Upon her brother's death, missionary Rose Sayer and Charles Allnutt, disreputable skipper of the African Queen, become allies as, marooned in German Central Africa during World War I, they fight their old launch downriver 'to strike a blow for England'.
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"I loved this book. I don't know if it's just been a really long time since I've read Forester or if this is just an extremely accessible book by him, but this was a really easy read, and so much fun! I loved the movie, but the awakening of Rosie in the book is much better; more depth and believability. Action, adventure, romance....not quite what I was expecting!" — Josie (5 out of 5 stars)
"I loved this book. I don't know if it's just been a really long time since I've read Forester or if this is just an extremely accessible book by him, but this was a really easy read, and so much fun! I loved the movie, but the awakening of Rosie in the book is much better; more depth and believability. Action, adventure, romance....not quite what I was expecting!"
" I enjoyed the very detailed descriptions. Could visualise the movie quite clearly through the writings. "
" This is a case of the movie is far superior to the book. "
" ready to check out the movie, 'cause I cannot remember it, but I have a big feeling Hollywood took large liberties. "
" So bizarre! I barely remember the movie, but I think the book is better. And weirder. "
" movie is better than book. "
" The edition I read is the author's original version NOT the ending we are all familiar with from the movie. This is a quick read (partially because the story is so familiar). I liked it and recommend it. DON'T SKIP THE INTRODUCTION. "
" Fine characterizations. Surprisingly, I found plot ending of movie (Bogie/Hepburn, 1954?) better than the book. "
" An enjoyable story of the tragic experience of a christian spinster and a free-living drunk. They were an unlikely couple who fell in love during a harrowing experience on a small broken down boat. The ending was different than that of the movie. "
" Great read. Different from movie but still excellent. "
" Since I had read Hepburn's and Bacall's life stories, I wanted read the actual "African Queen." Foreater's book is relatively short and the movie parallels it well except on two points: the ending, which is entirely different and the fact that Rose Sayer is the stronger character in the book. "
" I had to read this book for a book group I run at work. It was a good adventure story and a very quick read. It wasn't a very deep book so there was much to talk about at the book group but most of the members enjoyed it. "
" A nice story, well-told, though I continue to suspect Forester never actually knew any women. "
" This was a highly enjoyable read for the clash between indomitable idealism with hardened cynicism. When both have a common enemy, they pull together. Lots of action. Can't escape thinking about the movie. Both are enjoyable. "
" A good read. The characters are as well developed as Hornblower, but the story is not as exciting. Still a very good read. "
" This is book is not one of my favorites, but the story of the innocent woman becoming "wild" in the jungle is always an amusing story line. "
" Another school read I think. Lots of fun. Date read is a guess. "
" What an amazing adventure - I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to watching the movie with my book club! "
" One of the only book/movie combos where I loved the movie, but I thought the book was meh. "
" I saw the movie and then read the book. Both were very good and the movie does, for the most part, follow the book pretty closely. I liked it. "
" I didn't know how much I would like a non-Hornblower novel by Forester, but this book is a pleasure to read. It has all the action, and the great characterization, plus the plot twists, and a little romance to boot. "
" I had hopes for this, given the movie and the fact that it was written by CS Forester, but for some reason it just didn't work. The first half wasn't bad, but in the end it rather petered out. "
" One of my favourite movies of all times and now one of my favourite books. I did like the movie ending better though! "
C. S. Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (1899–1966), an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare. His most notable works are The African Queen and the eleven-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic era. His novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. He is also known for writing gritty psychological thrillers that took crime writing in a new direction as they portrayed ordinary people turning in desperation to crime.
Michael Kitchen is an associate member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. On television he can be seen in the starring role of Foyle’s War on PBS. He also served as the narrator for the television series Faking It. His film credits include GoldenEye, The World Is Not Enough, Out of Africa, and My Week with Marilyn, among others.
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