Moon Over Africa

by Pamela Kent (Pseudonym), Ida Pollock

Elizabeth's journey to Cape Town included the very reverse of a shipboard romance, for a lively mutual dislike was established between her and a certain tall, dark passenger. So it was a shock to her to learn on landing that there was a very close connection between this man and the father she had come so many miles to see.

Genres: Love, Fiction, Harlequin Romance

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

One of many pseudonyms used by Ida Julia Pollock, née Crowe.

Mrs. Pollack was a British writer of several short-stories and 125 romance novels that were published under her married name and under a number of different pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen; Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell. She has sold millions of copies over her 90-year career. She has been referred to as the "world's oldest novelist" who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death.

Ida and her husband, Lt Colonel Hugh Alexander Pollock, DSO (1888–1971), a veteran of war and Winston Churchill's collaborator and editor, had a daughter, Rosemary Pollock, who is also a romance writer.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first Harlequin romance, and it was pretty enjoyable. Of course it isn't great literature, or even good writing, but it's quite amusing as a study in a once-popular art form whose time has completely passed. The stereotypes and misogyny are so jarringly at odds with modern culture that I feel like you can't help but smile at it.

[More Books Than Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different and good. Author wrote under name of Susan Barrie also. Unlike most of the HR that flounder when OW spews poison, this h had some reason to believe her. And H didn’t dispute it when she asked him.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moon Over Africa by Pamela Kent is included on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read, in the Love Section

7 out of 10


Albeit it has attracted the attention of the man who compiled the list of 1,000 Novels we all need to read – allegedly, though if we take this book as a litmus test, we could wonder if the compilation is a joke – on Goodreads, this supposed smash hit was rated by 21 readers (22 with this one) and it has had…5 reviews…

Now 6, if we could call this a review, and it is not, let me warn you and include the spoiler alert, after declaring that this book has not overwhelmed (and so what) there will be few, if any arguments to sustain what is ultimately just the opinion, of an amateur…you should look for professional, critics, not hoi polloi…
Elizabeth Ransome is the heroine of this romance, and she sails to south Africa, the book in fact opens with her near a harbor, she will land in South Africa, where she will meet her father, or this is what she thinks, alas, another passenger, Nigel Van Kane, the other leading role in a possible film adaptation, gives her bad news

Doctor Ransome will not be there to welcome his daughter, and there is a telegram, and a message that Nigel Van Kane will be taking care of her, which is more than awkward, because there had been more than tension between the two, as they sailed for weeks (I just presume in fact, I do not know how long the journey took)
The man is handsome, rich and a coveted partner for dances, and much more, but he is hostile to the heroine, for instance, when they were dancing one night, he snubbed her, though she was alone, without a partner, the rich bachelor acted as if she was stigmatized somehow, and we would learn why, quite soon…

I have listened to the lectures of Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar https://realini.blogspot.com/2015/03/... and many tests are mentioned, one of which may explain some of what happens between the two main personages of this lame narrative…
Lame is harsh, and unjustified, more of a joke really, but rather silly or worse, given that I am laughing with myself, who the hell takes the time (or wastes it) to read this, and then I am using irony against myself because how could I say that, when I did not take the trouble to read with attention, once the interest was lost, good bye baby
In experiments, they have seen that relationships that start under some duress, but mixed with humor, take off, or just work better, I think the example given was at a party, say one guy spills some drink over you, and although that is not great, and mostly would cause an abrupt end to communication, in some cases it may work

Let me abandon that venue, for it would push me sideways, and then mention those stupid proverbs, such as ‘opposites attract’, or the French version ‘les extremes se touchent’, and they have been analyzed by our great sage, Constatin Noica, and he just destroyed them, for good reason, for they are awful…
This supposed fountain of wisdom, folklore and all that shit, is in fact containing so much stupid, even dangerous advice, let us think ‘all is fair in love and war’, how about that, a promotion for crimes against humanity, if all is fair, then the likes of Putin can do anything, but let us get back and say that proverbs must be avoided

Our luminary, Constantin Noica, explains it all https://realini.blogspot.com/2015/01/... and takes on even the you cannot have the cake and eat it, only in the story of Elizabeth and Nigel, they appear to almost hate, or if not despise each other, only to discover something else…
He is against her, because he is a great friend of her father, and is biased, the family has not shown interest in the parent, even when he fell ill – he is now very sick, he will die in fact, and I can say this here, nobody around, and I am covered by the spoiler alert – he had separated from the mother, and supported them financially

