Out of Africa

Rating:
Summary: breathtaking!!!
Review: Probably one of the greatest books i've ever read about a remarkable woman who had the courage to be different. You really have the feeling you are with her in Africa and just have to read it, it's much better than the film!!!

Rating:
Summary: Masterpiece
Review: This book is not longer than other books, but it is not a fast read. It is not such that you cannot put it down. Yet it is the best book I have ever read. The language is precise and elegant in the way it makes you picture and feel the mood of the places and situations described. It is a book you will remember and read again.

Since she herself wrote the english and danish editions (i.e. the two are as she wanted them to be) my comments should apply equally well to the english edition.

Rating:
Summary: Good book that takes you to a different time & place
Review: This book, (actually autobiographical) is a very enjoyable read that takes the reader to the time and place that it was written(early 20th century Europe colonized Africa). From this perspective, it also provides a great outlook from that time of what the future could hold for European/African and in fact human/earth relations. The only drawback is that at times, the author focuses too closely on some non-important characters and side stories and looses focus on the larger and more interesting picture of her existence in Africa and her interaction with the people there.

Rating:
Summary: Superb reading
Review: This is one of my favourite novels (although technically it is actually not a novel but a memoir, i.e. an idealized account based on a more or less true story). I am biased, having spent time in Kenya, but even so it must carry universal appeal for all. It is in essence a bittersweet love story, a search for the most meaningful life. But also remember that this is a far cry from the reality of 'Baroness' Blixen's life in Africa - the truth is much less romantic. None the less, it is a pity that Karen Blixen never received the Noble Prize for her work, even though Mr. Hemingway thought she should have - in place of himself!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. The writing is beautiful and delicate and brilliant. One of the miracles of the book (and I hope I don't scare anyone off by saying this) is that there are many incidents where not a lot is happening, but the writing is so fantastic, it keeps you reading. (There is plenty of drama in the book, too.) And Karen Blixen/Isak Dinesen paints the characters wonderfully. As Truman Capote said of this book, "Every page trembles like a leaf in a storm." I lived in Kenya for a year when I was a boy, which increased my interest in the book. But even without that experience, I know I still would have loved it.

Rating:
Summary: I could almost see the mountains
Review: Upon hearing of this book from catcher in the Rye I decided to read it on a whim. Isak Dinesen's love for the land that she called home shown through in every remarkable story she told about her farm. The smell, feel, look, and even life of the land was so wonderfuly painted that I lost myself in it. I found myself not wanting to stop reading, but dreading the approaching end of the book. A must read for those who love to travel even if it is only in their minds.

Rating:
Summary: I could almost see the mountains
Review: Upon hearing of this book from catcher in the Rye I decided to read it on a whim. Isak Dinesen's love for the land that she called home shown through in every remarkable story she told about her farm. The smell, feel, look, and even life of the land was so wonderfuly painted that I lost myself in it. I found myself not wanting to stop reading, but dreading the approaching end of the book. A must read for those who love to travel even if it is only in their minds.

Rating:
Summary: Hooked from the opening line
Review: Who could read, "I had a farm in Africa," without being intrigued immediately? Best opening line since "Call me Ishmael" in Moby Dick. Out of Africa makes one feel like a farmer in Africa much in the same way that "The Agony and the Ectasy" turns on into sculptor. Great read for all. I loved it and the movie, too.