Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
    Unavailable
    Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
    Unavailable
    Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home
    Audiobook8 hours

    Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home

    Published by Penguin Random House Audio

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Boyd Varty had an unconventional upbringing. He grew up on Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, a place where man and nature strive for balance, where perils exist alongside wonders. Founded more than eighty years ago as a hunting ground, Londolozi was transformed into a nature reserve beginning in 1973 by Varty's father and uncle, visionaries of the restoration movement. But it wasn't just a sanctuary for the animals; it was also a place for ravaged land to flourish again and for the human spirit to be restored. When Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, he came to the reserve to recover.

    Cathedral of the Wild is Varty's memoir of his life in this exquisite and vast refuge. At Londolozi, Varty gained the confidence that emerges from living in Africa. "We came out strong and largely unafraid of life," he writes, "with the full knowledge of its dangers." It was there that young Boyd and his equally adventurous sister learned to track animals, raised leopard and lion cubs, followed their larger-than-life uncle on his many adventures filming wildlife, and became one with the land. Varty survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose. An intense spiritual quest takes him across the globe and back again-to reconnect with nature and "rediscover the track."

    Cathedral of the Wild is a story of transformation that inspires a great appreciation for the beauty and order of the natural world. With conviction, hope, and humor, Varty makes a passionate claim for the power of the wild to restore the human spirit.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 11, 2014
    ISBN9780804165563
    Unavailable
    Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home

    Related to Cathedral of the Wild

    Related audiobooks

    Nature For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Our World, Ourselves

      Oct 15, 2021

      First, there was light—sparking, forking human consciousness. Then, an itch. Bears in Chauvet Cave, Japan’s Jōmon owls, a twenty-foot stone Kalahari python slithering from 68,000 BCE. We’ve always story-told the more-than-human universe. Even now. “A

      8 min read

    • Article

      Coexistence

      Feb 1, 2024

      THE OTHER NIGHT, a great-horned owl followed me down a canyon at dusk. I spotted it perched in a tree after hearing a call-and-response between it and one, maybe two, other owls. I observed it for a minute or so before it flew off, then I continued d

      1 min read

    • Article

      Boy Naturalist

      Jul 1, 2020

      Boy Naturalist
      4 min read

    • Article

      Born Free

      Aug 9, 2021

      Born Free
      6 min read

    • Article

      Moments In Time

      Aug 12, 2022

      Moments In Time
      9 min read

    • Article

      Swimming with Crocodiles

      May 3, 2020

      Swimming with Crocodiles
      18 min read

    • Article

      Steve Irwin

      Aug 1, 2018

      Steve Irwin
      6 min read

    • Article

      Where The Wild Things Are

      Nov 25, 2022

      Where The Wild Things Are
      2 min read

    • Article

      Remembering SUDAN

      Aug 1, 2023

      Remembering SUDAN
      2 min read

    • Article

      People Power Offensive

      Dec 27, 2023

      People Power Offensive
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Nature Of Grief

      Sep 25, 2023

      Iris was an arrestingly beautiful child with long flowing hair. Clever and kind, she was the apple of her parents’ eye. And brave. Shortly before her death, she swam through bloody seawater to reach a huge dead humpback whale, killed and tethered on

      2 min read

    • Article

      Wild At Heart

      Sep 9, 2022

      Wild At Heart
      13 min read

    • Article

      Who Are You Calling Prickly?

      Sep 13, 2023

      Who Are You Calling Prickly?
      6 min read

    • Article

      Resurrection Biology

      Feb 27, 2024

      Resurrection Biology
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Elephant In The Room

      Feb 14, 2024

      The Elephant In The Room
      4 min read

    • Article

      Dian Fossey 1932-1985

      Feb 6, 2020

      Dian Fossey 1932-1985
      3 min read

    • Article

      Feedback

      Jul 29, 2021

      Feedback
      4 min read

    • Article

      Rhino Named SUDAN

      Jan 5, 2023

      Rhino Named SUDAN
      6 min read

    • Article

      Patrick Aryee

      Apr 9, 2020

      Why champion the northern white rhino? What’s not to love? They’re powerful, yet strangely balletic. They’re such magical creatures: in fact, rhino-lovers have come to know them as ‘chubby unicorns’. But the reality for many rhinos is a far cry from

