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2nd out of 46 books
—
5 voters
The Africa House: The True Story of an English Gentleman and His African Dream
In the declining years of the British Empire, in Northern Rhodesia, Stewart Gore-Browne was a proper English gentleman who built himself a sprawling country estate, complete with liveried servants, rose gardens, and lavish dinners finished off with vintage port in the library. All that was missing was a woman to share it with. He adored the beautiful aviatrix Ethel Locke K...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
November 29th 2005
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1000)
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Nov 22, 2007
Jill
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Voyeurs, correspondents, imperialists, anti-imperialists, Africa lovers
Shelves:
2007reads,
books-i-own
Four stars for story. British officer cum Rhodesian settler builds massive estate in the middle of nowhere, his trials/tribulations, and the family legacy. It's like Jane Austen meets Out of Africa sort of -- completely nuts, and completely amazing. Not to mention that it's a true story pieced together from his letters and journals. Also, interesting to peek in on the Zambian independence movement. For those who absolutely cannot tolerate the concept of pompous imperialists, best to skip this on...more
I tracked this book down after seeing a picture of Shiwa House, an abandoned English country estate in the heart of Northern Africa on some website. It turns out that it was built between the two world wars by Sir Gordon Stewart Brown on a declining inheritance that went unusually far in the wreckage of British imperialism. This twenty-room mansion stood self-sufficient with modern amenities and its owner spent his days hunting rhinoceros and reading the classics in Latin from a fully stocked li...more
Jan 10, 2009
Mary
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those interested in British presence in Africa
What I learned from this book is that I can persevere to the end! It is probably just me, but I found it a real challenge. I like a straight forward story, and Lamb's constant going back and forth in time and place fractured the continuity I was wanting. I know I should probably be less time-space oriented!
After wading through it, which I did so slowly as to lose a lot that a quick reading would have provided, I re-read the first part again, and thought "Oh, now if I read the whole book again I...more
After wading through it, which I did so slowly as to lose a lot that a quick reading would have provided, I re-read the first part again, and thought "Oh, now if I read the whole book again I...more
A friend sent me this book for the simple reason that the house where I live in France is called Maison Africa.
When I saw the cover that stated "The True Story of an English Gentleman and His African Dream", I wondered if the book would come up to my expectations. Well it did indeed.
When Stewart Gore-Browne reached Lake Shiwa Ngandu (known locally by the Bemba people as the Lake of the Royal Crocodiles) in Northern Rhodesia in 1914, he thought he was in heaven. He had finally found the area whe...more
When I saw the cover that stated "The True Story of an English Gentleman and His African Dream", I wondered if the book would come up to my expectations. Well it did indeed.
When Stewart Gore-Browne reached Lake Shiwa Ngandu (known locally by the Bemba people as the Lake of the Royal Crocodiles) in Northern Rhodesia in 1914, he thought he was in heaven. He had finally found the area whe...more
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I was hoping to learn more details of the actual building of this magnificent white elephant. It was an interesting insight into the British colonial attitude, not too unlike the attitudes of southern plantation owners toward their slaves. Gore-Browne was a sad, lonely man, showing that one can surround oneself with the material trappings of how they want to be seen, but cannot totally succeed without anyone to see.
At first I didn't like this book, but I got into it when I realized what an amazing life Stewart Gore-Browne lived. If only we could all have been born rich enough to build a giant house in the jungle of central Africa, win the respect and friendship of the indigenous people and never return to hellish, monochronic, "civilised" places. (Surely no one has ever gotten rich, or even managed a decent living, in similar projects?)
I kept expecting this biography to end horribly like that of Karen Dien...more
I kept expecting this biography to end horribly like that of Karen Dien...more
Jul 30, 2011
Banu Altunbas
added it
I liked it and not only it is a truely interesting story of an Englishman in Zambia, but also the story of the colonial and post-colonial history of Zambia from a different angle.
Great book about an excentric English gentleman in the middle of Africa! Determined to 'keep up appearances'
Just could not keep slogging through this. I was expecting a book about building a house in Northern Rhodesia, and all that entailed, and instead I got a biography of a colonialist prig. I found the writing uninspired, and the subject matter, as seen through Lamb's lens, uncaptivating. I think there might actually be a good story here, but it needs to be told by someone else.
Anyone who likes true stories about amazing people and the lives that they led will love this story. I like the narrative style of the author and found that the story remained interesting all the way until the end. A great addition to any library!
Great story about eccentric dude and his African dream
Affected me more than I thought it would...the author meticulously researched and wove journal entries and letters into the story telling, which made the players come to life in a way that narrative usually cannot. Moving, multi faceted character and now I want to visit Shiwa Ngandu!
about the Rhodesian British gentleman who built fabulous house in the middle of nowhere. Delightful in the portrayal of history of that time. Quite a megalomaniac gentleman very unprepared for reality;i have felt terribly sorry for his spouse. Actually when you see the pictures of the house itself it is not as gargantuesque a house as i had imagined.
Interesting oddball labours for years to build huge oddball house in the middle of nowhere in Zambia. Bizarre and kinda sad, but I really quite enjoyed it. It's a great testament to the notion that to want to build anything of permanent in Africa is folly. Although I suppose there are the pyramids, granted.
I loved Christina Lamb's Sewing Circles of Herat. This book The Africa House seems very well researched. Though I found it to be quite tedious, I admired the attention to detail in this careful biography.
Lamb paints pictures of the Africa House and its occupants--she's very, very good.
I ordered this when looking for her "The Sewing Circles of Herrat," recommended by Jill. Wish I'd also found her book, something "Allah."
I ordered this when looking for her "The Sewing Circles of Herrat," recommended by Jill. Wish I'd also found her book, something "Allah."
Aristocratic Englishman builds a lavish and totally unproductive grand estate in Northern Rhodesia in the 1920s. Yeah, you know this is going to end well.
Not really sure why I picked this up...somewhat interesting read about a true colonist and his African estate...don't think I'd really recommend it though.
Christina Lamb paints a fascinating picture of the subject of her biography, Stewart Gore-Browne and his dream to settle in Northern Rhodesia.
May 11, 2013
Samantha
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Frattoneyes
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May 03, 2013
Amy Olson
marked it as to-read
May 01, 2013
Terriemitchell
added it
Apr 24, 2013
Mariagrazia Nadalet
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2013
Melissa
marked it as to-read
Apr 21, 2013
Mary Jackson
added it
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Sep 28, 2012 08:42am