When Annie returns to Kenya from New York to live among the Great Rift Valley tribes for her work on a children's book series, she believes she now understands real physical deprivation and who she is after a harrowing year in the mountains of Ethiopia.
Driving across the savanna with a Land Rover stuffed with Samburu warriors, dancing with a tribe of fishermen on the dark shore of a crocodile-infested lake in one of the hottest places on earth, and falling passionately in love with an extraordinary Australian pilot who introduces her to the plight of orphaned girls in East Africa, will Annie truly learn to face her deepest fears and find compassion, purpose, and love, or will she head home, heartbroken?
Perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert, Alexandra Fuller, or Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen).
"With a title like this, of course, I was compelled to read this beautifully written book! A fascinating and adventurous life, spiced with danger, and with a love story thrown in. You can't go wrong." Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE. Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute. UN Messenger of Peace.
"This swept me away. Ann Schrank writes like a magical spider, spinning continental webs that ensnare the reader. There's flavor, fragrance, wit, perseverance, and pinpoint observational awareness. Owning a great story doesn't guarantee being able to tell it well. It's a gift with which Ms. Schrank is lavishly endowed." Richard Bangs. TV host and producer and author of numerous travel books.
"Each chapter brims with anticipation and springs alive with poignant description. A girl reveals in a glance the story of her desperate hunger, told in words so intense we can smell Africa, from the spices to the rotting fruit. Teeming with historical overview and literary flourish, Longing for Africa reads like Graham Greene plus romance." Cathy Luchetti. Author of Women of the West, Children of the West, and Men of the West.
"A memorable story of love, loss and Italian cooking, Schrank's descriptions of the Palmucci's Sunday lunch table had me dining right there alongside her. Schrank is a skillful storyteller, writing with compassion and fondness for the people who care about Africa and those who have come to call the continent home." Robyn Keene-Young. Author and wildlife documentary producer.
