstered couch and a grand piano in a dirt floored cabin. But mainly this narrative was about living in the wildness of Africa with Mount Kenya in the distance.
At the outbreak of WWI, Robin joined the armed forces to fight against the Germans and Elspeth and Tilly returned to England. Elspeth and Tilly did go back to Africa after the war as related in her book, The Mottled Lizard.
I enjoyed this look at the early days of life in Kenya. It was an interesting narrative of a time and place now long gone. There were some disparaging comments made by some of the whites against the native Kikuyu who often viewed them as lazy savages. The "n word" was also used a few times in these descriptions but I think Huxley did this to show the narrow-mindedness of the settlers at the time. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone interested in European involvement in turn of the century Africa.
Teri S. (ocicat) reviewed The Flame Trees of Thika : Memories of an African Childhood on + 114 more book reviews
An interesting look at the British colonization of Kenya, thru the eyes of a child.
Holly B. (queenholly) reviewed The Flame Trees of Thika : Memories of an African Childhood on + 30 more book reviews
Elspeth Huxley's memoirs of her childhood in Kenya. This was made into a miniseries shown on Masterpiece Theater
Karen T. (knut) reviewed The Flame Trees of Thika : Memories of an African Childhood on + 59 more book reviews
What a treat to have this story in written form with the rich descriptions of the country and people of 1913 Kenya. This was made into a series starring Hayley Mills andthose videos are a favorites of mine. I can stil hear the theme music!Reading of the false hopes encouraged and mistakes made by this family, the conclusion is quite understandable. However the relationships and experience were so totally unique to this young girl.
Fara L. (farazon) -
I loved this book. In the realm of other girl/ childhood memory books this book is a classic. I enjoyed the trip into Africa and going on the journey with Elspeth and her family . In their own way they were pioneering settlers; beginning a new life from scratch.
This had been made into a series that I loved and as always, the book fills in gaps left by TV or movies.
This had been made into a series that I loved and as always, the book fills in gaps left by TV or movies.
