CHILD OF HAPPY VALLEY

Early twentieth-century British settlers in Kenya were a mixed lot. Many were pioneers out to make a life, but an equal number were scandalously debauched and in search of the free life they could neither afford nor live back in England. Born thus into the "Happy Valley Set" in 1925, Juanita Carberry from the outset felt all the confusion, anxiety, and loneliness of a child with indifferent, even hostile, parents. Her only relief as a child came from the land of Kenya, its native people and fascinating wildlife. Briony Sykes narrates the story of this difficult childhood partly with the petulant rhythms of the gifted though angry child, but more often with a voice alive with delight at the newness of Kenya unfolding all around her. Both tale and reading captivate us with the richness and fascination of this world that once was but, sadly, can be no more. P.E.F. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 00]