When she inherited two thousand pounds, maybe the equivalent of fifty thousand today, Elizabeth gave her mother two hundred, and to each of her two sisters one hundred, and used the rest to get a ticket on a ship sailing to South Africa and the necessary items for the journey that will take her to her father, who is so far
Doctor Ransome has caught a disease, he had been traveling around Africa, for as long as he was fit, but now he lives in the mansion of the rich Nigel Van Kane, and the tow have immense respect for each other, perhaps even feelings, such as a father and son would share…or else, maybe they were in transition…

I am just fooling around here, yet let us consider The Co-Winner of the 2019 Booker Prize https://realini.blogspot.com/2022/06/... Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, in which we learn about gender fluidity, two spirits, the idea that gender can change from one minute to another
Ergo, after they manifest this distaste for each other – she feels some of the time spent with this privileged fellow was nightmarish – he… asks her to marry him, she accepts – remember the spoiler alert – and then she runs away from him, and we find that in fact, they have loved each other from the very beginning, well, that is what I think I get from this, however, most likely I did not dig, and there is more to a book that I dismiss so lightly…

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”

[Last Chance Saloon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an odd story. At the beginning the hero and heroine have already met on a ship from England to South Africa and the hero glances with dislike at the heroine, so it feels like an opportunity missed. Her father, who the hero believes has been treated badly by the rest of his sponging family, is dying and living with the hero at his farm. The heroines dreams of getting to know her father now she is 22 are blighted when he dies shortly after she arrives. She goes to stay with the OW, who is nice on the surface. A Christmas proposal from the hero comes out of the blue - supposedly a convenient arrangement for both. The wedding day is ruined by the OW who tells her the hero is madly in love with her, but is getting his own back as the OW married someone else 5 years ago. They fly off for a completely ruined honeymoon and when confronted, the hero admits he did used to love the OW. A downed plane and a panic stricken husband and everything is righted. He married her because he loved her and the OW was just a mild thing years ago.
That's the basic story, but the heroine is interesting and evolves throughout and she's very likeable. The hero, we understand from how he acts, is in love, but he's already about 35 and hardened by life. We don't get enough of a declaration at the end, but what there is comes across charmingly.

[Myrna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and bland!

An ingénue travels to Africa to meet her estranged father, with whom she’s corresponded regularly for 10 years. On the boat she is approached by a gentleman who says he is her father’s acquaintance and goes on to publicly snub her. The h is bewildered and doesn’t understand such treatment. On the day of the arrival the H approaches her again, this time to state that her father isn’t able to meet her and that they will travel together. The H forgets to mention that the father is living his last days on the H’s charity.
The h spends only 2 days with her father when he dies and she is sent to a neighbor’s ranch (a bachelor’s household and so on). In a month the H arrives out of the blue and proposes. The h out of the blue agrees only to be told on her wedding day, that the H is in love with someone else and she is the most convenient of brides. The couple quarrels. The H is disdainful; the h runs away, her plane crashes, the H rushes to rescue her.
We find out he’s been in love but afraid to spook her with a confession as she is so young???

[K A PARROTT · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. I read this because it’s on the Guardian’s Greatest Novels of All Time list. I can only assume it’s on there because it’s the greatest example of a Mills and Boon book. If so, I will be avoiding all other such novels, even though I normally enjoy a cheesy romance. This book was written in 1955 and I can only hope that everyone appreciates something very different in a romantic relationship these days.

Not to mention characters that actually have some character, and women who are something other than mothers, ingenue, or scheming and bitter.

On the other hand I found it so disturbing I was compelled to finish it in one sitting, so it’s increased my Goodreads total with little effort, just some mild horror at what women were expected to find acceptable behaviour in their partners.

[DocNora · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother & granny had a pile of Vintage M&B from the 1950's to the 60's... found them in the depths of a cupboard... having read all the classics in the house, I fell upon them and was fascinated by all the various settings and just as with Nancy Drew and Judy Bolton, you learned a lot of disparate things about the world and people in a computer less world( this was the early 80's)...

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written under the pen name of Pamela Kent (and that's how it is listed in the Guardian's list).

I would have adored this book in my adolescence when I was devouring romance novels! I still found it a pleasant read - nice clean romance. However, the plot was predictable (maybe because of all that teenage reading) and the secondary characters quite two dimensional.

Read as a Kindle book (from KU)

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