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Last Ivory Hunter

      Apr 1, 2021

      The Last Ivory Hunter
      2 min read

    • Article

      March Of The Ants

      Nov 11, 2020

      March Of The Ants
      8 min read

    • Article

      Down To The Wire

      Oct 2, 2023

      Down To The Wire
      9 min read

    • Article

      Masters Of The Sky

      Jul 15, 2019

      Masters Of The Sky
      5 min read

    Reviews for Cathedral of the Wild

    3.5/5

    72 ratings36 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A surprisingly winsome memoir of a young man who grew up in one of South Africa's leading nature conservationist families. I grabbed the CD version of this book by happenstance, before a long road trip, and was hooked from the first chapter. It's an excellent memoir, excellent at the transition between hunting lodges to nature conservation in South Africa in the last 50 years. It also touches on South African politics, apartheid, male bonding and rituals, the spiritual transcendence of land and creation.

      Highly recommended especially in audiobook form, read by the author.

    • 4/5
      Thoroughly enjoyed this enchanting telling of a young man's extraordinary growing up years in a natural reserve in South Africa which his parents had created and developed into a non-hunting safari expedition resort. Boyd Varty's youthful exuberance and explorations of the wild are enriching to both mind and soul. I was surprised and very pleased that he included his own personal spiritual awakening and understanding of the interconnectedness of all that is, and choosing to continue his life path to sharing this knowledge and experience with others. Basically following in his parents' footsteps with a slightly different approach, he embarked on a mission to extend to all Africans basic education and the awareness of the importance of unity between nature, animals and humans. I was deeply moved by the openness that Varty shared in telling of his journey, including experiences that few people would ever be exposed to. This book feels like a personal story that is also beautifully written in the manner which excites the reader and makes you want to know more.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. The stories in this book are well told and have a good flow to them. I really enjoyed the author's style of writing. This book is not just about the dangers and wonders you would experience if living in the untamed wild of Africa. It is also about finding yourself and your purpose even after great trials. I will definitely reccomend this book.
    • 4/5
      Cathedral of the Wild is Boyd Varty's memoir of growing up on a game reserve in South Africa. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Parts of it were so captivating that I grabbed my family members so I could read excerpts to them. Reading about Varty's life made me feel envious at times of the wonder, beauty and awe he experienced. At other times I was grateful that I didn't experience the challenges and dangers that he did. Regardless of the dangers, his memoir is a reminder that we have lost something vital living so removed from nature.
    • 4/5
      What a great adventure story! Thoroughly enjoyable. Imagine growing up on a game reserve - you definitely have experiences that no one else has had. I'm glad I had the opportunity to live vicariously through Boyd's book. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I guess I'm an ageist. As my age advances, my interest in young writers declines. They may have dazzling pyrotechnic writing styles - but I don't care about style, I care about content, and I want to spend my time with writers who understand things that I don't. Generally, that means writers with a range of experiences and insights that can only come from living. Believe me, I'm not saying I know it all. Most of the time I can't even say what it is. But there is something about a young person's writing that usually feels thin and unseasoned to me.Given my prejudice against tyro writers like Boyd Varty, I opened "Cathedral of the Wild" with skepticism that lasted about a page and a half. I love this book and found Varty's writing to be funny, profound, moving, witty, informative, fascinating, and inspiring, often all at once.This is a memoir of a remarkable childhood in a singular family. Varty comes of age on a game preserve in South Africa's wildlands, the bushveld. The family land was purchased by ancestors who liked to hunt big game, but over time the family's love of nature evolves and they become staunch, influential conservationists whose business is to bring tourists on photographic safaris and to make death-defying wildlife videos. The family is ambitious, passionate, risk-loving; heavy on vision and low on conformity. Varty's early years are punctuated by brushes with death and exposure to the wonder of encounters with wild animals on their home turf.For those who feel connection to nature, this book will resonate in every chapter. Throughout, Varty provides wonderful anecdotes about the animals he encounters, and he also powerfully conveys the spirituality he experiences in the natural world. When things go long and seriously wrong for his family, his quest for recovery takes him on a memorable pilgrimage into the wild.Few books are perfect and this one is excessively anecdotal, and succumbs to some New Age claptrap. Ultimately, none of that mattered to me. This is a wonderful book.I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I savored reading it overmuch and read it slowly - so I missed my Librarything review deadline, which means I won't qualify for more free books for a while. That's okay, this was worth it!
