The Mottled Lizard [Mass Market Paperback]

Elspeth Huxley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

In this sequel to "The Flame of Thika", Elspeth Huxley takes up her story after the family returns to Kenya after the First World War. Her family and friends, their home and their travels, the glorious wildlife and scenery, described in rich and loving detail, all spring to life in this enchanting book. 'She knows East Africa and she loves it...with a critical and understanding sympathy' - "The Times". 'What a marvellous writer...and what a Kenya it was' - "Financial Times".

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

10 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Elspeth Huxley was born in 1906, the daughter of Major Josceline Grant of Njoro, Kenya, where she spent most of her childhood. She was educated at the European School in Nairobi and at Reading University where she took a diploma in agriculture, and at Cornell University, USA. In 1929 she joined the Empire Marketing Board as a press officer. She married Gervas Huxley in 1931 and travelled widely with him in America, Africa and elsewhere. She was on the BBC General Advisory Council from 1952 to 1959, when she joined the Monckton Advisory Commision on Central Africa. She wrote novels, detective fiction, biography and travel titles, and her books include The Flame Trees of Thika (1959), The Challenge of Africa (1971), Livingstone and His African Journeys (1974), Florence Nightingale (1975), Scott of the Antarctic (1977), Nellie: Letter from Africa (1980), Whipsnade: Captive Breeding for Survival (1981), The Prince Buys the Manor (1982), Last Days in Eden (1985, with Hugo van Lawick) and Out in the Midday Sun: My Kenya (1985). She died in 1997. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014005958X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140059588
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,080,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fluid poetry, April 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mottled Lizard (Audio Cassette)

This book was fantastic! Incredible! Inspiring, enchanting, lyrical, phenominal -- I don't know what else to say! Set in Africa, this novel continues the story that began with Flame Trees of Thika. Luscious, vivid and real, the setting is described in delicious detail. I felt as though I was in Africa. The characters are flawless proof of the author's talent. Tilly and Robin, the main character's parents, are engaging, funny, clever people with a stream of schemes to strike it rich. Interestingly enough, they don't care much for money, and only want it so that they can begin a new project. The picture the author paints of the Kikuyu (the natives) and their complex society is a clear window into another culture that captivates the reader with its striking vividness and the differences from our own. Social stature revolves around the number of goats and wives one possesses; disputes, or shauri, are as interweaved as a spider's web. The animals in the story are also described very well, and given personalities that are as real to the reader as the crinkling pages of this incredible book. I only wish that I could never stop reading it. I would recommend spending any amount of money or searching through any number of libraries to find this crisp, brilliant jewel of a novel.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delicious writing of post WWI Africa life, December 15, 2004

By 

secret squirrel (hoy miami; manana buenos aires) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mottled Lizard (Mass Market Paperback)

many people have enjoyed Huxley's first autobiographical stories of her childhood in colonial Africa, `the flame trees of thika', but few seem familiar with this luscious sequel. it seamlessly follows the first book, and like it features almost no plot or character development. instead (also like dineson's `out of Africa') it merely relates a series of loosely connected moments of colonial life in Africa. as a simplistic, action-oriented guy, i do not usually enjoy lyrical and descriptive-focused writing - but how does Huxley do it?? this book is simply charming and beautifully written, and possibly even a hair better than the first.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic reminiscences of a fascinating continent, September 6, 2005

By 

Peggy (FPO, AP USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mottled Lizard (Mass Market Paperback)

Having lived in Africa for over 23 years, and also being an avid reader, I fell in love with Elspeth Huxley's books which I read while staying at our rented house while on our last home leave. She obviously loved Africa and her style of prose is so descriptive of this fascinating continent. I want my children, who were all born in Africa, to read these books, not only to remember the land of their birth, but also for the rich writing style that I find lacking in many modern books.