Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda

by Rosamond Halsey Carr, Ann Howard Halsey

In 1949, Rosamond Halsey Carr, a young fashion illustrator living in New York City, accompanied her dashing hunter-explorer husband to what was then the Belgian Congo. When the marriage fell apart, she decided to stay on in neighboring Rwanda, as the manager of a flower plantation. Land of a Thousand Hills is Carr's thrilling memoir of her life in Rwanda--a love affair with a country and a people that has spanned half a century. During those years, she has experienced everything from stalking leopards to rampaging elephants, drought, the mysterious murder of her friend Dian Fossey, and near-bankruptcy. She has chugged up the Congo River on a paddle-wheel steamboat, been serenaded by pygmies, and witnessed firsthand the collapse of colonialism. Following 1994's Hutu-Tutsi genocide, Carr turned her plantation into a shelter for the lost and orphaned children-work she continues to this day, at the age of eighty-seven.

Genres: Africa, Nonfiction, Rwanda, Memoir, History, Biography, Biography Memoir

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Free for Audible Plus members in both the US and the UK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grab it and listen to it immediately. This is a winner. Don’t let it pass you by.

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Please start by reading the GR book description. It follows here:

“In 1949, Rosamond Halsey Carr, a young fashion illustrator living in New York City, accompanied her dashing hunter-explorer husband to what was then the Belgian Congo. When the marriage fell apart, she decided to stay on in neighboring Rwanda, as the manager of a flower plantation. Land of a Thousand Hills is Carr's thrilling memoir of her life in Rwanda--a love affair with a country and a people that has spanned half a century. During those years, she has experienced everything from stalking leopards to rampaging elephants, drought, the mysterious murder of her friend Diane Fossey, and near-bankruptcy. She has chugged up the Congo River on a paddle-wheel steamboat, been serenaded by pygmies, and witnessed firsthand the collapse of colonialism. Following 1994's Hutu-Tutsi genocide, Carr turned her plantation into a shelter for the lost and orphaned children-work she continues to this day, at the age of eighty-seven.”

The author’s fifty years first in the Belgian Congo (Zaire) and then in Rwanda allow her to recount historical events with a persona touch. Witnessing these events firsthand, what she tells us rings true. Her personal insights make the telling captivating.

I lived in Belgium for fifteen years. For this reason, the events unrolling in Rwanda led me to read much about the Hutu and Tutsi confrontations, the genocide, civil wars and the country’s tumultuous path to independence. Of all the books read, this is the best. No other has given me the full picture or been as clear. The book is worth five stars for this reason alone.

Through Rosamond’s words we discover the beauty of the land. This balances against the horrific. The fascinating traditions of the Rwandan people are illuminatingly described. Stories about native animals and household pets make you smile. Rosamond wanted children, but the circumstances of her life prevented this. Instead, pets and the children of the orphanage she established, are what she lavished her love upon.

Diane Fossey, famed for her work with gorillas, became a close friend. Their friendship took time to grow. At the start skepticism and antagonism characterized their relationship. When reading a book about Fossey, one tends to get only glowing words of praise. In this book, we get the bare truth of how exasperating and difficult Fossey could be! I like this. Again, it’s the author’s firsthand knowledge that make the information provided more interesting, more reliable, more captivating than that in other books.

The right amount of background information is provided. The topics covered are relevant and to the point. Nothing should be removed.

The author, Rosamond Halsey Carr (1912-2006), was an elderly woman when this book was written. To achieve a book of the highest quality, she wrote it with her niece, Ann Howard Halsey. It was a joint venture; the manuscript passed back and forth between the two, each looking for possible improvements. Together they have succeeded marvelously.

C.M. Hébert narrates the audiobook. Her narration fits me to a T. Her voice is clear and easy to follow. She does not overdramatize. The words speak for themselves. Her French pronunciation is good. The narration is worth at least four stars.

I am grateful to my GR friend Eileen for telling me of this book. ((((Eileen)))) We both agree it’s better than Karen Blixen’s Out of Africa!