    • 3/5
      Boyd Varty, raised with his sister by parents living in the African bush creating the Londolozi Game Reserve, has provided a unique lens to view what appears to be among the last spots of the wilds of nature in his book "Cathedral of the Wild." Varty seems to have the family gift of storytelling as well because the book could have easily become bogged with extraneous leaps into the political climate of South Africa. While mention of this undercurrent is made, at no time is it preachy. It is worthy of note that his brush with violence did come from the wilds of nature but rather from the wilds of urban Jo-burg at the hands of armed youths. Few will ever experience an African safari, but Varty's gift at storytelling can leave the reader feeling the closeness of lions, leopards, elephants, and the inquisitive baboon. I received this book through the Early Reviewer program and would encourage others to experience his tale of nature's real life.
    • 5/5
      This book is a wonderful journey seen through the eyes of someone who obviously lived it. With some family background, Boyd Varty explains exactly how his family ended up in the animal and land conservation business and leading safaris for everyday people, as well as famous people. He writes various stories of spending time with his uncle who enjoys making documentaries. Varty also discusses his parents, sister and a teacher they eventually hire to take the kids to different cities in Africa. As I read the book, I could envision the elephants, the lions, the birds, giraffes, etc. I could feel the adrenaline rush Varty writes about throughout the book. It took me awhile to read the book because once I sat down, I wanted to keep reading and not be interrupted. Ironically, my aunt's life-long dream of a visit to Africa came true about six months before I read this book. I found myself laughing when Varty described the animals getting into the lodges and reeking havoc...just as they had done to my aunt! As an aside, if you are interested in more conservation stories or the Varty family, there is a list of other books written by their family at the end of the book. All in all, this is a book I enjoyed every word of and I highly recommend to anyone who has visions of visiting Africa on a safari.
    • 4/5
      Boyd Varty, author of Cathedral of the Wild, grew up on the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, a private wildlife sanctuary, among snakes, impalas, elephants and other exotic creatures. Varty's forebears established Londolozi in the 1930s as a hunting range, but by 1973, his father and uncle had turned it into a preserve. This book traces Varty's experiences in nature, revealing its powers to heal and transform us in body, mind, and soul. When a series of setbacks shakes Varty and his family to the core--culmulating with he and his mother and sister enduring a home invasion at gunpoint--he travels the world to regain his equilibrium. He finds it, as Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz, back at home, where his heart had always been. He concludes:"I believe that you find your way to your right life, your mission, the same way you find an animal. First, quiet your heart and be still. Then find the fresh track and be willing to follow it. You don't need to see the whole picture; you only need to see where to take the next step. Life isn't about staying on track; it's about constantly rediscovering the track."For those who fear they've lost the path, this book is an encouraging reminder that it's okay to retrace your steps. Moving back (home or anywhere else, for that matter) can actually propel you forward, to where you're truly mean to be.
    • 4/5
      Anyone whose wished to grow up as a wild Mowgli, but perhaps with some people and modern conveniences, is in for a treat in Boyd Varty's Cathedral of the Wild. Growing up on one of the first wild life game reserves in South Africa, Londolozi, Boyd Varty had a youth full of precarious and exciting adventures. Catherdral of the Wild follows Boyd out of through his life to date. The early days are characterized by endless exploration. Playing games around the main houses with his sister Bron or out chasing down some exciting wild life "action shots" with his Uncle John. So far his journey took him all about Africa and beyond. Filling his life full of mambas, flying elephants, boarding schools, crocodiles, helicopter crashes, and more dangerous encounters.That portion of the book was very enjoyable. The endless escalation kept me wondering what would happen next and how the resilient Varty's would keep the next ball moving. But beyond the basic experiences, the life Varty lived has led to a thoughtful and philosophically minded man and much of the later book was an exploration of his journey out of some of the darker events in his life. In this section much of his philosophy on how to deal with this conflict and is explored and I simply founded it both emotionally moving and reassuring. I recommend heartily this book. But fair warning, Cathedral of the Wild may leave you pining for your own wild life reserve. Not really a bad thing.