Rainbow's End: A Memoir of Childhood, War and an African Farm Audiobook

" I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars. This book is the story of Lauren St. John's childhood growing up in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) as part of the white "colonialist-type" farming community that existing prior to black majority rule. She does a beautiful job explaining what it was like growing up as part of this community, the culture of the community (the good and the bad), how it was to live on the land and her attachment to the land, etc. She does a particularly good job explaining the "culture of war" in her community, and how it shaped her identity and the identity of the white community in Rhodesia, and how that identity falls apart once white rule is dismantled in Zimbabwe. I enjoyed reading about Lauren's childhood, experiencing what it was like to live on Rainbow's End, as well as having an "in" into what the white community thought back in the 1970s and 1980s. And it was interesting to read about her thoughts and experiences as everything changed when the Independence movement won and black majority rule began. What I didn't particularly enjoy were what I felt were gaps in the book --areas where I wanted more: research into what was happening from the African side in the 1970s and 1980s to serve as background to her story for the reader; more detail regarding *why* she becomes SO disillusioned with her father late in the story (she hints at it, but gives very little detail); information about what happens to her family (where do her sister and mother end up, and does her father remain in Zimbabwe forever); and information about what happens to Lauren after the book ends (since she so often mentions her dreams for what she wants to be when she's an adult). I liked the book, especially the first half of the book focusing on Lauren's childhood. But I feel that the last third of the book was more rushed and left various issues hanging without resolution. "

" It was interesting enough that I got through it. The visuals it conjures up are very nice. "

" A very sad book. Her Africa was a very different place than mine, but even so, there were enough similarities to make me feel a twinge of homesickness here and there. "

" In my "African" reading period. "

" Brought back lots of memories of my time at boarding school in Zimbabwe. An interesting read... "

" Lauren St. John is an excellent writer, and she brought the sights, sounds, and smells of Africa to each and every page. I loved this book from start to finish, and I would highly recommend it. "

" An excellent memoir of life during troubled times during the bush war in Rhodesia and birth of Zimbabwe. "

" I wonder if this book is any good!! I will probaly like it because it's written by Lauren St. John!! "

" A very interesting memoir about growing up in Rhodesia. "

" about her families and their farm in Rhodesia in the 1960s to 1980 (now Zimbabwe) "

" This book is an interesting memoir of growing up in a place that no longer exists. That world is long gone and she acknowledges that the world she misses was not a good or fair one, but one she loved all the same. "

" I liked this book. Picked it up in South Africa. I'm not sure I would have found it so interesting had I not just been in South Africa, but it's a good read. "

" A beautiful, haunting and heart-wrenching coming-of-age story for both the writer and her beloved country. I could not put it down. My daydreams are now filled with visions of the African bush and giraffes at sunset. "

" Memoir of a kid growing up in Zimbabwe in an unusual family. Like most books about growing up in Africa, I liked it (with envy) and found the stories interesting. "

" Excellent background on Lauren St. John who wrote a series of outstanding children's books based in Africa "

" Interesting but a very slow read that sudenly speeds up at the end-almost too quickly. "

" Memoir of a kid growing up in Zimbabwe in an unusual family. Like most books about growing up in Africa, I liked it (with envy) and found the stories interesting. "

" I hope to write a review at some point. This book was really quite good, and enlightening as well. "

" a story of growing up on a farm in rhodesia,brings back all the idiocy of despotic heads of stste,before ,during and after the rise of mugabe "

" This really captured me. Hope she writes more. Interesting that Alexandra Fuller's "Let's not go out with the Dogs Tonight" was writing of the same period in Africa. Both beautifully written. "

" A very sad book. Her Africa was a very different place than mine, but even so, there were enough similarities to make me feel a twinge of homesickness here and there. "

" Beautifully written memoir of the author's childhood and teen years in war-torn Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. The family structure, settings, and characters are colorful and intriguing. "

" It was interesting enough that I got through it. The visuals it conjures up are very nice. "

" This book is great. Gives a wonderful and insightful picture of life in Rhodesia prior to the end of British rule and then after. A true story told through the eyes of a teenage girl. "

" I read it because the Author mention my brother-in-law in the book and was at school with him. I really enjoyed, possibly because I could picture a lot of what and who she was writing about. "

" A true story about growing up white in Africa during the 1960s. "