Good Stories, Great Adventures

I can’t remember at what age I fell in love with reading but I remember always loving a good story. I learnt from a young age that between the pages of a book is where lots of magical things happen and you meet characters you sometimes feel sad to leave behind when the story comes to an end. Through books, I’ve travelled the world and seen amazing places.

Sometimes I wonder what the world looks like for those who do not read. What does it feel like to never have had crazy adventures with Huckleberry Finn as a child or not know one of the most recognised lines in fiction ("frankly my dear, I don't give a damn") from the book Gone With the Wind?

Nevertheless, I’ve had awesome adventures, and I would like to share with you three of the many books that granted me such wonderful times. Perhaps you may read them also and enjoy your own adventures… 

The Burning Shore

Author: Wilbur Smith

This novel is set during and after World War I.  It is part of the Courtney series written by South African writer Wilbur Smith but it is not the first book in the series. However, it is the first I read. It is a story of a young woman of aristocratic birth Centaine de Thiry whose entire life is turned inside out by World War I.  Pregnant and alone, she enrols as a nurse and boards a hospital ship for south Africa. The ship is attacked by the Germans and Centaine ends up on Skeleton Coast. She is adopted by two San (the first people of South Africa) and learns how to survive in the desert. Through this book, I was able to travel through war torn France to the depths of the African wilderness. 

Golden Fox

Author: Wilbur Smith

Okay, by now you’ve realised I adore Wilbur Smith’s books. This book is also part of the Courtney series and covers the life of Isabella Courtney. You will be part of a whirlwind of affluence and success, which will turn out to be hardships and pain behind a mask, as the entire Courtney family is drawn into the lair of the golden fox. This book allowed me the opportunity to travel through London society, the splendor of Europe and opened my eyes to the effects of apartheid on South African citizens, without having to take an actual history class. The story weaves through South Africa, London, Spain, Russia and Cuba. 

The Far Pavilions

Author: M. M. Kaye

This book tells a tale of British-Indian history. The entire story is set in India when it was a colony of Britain. Ashton, a young boy of British heritage struggles to survive in India after his parents and his nanny dies. He thinks he is an Indian, and later struggles with his identity when he learns he is British. He joins the British army and falls in love with Anjuli, one of the Indian princesses he is ordered to guard. Just like Ashton, Anjuli struggles with her identity. Her deceased mother was half Russian, half Indian. Because of this, Anjuli is considered a half-breed. The princess is given into an arranged marriage which Ashton later saves her from. The entire book is spread across many beautiful places in India and tells the story of colonized India, of marginalization due to race and of forbidden love. It’s an amazing journey to take with Ashton and Anjuli and I got to take it.

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