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. Boyd Varty's family reminded me of Gerald Durrell's in My Family and Other Animals. The setting is the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa where Boyd's grandfather lead hunting safaris. Boyd, his parents and his sister have transformed the reserve to a refuge forendangered species. Boyd's personal story is fascinating as he tells ofhis childhood experiences on the reserve as well as his struggles in comingto terms with a violent attack by robbers. He must leave the reserve inorder to overcome trauma and find his purpose. When he returns homehe readily joins his family in their efforts to save animals.
    • 4/5
      An enjoyable memoir of growing up part of an unconventional family living in the African veld. The first 2/3 of the book was mostly made up of adventures that illustrated his upbringing and at times were a bit repetitive. The last third of the book veers more towards the spiritual as Varty seeks to find himself after suffering tragedies. I felt the book lacked some cohesion, and I would have like to learn more about his family outside of the "wackiness". But he has an easy style that pulls you in and makes you want to run away to Africa!
    • 3/5
      What starts out as a rollicking adventure about living in the wilds of South Africa becomes increasingly more serious and ends up being as much about family, education, handling depression and PTSD, as it is about nature and conservation. I was surprised in the change of tone as the book progressed.The author tells the story of his family's building of the Londolozi Game Reserve, his early life there and the challenges of living cheek by jowl with the wildest of beasts, while catering to the wealthiest of tourists. The introduction of the tutor, Kate, into the story gave it an interesting foray into educational theory. But the latter sections, on the break-in and the crocodile attack painted a very harsh picture of life lived not only with raw animal behaviors but with raw human behaviors as well.Overall, I was left with the feeling that this was a book with at least two foci. It was a family saga about a very interesting family and the children who came to adulthood in that family, and then also about the place and the efforts at conserving African culture and resources. (There may be a third story too, as Boyd tries to get in touch with his feelings and harness them to work for, rather than against him). Consequently the book leaves at least this reader feeling a little confused rather than edified. I am glad to have read it because it is a world I know very little about, but I think it was an ambitious project for a new writer. I hope if he continues to write he is able to rein in his subject a little more tightly.
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book. It was very interesting to experience an African game park through the author, Boyd Varty's, stories. I found it difficult to put down, even in the wee hours of the morning. Cathedral of the Wild is an adventure as much as it is truly inspiring. I highly recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      Boyd Varty paints a fascinating description of growing up on his family's safari park in South Africa, chronicling both the family's efforts to make the business work, the close encounters he had with wild animals from a very young age, and the impulsiveness that drives them into experiences all over Africa and the world. After a solid base of narrative about his childhood and teens, the last third of the book takes a turn into describing a more personal struggle with depression and despair. Both sections are done well, although the transition between them is a bit jarring.
    • 4/5
      An earnest and heart-centered memoir in the vein of Born Free.
    • 5/5
      Excellent memoir about growing up in a conservation minded family in South Africa. Gerald Durrell for the new Millennium, where saving animals doesn't necessitate relocating them from their habitats, but rather healing the land and peoples around them. The book could have stalled out as a propaganda piece – after all, Varty and his family run Londolozi Game Reserve, a tourist destination. But there is too much honesty in the book for that, too much compassion and vulnerability. This is a powerful story, as much about the man as the place.
    • 4/5
      i received this book via a goodreads giveaway. Thanks to those that made it happen!

