Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
172nd out of 336 books
—
203 voters
Looking for Lovedu: A Woman's Journey Through Africa
by
Ann Jones (Goodreads Author)
The adventure began when a young British photographer, Kevin Muggleton, suggested driving from one end of Africa to the other–“You know, the old ‘Cape to Cairo’ sort of thing.” For the renowned feminist writer Ann Jones, it soon became an expedition with a mission: to find the legendary Lovedu, a tribe ruled by a great rainmaking queen and dedicated to the “feminine” ideal...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
July 9th 2002
by Vintage
(first published January 23rd 2001)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
259)
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
The idea of finding the Rain Queen started off on a canoe on the Zambezi….. In 1995 Ann Jones a travel writer and Kevin Muggleton, a photographer, and traveling partner, set off on an expedition through the African continent. They drove from Tangier to Cape Town. They used the search of the mystical Rain Queen Modjadji of Lovedu, a matriarchal tribe in southern Africa as the reason, but eventually it became Ann’s passion to find her. Ann is also is equally interested in whether the Lovedu tribe...more
Ann Jones sets off across Africa in search of Lovedu.
And what is this Lovedu that so intrigues this seasoned journalist?
Lovedu is an old African civilization in which the chief is a woman. Unlike most of Africa. Unlike most of the rest of the world.
So Ann Jones sets out in search of this mythic place, traveling across Africa with a reckless and impulsive young male driver to accompany her and complement her more sedate, less knowledgeable-about-Africa older self. Along the way, they bog down in...more
And what is this Lovedu that so intrigues this seasoned journalist?
Lovedu is an old African civilization in which the chief is a woman. Unlike most of Africa. Unlike most of the rest of the world.
So Ann Jones sets out in search of this mythic place, traveling across Africa with a reckless and impulsive young male driver to accompany her and complement her more sedate, less knowledgeable-about-Africa older self. Along the way, they bog down in...more
I am conflicted over rating this book....does it deserve 5 stars for honesty, great writing and beautiful imagery? Or does it deserve 2 stars for whining rants and feminism overboard? I'll go with the 5 because I'm an optimist and more often than not I felt so touched by the author's observances, and her desire to slow down and *see* what was around her...places, people, relationships, history, challenges, triumphs, depth. "There are those who are living, I thought, and those who are rushing on....more
I struggled whether to give this book three or four stars, and went with four stars mainly because what I loved in this book can be read in other books, and what I found only OK was the stuff unique to this book.
I always love reading about overland adventures through Africa - the adventure, the difficulty, the cast of characters met, the personal growth and insight. This book had all of those things, plus a lot of historical facts about most of the places they visited, which I loved. Especially...more
I always love reading about overland adventures through Africa - the adventure, the difficulty, the cast of characters met, the personal growth and insight. This book had all of those things, plus a lot of historical facts about most of the places they visited, which I loved. Especially...more
This was an interesting visit to Africa, and I enjoyed most of the adventure. The author didn't seem to have a clear reason for being there and hadn't done a great job of choosing her traveling companions along the way, which added to the conflicts along the way.
The strongest theme I took away from this story was the plight of women in African countries and the difficulties they face surviving life in a male-centered culture. By the time the author reached her objective of visiting the queen of...more
The strongest theme I took away from this story was the plight of women in African countries and the difficulties they face surviving life in a male-centered culture. By the time the author reached her objective of visiting the queen of...more
3.5 stars...
I read the first chapter of this book several times before finally committing to finish it. There's something slightly prickly about Anne Jones, and you can sense it right from the start of the novel. It's a bit off-putting, but the story, the excellent writing, and the message make it worthwhile (and reveal in many instances why the author is prickled). Once I really began, I read it in just a few days.
This book holds all the adventure and frustration you'd expect someone would find...more
I read the first chapter of this book several times before finally committing to finish it. There's something slightly prickly about Anne Jones, and you can sense it right from the start of the novel. It's a bit off-putting, but the story, the excellent writing, and the message make it worthwhile (and reveal in many instances why the author is prickled). Once I really began, I read it in just a few days.
