Barbara Carr

From the title, I expected this to be from the genre of wife-accompanies-naturalist/hunter husband and tries to get a book out of it, with some humor thrown in. But it was far more. Her husband, Norman Carr, was a high-profile ranger in Africa and author of many books, none of which I happen to have. But I enjoyed seeing this world through the eyes of his wife. Although she split with him before this book was published, she does not mention it in the book, but it is what allows her to be brutally honest throughout about the effects of British Colonialism on the African people. She was obviously very intelligent and took excellent notes during her many years in Africa, because every paragraph is filled with marvelous detail and visual images that would make you think that she herself was the naturalist. Interestingly, her husband was gone on work trips for over 40 weeks a year, leaving her to birth and raise their three children. The last few pages of the book are her critical essay on the British Government, who she says "betrayed all those who have have given it loyal and devoted service." This should be required reading for historians of colonialism. The line between hunter and protector of wildlife is also a theme throughout.… (meer)