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this 20 years ago and it had a huge impact on me. The story was well written and quite uplifting even though there were great horrors that occurred. I greatly admire Mrs. Carr and in my mind she is a hero, though few know her name in the West.
This story is one instance in the midst of horror and despair, this woman had courage, compassion and purpose to make the best out of a situation of devastation.
Talk about life giving you lemons and making lemonade out it!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read many books about Rwanda, but this one, it’s special. I have a new hero in my heart, and that is Rosamond Carr. Her strength, her compassion, her understanding and love for this country and its people are embedded in every word of her beautifully told story. Her personal narrative is a wonderful lens through which to discover (and better understand) the history of this country, but it is also proof that our own individual lives impact countless others. I now count myself as among the many who have been touched by hers. I can’t wait to return to Rwanda to feel her presence in her beloved erstwhile home.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosamond Halsey Carr's life in Rwanda, spanning approximately 50 years in the country, was memorable and inspiring. Her memoir is beautifully written, full of details that are earthy and human but also elegant and, at times, tragic. She never wallows in self-pity, even when she is rebuilding her home at age 82. Perhaps a whole book could be written about her friendship with Dian Fossey or her experience during the 1990s war and genocide, but those are just a few chapters in this fascinating memoir.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

Amazing reminder of how beautifully a life will bloom when we don't close up just because we step into thorns along the way. Thank you, Roz, for showing us hOw to bloom even in our own thorn bushes.

[Lit Bug (Foram) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thought-provoking memoir of the author's life in Rwanda, leaving behind her prosperous and promising life in the First world. Married to a renowned hunter Kenneth, she followed him to Belgium-ruled Africa where their marriage disintegrated and resulted in divorce, but her affectionate relationship with him remained stable till his death nevertheless. Her separation from him, however, granted her a new life - an adventurous life as a plantation manager-turned owner, her remarkable friendship with a renowned gorilla activist Dian Fossey who was later murdered, her dutiful house-keeper Sembarago, the Rwandan genocide of 1994 between the Hutus and the Tutsi minority who had oppressed the Hutus for long, her unwilling but necessary relocation to her home on account of the escalating violence to her eventual return to her homeland Rwanda in the midst of the ongoing genocide in order to set up an orphanage for the child-survivors at the age of 81. She died in 2006 at age 94, but her orphanage lives on.

Her story is one of guts, determination and a passionate love for her new home, told with warmth and a charming, matter-of-fact tone. It is the story of a woman who followed her heart instead of falling for the drab routine that has held most of us captive. A reminder that our life is what we choose to do with it. A wonderful memoir.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've seen Gorillas in the Mist or read Dian Fossy's book by the same name you will recognize Rosamond Carr as the caring woman who befriended Dian when others would only criticize. Rosamond Carr's story of the four decades spent in Rwanda is captivating, frightening, beautiful, and thoroughly amazing. She went to Africa with her much older husband in 1949 and fell in love with the beauty and people of Rwanda. After their divorce, she could not tear herself away from the country and remained to farm, oversee a restaurant, harvest pyrethrum, a chrysanthemum which acts as a natural insecticide, and finally open an orphanage. She saw the end of colonialism, the wars for independence and the clashes between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes. I can't imagine how she had the courage to do what she did.

After finally being forced out of the country during the 1994 genocide, she spent only 4 months in the US before returning at age 81 to organize and build the orphanage. She died at age 94 in 2006 but the orphanage continues today. A tremendous read!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through this well written memoir you get to learn a lot about Africa, specially about Rwandas history. Rosamund's life story is very interesting, the choices she made, the oportunities life offered to her and that she took. It's great to see all the good deeds she made and the things she achieved inspite of all the caos Rwanda has gone through in the last decades. She takes care of lots of orphan kids and shelters them at her property. She does her best to help these kids become the best they can be even they live surrounded by danger. I enjoyed the book very much and learned more about Africa and about humanity as well.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my top ten favorite books and of course it's a memoir. I would love to see it made into a movie. The author is portrayed by an actress in Gorillas in the Mist already though as she was a friend of Dian Fossey. Now I have to go find Gorillas in the Mist. I don't think I've ever seen it since it came out in the 80's when I was just a kid.

