Happy Valley Paperback – August 11, 2013

An excellent book to read concerning the colonial era through the years after independence. Thankfully it avoided trying to fill the anti colonial narrative just for the sake being politically correct and populous. Well done. Should be read by those who want a truthful account of this time period of east Africa

As I have traveled to this part of Africa a number of years ago I found this book a treasure of information regarding the European settlement of the area. There is not much remaining in Kenya or Tansania that shows they were ever there although we did visit the Karin Blixen home which has been preserved. Our tour was mostly in the bush but included Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar and Nagoragora crater all mentioned in this book. Back in the early 60's I read a book by Robert Rourk "Something of Value" regarding the Mau Mau uprising which was very grafic but also an explanation of what happened to the European settlement in Kenya so I found this history a further addition to my knowledge of that desperate time. Although this book was a little hard to follow at times as it included such a variety of characters I thought it was quite well written and extremely fascinating. I do recommend it.

An interesting history of this not well known chapter of Kenya.

I was actually quite pleased with this rendition of the lives of the folks that lived in the "White Highlands" . I thought it was quite well balanced and jibed fairly accurately with the other memoirs I have read. This one got a bit more at WWII than others and I appreciate that as well. As I know people who were very familiar with the "White Highlanders" and were part of the real "farmer" group, they did not participate in the antiques of the smaller number of rich and indolent, but they remember them quite well. Or they remember their parents' stories. All interesting.

This is an extremely well documented history of Kenya from roughly 1860 to 1960. It is very respectful of the British colonists as well as the native people. I wish I had read this BEFORE I went on safari

Liked the insertion of humor to keep readers’ interest level in otherwise dull subject mattersAppreciated degree of detail in painting the history of Kenya. It is an unbelievable achievement of immense imagination courage and vision on part of author and those who fought to save their country and create a country of their own

Who are too critical of the English see the work of the Harvard historian who relied on recently found English archives for accounts of torture in the English concentration camps. Sorry don't have the title to hand

I spent two 1/2 years in Kenya and the book brought back many memories and added to my understanding of the country. I knew and heard about the Happy Valley crowd, but never took an interest in learning about it. The book filled in my understanding of the 43 years (1920-1963) of being a colony and of a class of people. fortunately, I have never known. I did know numerous British farmers in my area, but they were not the Happy Valley types. Now, the white farmers, are all gone and Kenya appears to be prospering. Wonderful country to visit.

As a long time visitor to Kenya, I am pleased to learn and understand more about the Mau Mau uprising.

This is an enjoyable and well written book. I used to visit Kenya when I was sailing on Union Castle ships on their Round Africa Route. This book tells it the way life was in the days before independence.. A recent visit revealed that the population had exploded and the infrastructure was crumbling. A sad state of affairs - which was pointed out in the book.I had to go on line to find out that Nicholas Best was born in Kenya and went to school there. I wondered why he had such an intimate knowledge of the people and the way of life. He tells his story well and with a sense of fun.Altogether a great read

Very interesting book. An excellent read if you want to know Kenyan history or even as just a story book. Enjoyed it and learnt a lot !

A fascinating history of the English in Kenya. My only criticism being there was no mention of the famous Settlers protest rally on the lawn in front of Government House to demand Martial Law in 1952 during the Mau Mau uprising, when the Governor failed to address the crowd.

I have known about this book for a long time. The fact that it was available at a reasonable price on Kindle encouraged me to buy it; and I'm very glad I did. It seems to me to be a comprehensive and objective account of Kenya as a British colonial possession. The narrative is rich but uncomplicated which makes for a good read.