"But it was so far away that the four peaks looked trifling, hardly distinguishable, and different from the way they looked from the farm. The outline of the mountain was slowly smoothed and leveled out by the hand of distance."

When I visited Susquehanna University and was a part of their writing program for the summer, I met one of the teachers who originally came from Africa. He read parts of his nonfiction stories that described what it was like to live in Africa and it made me think of this book. What I liked about being able to hold this book in my hands was that I could reread the most vivid lines of description.

Not only does the narrator tell about her time spent in Africa, but she illustrates all the unusual aspects of the landscape, peoples, and animals. Her sophisticated language and charming personality make each individual story in the book a pleasure to read. Her subtle comparisons between people all over the world and their styles of living become real once she introduces each character with their names and occupations. The narrator takes great care to keep an open mind when learning about the culture of the African people, and even finds that she can't bear to leave her new life behind.

My favorite short story that was told in the book was when Lulu the antelope came to live with the narrator. This amazing story of the bond between her and the antelope was entertaining to read, as it felt emotional and tangible. Overall I found the book to be filled with wanderlust and striking imagery. It was delightful to read a book that I could put down then pick up several times and still be interested in its plot.