[Wendy Unsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was keen to read this book, gifted to me by a friend from my own, old ‘Africa’ days. Modern travel can be, I believe, exciting and fulfilling and adventurous and certainly much easier and quicker than of old, but I do love to read accounts of those who ‘went before’.

Rosamund Halsey-Carr was a young woman, living in New York, who, in 1949, fell in love with and married big-game hunter Kenneth Carr and subsequently moved with him to, what was then, the Belgian Congo. The marriage didn’t last but Rosamund’s love of Africa was already firmly rooted and she decided to stay on. She moved to close-by Rwanda.

Having spent a good number of years in Central Africa during the 1980’s and 90’s ( Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya but not Rwanda ), I am in awe of a lone woman (or man) who would have the guts and determination to build a life alone in such a country before the advent of home computers, the internet, mobile phones etc. There was and is a lot to love about the region but, having experienced an attempted coup first hand, I know how scary that can be, especially without communication with the outside world.

And yet this woman took on the role of plantation manager and eventual owner. She showed courage and compassion time and again. With the help of her trusted workers she learned the ropes and staved off bankruptcy.

Alongside the story of her work in Rwanda runs the record of her personal relationships, her continuing friendship with her ex husband, the flamboyant and fun lifestyle of some of the rich colonials and, in some cases, their subsequent tragedies. She knew Dian Fossey and relates the ups and downs of her life in Rwanda and the mystery of her death.

There were plentiful adventures and even the sad times are related in an upbeat manner.

When the genocide came in 1994 Rosamund was finally persuaded to leave the country for her own safety. That wasn’t the end of her African adventure, though. This determined woman (in her eighties) went back a few months later to the place she loved to run an orphanage.

It’s an inspiring story of a woman who lived her life the way she wanted it to be, and did a lot of good along the way.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. If I could summarize this memoir with one word, it would be Endearing. Full of warm joy and cold tragedy in equal measure, this book is ultimately the real life story of a woman's endearing love for a colorful country and it's beautiful people who become her family.

[Grizabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and a page turner for sure. Makes me want to read "Gorillas in the Mist" and other books to learn more about Rwanda. Highly recommended!

[Sarah Merchant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be a little bias as this story takes place in Rwanda but reading about Carr’s experience living out the greater part of her life in Rwanda was inspiring. Carr does a great job of introducing the reader to many aspects of Rwandan culture, history and politics while also taking you along on her own personal relationship with Rwanda. One of my favorite quotes from Carr when referencing the friends she had known in Africa “it is predominantly the women who stand out in my mind as having had exceptional courage and fortitude necessary to survive in this sometimes harsh and intractable land…it is the women who are the backbone of the family culture and rural agrarian economy.”

[Paul Mayer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I flew into Goma night time in July 1994. I was escaping central Africa (Kisangani) - changing planes for Nairobi.
I remember the airport lit up by small bonfires from refugees camped everywhere.. People reluctantantly left the runway as our small plane landed.
The night sky was dominated by the too close red rim and smoke from the active volcano.
I remember being offered green plastic Red Cross cases packed with basic medical equipment, chocolate and biscuits. The initial asking price was five US dollars.
It was all so surreal.

I went back to western Uganda later in 1994 visiting the Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Ruwenzoris, Lake Victoria; and trekking to see Mountain Gorillas. I remember the clamor of activity in Kampala and Entebbe and the huge relief effort coordinated there to help out with the crisis in Rwanda.
Travellers were being actively engaged through Entebbe Backpackers and there was talk of hitch hiking on the transport planes between Nairobi and Entebbe.

Of course this biography brought back so many of my personal memories. Had I known of this lady I would have loved to have visited her orphanage.

I recollect staying at a beautiful guest house in Eldoret managed by an English lady and also remember when travelling in an overland truck a Belgium lady in the Central African Republic who possessed a TV - an incredible luxury then. She accepted a request for me and a few other travellers to watch Germany lose to Bulgaria in the 1994 World Cup in an ornately furnished sitting room - as reward for getting her computer working.

I visited Joy Adamson's picturesque home maintained as visitor center and memorial on Lake Naivasha, and read later with horror the story of the murder of her conservationist husband George near the Somali border. I experienced the dangers and uncertainties personally when travelling to Lamu Island and in being sent down at gunpoint approaching the Mt Elgol massif.