This book holds all the adventure and frustration you'd expect someone would find...more
A really good book, easy read. Jones' flow of the story is easy to follow. She certainly was on an adventure! The only reason for three and not four stars is I felt that by the time she reached Nairobi she was somehow no longer dedicated to telling the story or that her energy had slowed (as it would I suspect) for the actual trip she was on.
Read this on the encouragement from my mom even though not something I might normally pick up. Now one of my favorite travel books ever. Really quite extraordinary!
i love books that teach you history and context, and you can hardly feel it. africa is daunting subject matter, but jones couches it in a personable travelogue.
Incredibly boring...an entire book of her complaining about men, followed by a severely anticlimactic ending.
What could be better?
The story of a modern day female explorer going through AFRICA to discover the Queen of a matriarchal tribe and discussing history and adventure along the way?
I swear! If I have to read about one more VISA palaver I will swear off travel forever!
The story of a modern day female explorer going through AFRICA to discover the Queen of a matriarchal tribe and discussing history and adventure along the way?
I swear! If I have to read about one more VISA palaver I will swear off travel forever!
I heard her read this on NPR. I was interested and I enjoyed reading this, but it was long ago.
Read Nov. 2008. Very good. Driving Morocco to So. Africa -- Very good
An entertaining but unfortunatey not very informative, book about the current state of Africa, written by a lady as she travels through the numerous African countries. If James Michener defines a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale for informational detail, this book is a minus one. That said, it does give a view, albeit shallow, of the unfortunate states of these countries and helps one to again recall how fortunate we are to live in the U.S.
took awhile to get through but powerful, educational and easy to read
Really interesting travel story of the author driving overload through Africa.
Jan 06, 2010
Marilyn Matheny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
i-own-this,
african-exploration
I liked this book, a lot. The conflicts between the author and her traveling companion are gripping, the struggles to keep their old, beater Land Rover repaired and running were thoroughly documented. It should be required reading for anyone interested in a cross country trek through Africa.
May 17, 2008
Janet
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Annie
Recommended to Janet by:
found in my used book store!
This book made me examine my feminist leanings - something I haven't given serious thought to since my college days! I also came away with more knowledge of the individual African countries that Jones traveled through, and as a good read always does, it made me want to find out more.
This was a book that I had to read before my trip to Kenya with TFC. That said, it was an interesting subject: the search for a matriarcal tribe in Kenya and all the mishaps along the way. Its been a while since I've read it and my memory is full of other better things.
Fun narrative about a woman journalist traveling by land rover through West Africa with a "Mr. Boyscout" from Britian - a man remarkably like my husband.... causing me to laugh uproariously and want to punch him at regular intervals. Fun chronicle.
I picked up this booking thinking I would love it, but truth be told it took some effort to get through. I loved the history and detail on the African nations, but didn't love the writing style and story telling... I just kept wanting more...
2008- I enjoyed the portions of this book that dealt with Jones and Muggleton. Towards the end I felt she tried to rush and finish up the story. Still an interesting account of a trip from the top to the tip of Africa.
She felt a little whiny, but she's self away about it. I thought it was an interesting travel story with lots of history and politics tucked into the chapters.
one of the best travelogues ever, plus great doses of african history that might help you read the world news section of the paper with better understanding.
What an amazing adventure! An easy quick read about a real-life adventure in Africa...by a woman!
Of course, a book on my shelf about a woman traveling in Africa - quite enjoyable
Entertaining travelogue about trip N to S through Africa.
About a whiny woman's travels through Africa.
Great adventure taking the "roads" through Africa.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Author of Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan, Ann Jones is a journalist and activist for womens rights around the globe. She is currently working on a book about women, war, and photography.
More about Ann Jones...
"
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