      As a huge enthusiast of virgin nature and all things remaining relatively clear of human influence, this book was a joy to receive and read. Varty's writing style is both accessible and detailed; his narratives suggest that living in the bushveld sharpens your eye for detail to what goes on around you. His evident passion for retaining what beauty we have left is inspiring and provoking. I definitely recommend this to anyone willing to go through the looking glass of everyday life.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Part of the pleasure was because the author's experiences growing up are very exotic in comparison to my own. Primarily, though, I really valued the author's sense of humor and solution-oriented attitude toward every experience. The author relates even small events in a way that makes them an adventure, and his description of his personal challenges in growing up and coming of age are related with honesty and as much objectivity as anyone could expect from a young man.Definitely recommended.
    • 3/5
      I had a tough time getting into this book, but Varty's spiritual journey became very compelling to me by the end of the story. Might be a good read for young adults, as the bulk of the story is focused on Varty's life as a teenager. Well-written, and certainly an interesting author. I would read more by Varty.
    • 4/5
      Boyd Varty had a very nontraditional childhood, growing up on the Londolozi Land Reserve in South Africa, where encounters with lions, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, and snakes were everyday occurrences. His family's lives were touched by apartheid, elephant poaching, and tribal wars, but only marginally, until two separate crisis unsettle the whole family. As a young adult, Boyd became restless, troubled with anxiety about his family's future, and unsure of where he himself fit in. Through his own struggles and growth, Boyd begins to express a profound appreciation for the natural world, one in which he had previously been so immersed as to not notice the soul nourishment he received. He ends this memoir with a renewed sense of purpose, one that seeks to bring a deepened connection to all of nature to all us.
    • 3/5
      Boyd has lived an extremely unconventional life. Growing up on a game reserve in South Africa, he is intensely connected with the wilderness and its animals. Elephants, tigers, lions, he has seen and experienced it all. This book gives us a look into his life and his extraordinary family. Well written, this book flows, keeping the reader coming back for more. The only complaint I have is that at the end of the book, Boyd comes across as preachy. I know that he is advocating a way of life but it was just a bit too much. Overall, well written and worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Not only is this a fascinating read, it contains life lessons (always a plus, when I look for books). It is a memoir of his (still) early life and that of his family's development of ecological restoration on the game preserve they own. Varty writes with great imagery and interesting characters (well, since this is a bio, I guess he's either surrounded by interesting people or just good at characterizing). What a marvelous childhood, living in the African bush, which is not to ignore the harsh lessons, downplayed by Varty as vital to safety. Even tho his family must be wealthy (e.g. taking overseas trips), they worked hard and didn't pamper their children who were expected to take full part in the enterprise.As Varty grows older, he looks for spiritual help, and one of the places he finds it is in nature, e.g. "to be in a migration is to be made small as a body and infinite as God's love, truly in the flow." He shares some of the things he learned in the stories he writes. "We need to allow the pain to carve within us a deep knowing of what it means to live, to shape us as innocence never can." I highly recommend this book. I think it would be a great follow-up for someone who enjoyed [The White Elephant] when they were younger and are now looking for a more mature look at our connection with, and responsibility to, wildlife.
    • 2/5
      I was looking forward to reading this based upon the description of the book. It is the story of a boy growing up on a game reserve on the border of Kruger National Park in South Africa. Having read a decent amount of books set in the wilds of Africa, there is a pattern to them - numerous encounters with a mixture of dangerous and/or funny animals and developing an appreciation for the wonders of nature.Cathedral of the Wild started out in this vein and was quite enjoyable. The story about a baboon breaking into a lodge shortly before the arrival of a VIP was excellent. Unfortunately, about midway the book went off the rails for me. Varty and his family suffer several misfortunes, including a very scary burglary, and Varty suffers a crisis of faith. Varty's discussion of his family woes was not particularly compelling. In particular, there is much discussion of a lawsuit that the family is embroiled in and the toll that this takes on his father and his uncle. However, we learn almost nothing about what this lawsuit is about, why it is so emotionally damaging to the family, no real explanation at all.Things get worse as Varty travels to India, Australia, South America, and the U.S. to "find" himself. Without a compelling fall it is tough to write a good story of redemption. Here, both the fall and the recovery were unspectacular.Part of this book was quite good but the spiritual journey of the author was a misfire for me and left me disappointed. If you want a good story of danger in the African bush try Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison instead.
    • 4/5