Roz Halsey Carr's story is engaging and interesting being full of anecdotes from her life, but is not the easiest of reads - for this very reason.
It is disjointed and somewhat incoherent split into 5 parts with chapters themselves broken up with empty lines separating each anecdote.
There is a prevailing sense of aloofness or reserve padded with helpful context (particularly relating to the appalling events from 1994); which ultimately adds to this sense of distance.

Her relationships with husband Kenneth, Cecil Bellwood, Per Moller even Dian Fossey, and finally her steadfast eventual business partner Sembagare are presented like much of the narrative through anecdotal soundbites.
It seems that she was almost in denial of the fact that husband Ken, perhaps a surrogate father, was some 23 years her senior - and more than 60 years old when they sought out a future in Belgian Africa in 1949.
She was 37 and had already lived a substantial part of her life. My sense was that both had reason for leaving their 'civilized' existences - more than the need to rekindle a flagging relationship by returning to the privileged safari stomping grounds of her colonial adventurer husband.

There is also a formality in the writing; a frequent turn of phrase that makes this privileged US citizen read almost as colonial English. Maybe this was learnt through her husband and later partner Cecil and the diplomatic circles with which she frequently socialized. It seems that niece Ann preserved this in piecing together these anecdotes.

I am a little conflicted between viewing Roz's story with awe at her stoic stubborn bravery in persisting with her life in this Switzerland of Africa; and criticism of her privilege and almost elitist way of communicating - evident in the language and tone of her story, and (for the most part) astonishing good fortune. There is no doubt that she was courageous, and also immensely sympathetic, and helpful to those that came into her orbit. Dian Fossey who was difficult, temperamental, quarrelsome in the accounts of many who knew her - never broke off her friendship with Roz and wrote fondly of her in Gorillas in the Mist.

Overall there are many many interesting stories in this that could have been built into a more coherent and compelling narrative IF told by a better writer.

[Marissa Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 5 bc I adored reading this while in Rwanda. This country went through so much in 100 years & it was interesting to see the slightly different tellings of history, this one through Roz Carr, one of the only Americans that stayed through the conflicts and genocide. She fell in love with the country and couldn’t leave.

[Heidi Herriott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Learned so much about the history of the region. Made me question why I waited so long to move my life to Africa.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spellbinding narrative of life in Rwanda pre and post genocide. This is the second book that I have read on the Rwanda genocide (and will not be the last) but unlike the first this provided a glimpse of what life was like before the genocide, where the seeds of strife began and the tipping point. The story of Rwanda is woven into the story of Rosamund’s marriage and adult life in Rwanda and it is fun to hear about the anecdotes of her life. I know a book has been good when I cannot put it down. I listened to this on Audible and finished in 2 days - listening whenever I could.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow... this is the epitome of cluelessness. Never have I read an account of Rwanda and the genocide calling the Tutsi retaliations for the genocide terrorists while glazing over the genocide as a regrettable affair.

The author did a great many interesting and exciting things in her life, but she is whoafully out of touch with reality. She fancies herself poor while describing her nights of at lavish dinner parties and parties with foreign dignitaries. She fancies herself open minded, but speaks condescendingly of the African workers on her plantations. She acts as though her hard work built the plantation and mentions the labors of the African workers as a side note.

There is certainly interesting information in the book, but this was tough to get through due to the arrogance and audacity of the author.

From a historical standpoint, this is likely an important period piece about European and US attitudes toward the African people in the 30s to 90s. I did learn about some of the Congolese retaliation attacks on Belgians and Europeans that I had previously been unaware of, but generally would not recommend unless you want a wealthy American and plantation manager's take of Rwanda and its people.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook. Fascinating story about a strong woman's life in Rwanda, running a flowing farm. The majority of the book dealt with her life in the 1950s to 1980s, and sometimes it seemed like a rewrite of "Out of Africa", and there I felt like there were hints of colonialist attitudes. That all changed with the genocide, which wasnt until the last portion of the book when she talked about the genocide and her return to Rwanda after being forced to leave. That part is fascinating and makes the entire book worth the read, (or listen).

