4.5 stars

Narrated by Roshina Ratnam

An Elephant in my Kitchen is a wonderful non-fiction book about Francoise Malby-Anthony's life running a safari park in South Africa with her husband Lawrence, who wrote The Elephant Whisperer. This book begins shortly after Francoise is devastated by the sudden death of Lawrence and the prospect of running the park alone, and we get to experience different stories about her time in the bush and how her confidence grew and she began to fulfil her dreams.

This book is wonderful for animal lovers and anyone interested in conservation and nature - and perfect for anyone who has dreamed of going on a safari trip and seeing animals like elephants and rhinos in the wild. There are great stories about the different elephants in the herd, including the grumpy matriarch and Francoise's difficult relationship with her, to a rhino who as he gets more used to the wild turns on his human carers.

This book, like any dealing with animals - especially those of endangered species, is extremely heartbreaking at times and when I say extremely, i mean it. It will leave you feeling broken and upset, but also angry and wanting to see a change in the world, and a passion to defend these wonderful creatures.

I 100% recommend the audio version of this book. The stories really suit being told through an audio narration, and Roshina Ratnam's voice is just so soothing - which really helps with some of the really sad parts.

The most tragic story was near the end, and I still felt a bit down and broken about it when I finished the book so I wasn't able to give it 5/5 stars due to this feeling. But maybe when I heal a bit, it will be!