Book Review
Follow Me to Africa by Penny Haw
Historical Fiction
I’ve absolutely adored Peggy Haw’s past books (The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at the Wheel) and was so excited to see another biographical fiction about an influential, and perhaps lesser-known, historical woman. Follow Me to Africa explores the life of Mary Leakey, a woman who didn’t let her lack of formal education stop her from striving for her goals and becoming a world-renowned paleoanthropologist.
This book is Haw’s first dual-timeline novel. The first timeline is told entirely from the perspective of Mary Leakey, and it was fascinating to see her drive, ambition, and passion for archeology. She was a trailblazer who did things her own way (even though some of those decisions came with great heartbreak and pain.)
This 1930s and onwards timeline was a little slower but it felt well-researched. Peggy Haw does an exceptional job at bringing real-world individuals to life on the page, and (as someone who reads a lot of biographical historical fiction) I know that’s tricky to do. While fictionalized, the book feels informative and authentic, and the conversations, motivations, and emotions feel entirely plausible.
The second timeline is set in the 1980s and features the teenage character, Grace. While Grace is an entirely fictional character, this young teen mirrors Mary’s life and emotional experiences in many ways. Grace was a great foil for the older Mary, highlighting the many lessons learned along the way.
The 1980s timeline also features the fantastic Lisa the Cheetah (which may have been my favourite plot point of the novel!) It was a beautiful element to the story, and you can see the characters’ (and author’s!) deep love for animals.
My one picky note (which has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with marketing) is that the blurb for the book says, “On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her.” Given the emphasis on this in the book’s description, I kept expecting this to play a larger role in the overall plot — and it didn’t. It was very small (and quickly resolved) part of the story, which threw off my expectations for the story a little.
Overall, I found this to be a really interesting story exploring the life of a woman that I’d never heard of before. I love that Haw highlights incredible women and gives readers the opportunity to “meet” and cheer on these historical trailblazers. With its gorgeous, transportive setting and remarkable characters, this historical novel is one to watch for!
Recommended for:
Fans of slower-paced biographical historical fiction
This post contains affiliate links; as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. E-copy of the book provided courtesy of the publisher, Sourcebooks. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the book:
(From the publisher): It’s 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.
Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey commissions her to illustrate a book, she’s not at all expecting to fall in love with the older married man. Mary then follows Louis to East Africa, where she falls in love for a second time, this time with the Olduvai Gorge, where her work defines her as a great scientist and allows her to step out of Louis’s shadow.
In time, Mary and Grace learn they are more alike than they thought, which eventually leads them to the secret that connects them. They also discover a mutual deep love for animals, and when Lisa, an injured cheetah, appears at camp, Mary and Grace work together to save her. On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her.
From the acclaimed author of The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at Wheel comes an adventurous, dual timeline tale that explores the consequences of our choices, wisdom that comes with retrospection, and relationships that make us who we are, based on the extraordinary real life of Mary Leakey.