[Margarita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with much of this read because I often found Carr to be out-of-touch. She’s blinded to her white privilege, and her tone and perspectives can come across as infantilizing at times. Despite these….let’s call them ‘narrative limitations’, Carr’s love of Rwanda comes through and it’s clear that she sought to give back in ways she could. The strongest aspect of this memoir is in her reporting on the escalation of the tense (and violent) social/political situation; timeline covered is from the late 1950s through to the 1994 genocide.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing woman. This was the first exposure I had to what a great place (by African standards) Rwanda was before the genocide in the 1990's. It really brought home how tragic those events were. But, the book wasn't all about that - it was really just a story of an extraordinary and fascinating life.

[Joy D]

Chrissie recommended

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book as I prepared to leave on a trip to Rwanda, but it was due back to the library before my return, so I ordered my own copy, hoping to take it with me, but it did not arrive before I departed. Fortunately, one of my fellow travelers completed reading her copy during the trip, so I was able to continue reading while I was in Rwanda, although we were so busy during the day, I wasn't able to get much reading in before falling into a heavy sleep each night. Now, two weeks after returning, I finally completed this book!
I'm actually rather glad that I read it as I did. The early part of the book focuses on the early part of Rosamond Halsey Carr's life, telling how a well-connected middle class girl came to live in Rwanda shortly after the end of WWII. She writes of planting pyrethrum and running a plantation in the volcanic region in northwestern Rwanda, and when we saw the fields of white, daisy-like flowers as we drove the area, I was able to immediately identify them.
I read about her meeting and befriending Dian Fossey shortly after I'd climbed to see the Mountain Gorillas myself, and was able to appreciate the awe she'd felt when she'd gone to see them with Dian on one occasion. By the time I got to the horror of the genocide as Carr experienced it, I was home, having already learned about and seen the miracle of the country's recovery from this darkest period of their history.
There were parts of the book that seemed particularly "white" in her point of view. This is probably at least partly due to the time frame of Carr's experience. When she first moved to Rwanda, it was a country colonized and run by the Belgium government. When the country became independent in 1959, they'd been through decades of white rule in which the Belgians developed a method of divide and conquer to keep the peace. Tutsi and Hutu are not historically ethnically different people. They share a culture and a language. "Tutsi" meant "herder" and "Hutu" meant "farmer." It was the Belgians who chose to treat these occupations differently, and show favoritism to the minority Tutsi's. They were given most of the government jobs and power. Eventually, resentment grew among the Hutu farmers who were left out of the decision making. Identification cards were printed with the ethnic names. These were determined by numbers, not families. If you owned 10 or more cows, you and your family were Tutsi. If you owned nine or fewer cows, you were Hutu, forever. When this occurred, one brother might be labeled Tutsi, and the other, Hutu. A father might be Tutsi, and his adult sons all Hutu. This situation had already existed by the time Carr arrived in Rwanda, and in her book, she never questions how this came about. But she was a privileged white woman who just accepted what she was told. That said, it was apparent that she loved the people of the country.
This was a good introduction to Rwanda and its people, but I have to say, meeting some of the people in person was even better.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true account is so adventurous as to be almost unbelievable. It's stunning on many levels. in 1949, a young fashion artist in New York marries an accomplished explorer husband and they move to the Belgian Congo in Africa. Territories there have changed names over the years. This is the story of Rosamond Halsey Carr's life in Africa for over 50 years, where she fell in love with the beauty of the country and the people. That she was even alive after all that time and the wars and genocides toward the end is astonishing. But she lived there at a time that isn't the same anymore and never will be.

She found it idyllic; I'm pretty sure most of us would not have under the best circumstances, so her perspective on the people and her life and everything else is educational in every way. She had adventures we might not even think of and she was a friend of Dian Fossey's. Readers will learn things about Dian that they may not read anywhere else. The honest unburnished accountings in the book are unforgetable.

Readers are treated to people that Rosamond loved, cared for, and the difficulties of life there, told in charming writings as if it was as normal as rain. And it was, to the residents. It was also a time of European landowners in Rwanda and other African states, of active volcanoes, marauding elephants, and other dangerous animals. It was a time of taking care of orphan, both children and animals. And a time of the wealthy inviting Rosamond and others to lavish parties, some hours away.

