Thursday 26 May 2016

Guest Reviewer: Julie Haigh reviews More Into Africa Ann Patras



Julie Haigh who is a Top 1000 Amazon reviewer and part of the admin team for the Facebook group 'We Love Memoirs' is my guest reviewer today reviewing More Into Africa: Ann Patras

Julie's Review:-

Great fun, a very entertaining read.
 I’ve read Ann Patras’ first book in her Into Africa series and I loved it, it was great fun. This is the follow-up book-and I’m hoping there are more in the series? 

This book had a fab start, I was straight in, so easy to get into! I loved it! I love memoirs based on diaries and letters, and, like Ann's first book, this is based on letters she wrote back home to family in the early 80s. 

I love this because people can look back and read EXACTLY what happened-not just remembered things, the book will be more authentic. I do love her humour. It's great that she puts little 'jog your memory' bits in: in the initial few chapters, she recaps a few bits of background info from book one. This is very useful if you read her other book a while ago or, if you've not read book one, it could be read as a standalone perhaps?

 There are great expressions and word choices in here. I just love how she seems to write as she speaks, no nonsense. This book has a lovely conversational style, like a friend having a chat with you-and great comedy timing! You think you are reading a sentence which is completely serious-then there's a little chuckle at the end. There are photos now and then, in relevant places where people are mentioned.

 I loved the natural expressions such as 'Couldn't sing for toffee'-exactly as I would say, they bring a certain charm to the book. A nice easy, fun, friendly style, not standing on ceremony. Titled chapters provide easy reading which is really entertaining. Each one is a scene remembered from their time in Africa in the 80s and you don't have to remember things from previous chapters. You can pick it up and catch up easily, it takes no getting into at all. 

Loads of good words in here, comical, down to earth speech, I love writing like this.

 If you're thinking this is about Africa and hearing about lots of lions, elephants etc-you'd be wrong (although there are a few camping trips with friends/nature reserve/seeing some of the animals later in the book) It's really more about changing home in England and what normal, everyday family life is like in the different country-the shopping, washing and cooking, travel, entertainment etc. and the challenges associated with these. Add to that telling it with a grand sense of humour-well, you get the idea. Another fun book by Ann Patras. So, will there be a book three-about their stretch in Lusaka? I hope so!

Thank you Julie for sharing this review



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