      Boyd Varty begins his story by recounting his unusual boyhood growing up on a game reserve in South Africa. He intersperses his own adventures with descriptions of how his father and uncle developed Londolozi into an eco tourist safari camp out of the land where the boys' father originally had a hunting camp. After their father's death the boys, 15 and 18 years old, decide to hold onto the land and turn it into a safari business. The only way they can do this is to have the Shangaans, the local African tribe, work along side them. This was at a time when apartheid was the rule of the land, but as the author points out "In the bush, the two brothers' view and experience of race simply didn't align with South African law." At the same time they were intermixing blacks and whites against apartheid rules they were also turning into wildlife activists and felt a game reserve would conserve the land as well as employ the local population. This vast undertaking by two young boys led to the author's statement that his father's philosophy was based on two premises "You've got to know your way around the bush, and have faith that whatever comes your way, you'll figure it out". This is an important point in realizing how Boyd and his sister Bronwyn were raised by their mother and father to face the challenges of growing up in a wild and often dangerous land in a way that would make most parents these days shudder. At the same time that Varty acknowledges the difficulties living in an unpredictable environment the author emphasizes his love and reverence for the animals and the land that his whole family shares including his wild and crazy Uncle John who turns into a respected filmmaker to help document the importance of preserving the land. The author goes on to tell of the many adventures and mishaps that occur both to himself and his family including a terror filled night In Johannesburg when he and his family are threatened by desperate gunmen. It is at this point that the author begins to suffer an identity crisis as some of the events of his life began to haunt him and he goes searching for spiritual healing. The author is not as successful at keeping our interest in his attempts to gain control of his life and find his purpose. But eventually he ends his searching and comes home again to Londolozi only to find his family embroiled in a lawsuit that is ongoing even as the book is written. Varty is probably not able to tell us the nature of the lawsuit, but it is frustrating not to know the details when it is obvious what an affect it has on himself and his family. All in all this is a fascinating if uneven account of an unusual way of life and also a hopeful account of one family trying to preserve a land and its animal inhabitants, all of which in other places are fast disappearing.
    • 4/5
      This is a memoir of a childhood on a game reserve in South Africa.I was grabbed right away by the deep respect Varty and his family have for nature. When the family experiences multiple crises and losses in a short period of time, Varty eventually turns to the healing power of nature, with remarkable, but, to me, understandable results.I really enjoyed this book for its adventure, its message of conservation, and for its message of the healing power of nature.
    • 3/5
      This was an interesting book that was largely split into two. The first half was a lot of stories and glowing reviews of this wonderful place that the author got to grow up in. The second half was the author dealing with his feelings after a harrowing incident. I felt that Varty told some great stories and described life on the game reserve very well. However, I feel that many autobiographical authors struggle with writing about their own demons and this book was no different. Varty described this book as stories around a campfire and indeed that's what this is - lots of stories that would be great to hear in person. However, be prepared for the longer you stay around the campfire the more likely that the stories veer off into the dark parts of human nature.
    • 3/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put down. The story of Boyd Varty and his family's passion for preserving nature in South Africa, and beyond, was gripping. The first half of the book is his family's story while the second half of the book is about him finding himself after some particularly grueling experiences. I found his accounts of apartheid (and meeting Nelson Madela) and the politics of South Africa fascinating. His obvious love of nature comes through in this writing and it is inspiring.
    • 3/5
      I was interested to read this book because I've been on safari in Kruger, though not at Londolozi - but I found it quite odd, disjointed, mirroring, perhaps, Varty's life.The first part was a mishmash of stories of a privileged kid growing up in Africa where everything was wonderful and worked out, even the uncle's plane crash. His parents and sister were wonderful and school didn't work out so well so they got a special tutor who took them all over the world. I found the writing flat, the lack of self-reflection unnerving.Then the privileged family got robbed, and Boyd had to change his tune, but it felt as though he were describing his angst from the outside. I just kept thinking (rather unkindly) that now maybe he knew what so many of the people in South Africa have experienced. And his subsequent years of depression - I didn't feel it. All I kept thinking was how privileged he was to be able to travel around the world trying to find himself.Every so often odd sentences like this would crop up: "We are all being whispered to our death. It is the white noise hissing softly beneath all other sounds." Nice writing I suppose, but jarring in the midst of the flatness.And then the lawsuit, which obviously was a big strain on the family but which, I guess for obvious reasons, couldn't be explained. (If you Google his uncle, you'll see that the whole tiger project is very controversial - importing non-indigenous tigers to Africa?) Having experienced an incredibly knowledgeable ranger in Africa, I expected a lot more from this book - a lot more depth, a lot more explanation of what it's like to run a safari camp, and a lot more maturity. Even though he's young, he grew up in Africa, trained as a ranger, yet wades in the Sand River? and is justifiably bitten by a croc? Somehow this summarizes my reaction to the whole book - it's a bit juvenile and uninformed.
    • 2/5
      It seemed like an interesting concept...However I was disappointed by the disjointed chronology of the book. In one chapter Boyd would be a young child, the next one he would be a grown-up and then later again he was a kid again. I understand that sometimes in a memoir you have to go back to things that happened previously, but in this book each chapter was a story by itself and not really connected to the previous or following chapter. Also, a few pictures, even if just of the animals or scenery would have made it all more real!