The plantations grew huge crops for sale and eventually, Rosamond's plantation became a flower farm. After her marriage dissolved, she made lifelong friends, had at least one beau, and lived alone with staff during unimaginable times and savage war and genocide. The story is extraordinary.

My paperback copy has two sets of photos of many of the people, animals, and more. If we taught history this way in schools, everyone would love it. This is a history most of us probably don't know and it's riveting.

[Marianne Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing story about a woman who moves to Africa with her husband, at first thinking she may have made a mistake, but then realizes it’s where she’s meant to be. Though she and her husband divorce, they remained friends. She tells of the ups and downs of living and managing a plantation and other businesses in Africa, the amazing people she meets, employs and also befriends, one of which is Dian Fossey (though they were dear friends, she spoke very frankly of Dian’s personality and reputation, which often wasn’t favorable). Much of her story tells of the struggles, fears and heartaches of living in a country of poverty, hunger, plagues, wars, genocide and massacres. She does delve on the wildlife around where she lived which included panthers and elephants. There’s not much about the gorillas as they were not on the side of the mountain where she lived, however, she did see them when visiting with Dian Fossey.

Reading her account, I would say she was a pretty amazing woman that persevered against all odds. She did some wonderful things for the people of Africa, especially for the children in the end.

[Ema · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Mia Africa di una grande donna nordamericana che, a differenza dell'europea Blixen, era tante cose ma non un'artista. Lo stesso amore sfrenato e cocciuto per un paese bellissimo (il Rwanda), una vita anche più avventurosa in una società che nel corso dei tanti anni della sua permanenza cambia violentemente e irrimediabilmente.
Grazie alla nipote che ha aiutato Rosemond a raccontare questa vita! L'incontro con Dian Fossey è solo uno dei tanti che mitigano la solitudine della Carr e intrigano il lettore di oggi ma gli antichi usi dei regali tutsi e la selvaggia bellezza di quella terra e degli animali che la popolano sono altre scoperte affascinanti. Poi c'è la violenza naturalmente, l'insensata e bestiale violenza degli uomini che si abbatte prima suoi paesi vicini e poi dilaga anche a casa di Rosemond. Tutto molto coinvolgente, tutto descritto con pacata indignazione, tutto molto vero.

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best memoirs I've read in a long time. A life of a hero who loved a country and its people as her own. In fact, she became part of the Rwanda culture and life. She felt like a visitor back in the USA. She lived through the horrors of the genocide and came back to offer hope and love to the hundreds of orphaned children left behind. I listened to the book so I had to do a research of the different towns mentioned to understand the location as I was not that familiar with that part of Africa. Beyond interesting, inspirational, endearing. Just an overall great story of a life well lived.

[Julian Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb.

What starts out as an interesting and immediately engaging biography, turns into an acutely personal observation of nature at its best, and mankind at its worst.

And from out of the depths of despair, a determined spark which breathes life and hope into a new generation. A heroine for anyone to look up to.

A quite extraordinary tale about a remarkable woman, whose down to earth nature makes her even more of an icon.

Beautifully written and highly emotive. A book for everyone's library shelves (or in my case, Kindle).

[Corgi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda by Rosamond Halsey Carr with Ann Howard Halsey.

This is a memoir about Rosamond Carr's life in Rwanda. She moved to Rwanda in the mid 1950's and lived there until the 2000's. The writing is excellent and the story telling is moving. I feel like I could have been friends with the characters in the book.

I would highly recommend Land of a Thousand Hills by R H Carr to readers who like: memoirs, stories about Africa, especially Rwanda and the Congo and well written books.

[Liliana Bachelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. Mrs. Carr came to Rwanda with no expectation of living her life there but she did. She truly adored Rwanda and its people, and does not narrate as an outsider but as someone who was vested in the country. I thought I understood the genocide well but I learned additional facts from this book, and learned more of this country's history. Instead of leaving Rwanda for good, she returned as soon as it was safe and rebuilt from almost nothing in her 80s as a single aged woman. So inspiring!