To me this is a story of place, of family tradition, expectations, and trying to fit it. It starts in Africa in the 1950s and stretches across the generations and into America. The story is worth listening to, but seems to skim the top of the characters lives without delving deeper. I was hoping for more depth in the day to day lives of the characters, to learn more about their lives in Africa at a time of monumental peril and change. Thank you to Bon Esprit Books and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

An absorbing saga that could have been longer.

I really enjoyed this Kenyan novel. We follow three main characters: Wambui, her son Raymond and her English mathematics teacher Eileen from the 1950s to sometime in the 2000s. We see Wambui grow up from young maths prodigy to wife and mother, follow her son as he goes to medical school and eventually to America to work, and Eileen as she is forced to return to England after losing her job. I liked all three stories and my only real gripe is that I wanted to spend more time with the characters. The sudden time jumps were a bit jarring and I think the reading experience would have been richer if the book had been longer. But that's really just a tribute to how much I enjoyed the story and not a criticism as such. I recommend this to readers who like historical fiction and sagas.

Audio narration: I didn't feel the narrator added anything to the story, it was pleasant enough narration but just a straight up reading and when I switched to the ebook I enjoyed the experience better.

I'd like to thank the publishers, Bob Esprit Books, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Bon Espirit Books for accepting my request to audibly read and review The People of Ostrich Mountain.

Author: Ndirangu Githaiga
Narrator: Lee Goettl
Published: 03/31/21
Genre: Historical Fiction -- Literary Fiction -- Multicultural Interest

A difficult read in that I couldn't keep track of where I was, who the story was focused on, and their relationships. Giving examples could feasibly be a spoiler, so I'm not going there. There wasn't enough character building for me. The author packed five generations into 8.5 hours -- 300 pages. It read like an outline.

I do believe there is a story here. I do not have enough knowledge about Kenya and the customs to understand a skimming tale.

This is a fascinating and at times heart-breaking and brutal story of a time and place we speak little about in our history books of life in general. As usual I will not rehash the story here as the professionals tell the synopsis so much better. It is a wonderful family story set over a period of generations. Perhaps I should of read it instead of listening as I did not like the narrator. Why have an American accent telling the story of Kenyans and British!

This is a very interesting read that takes you through colonial history in Kenya and how it affects the people who were ruled over. It progresses at its own steady pace and that is what I loved about it. It is the story of a family, a generational story that takes you through the changes that take place over generations as one family comes out of the yoke of being ruled yet also the lingering effects of it somewhere in their minds. A layered and well-written historical fiction.

The story was absolutely fantastic. I found the characters and atmosphere to be engaging and I was completely engrossed. I did not enjoy the narrator for the audio book all that much, though.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the audio book galley in exchange for my honest review.

I initially read the synopsis of this and listened to a clip of this book and thought it would be something I'd really enjoy but I really don't like the narrator on this one. The story seems like a interesting one from what I've heard thus far but I don't enjoy the audiobook for this book. I will definitely read the physical copy though.

I found this novel to be very engaging. Some plot holes here and there distracted me from the story but I still experienced some emotional moments. As this was an audiobook galley, I'll share that I didn't enjoy the performance of this book. Too many native names were butchered and even thought the narrator has a good voice, he's still a Caucasian narrating a book by an east African, set in Kenya so that performance felt like I was listening to a BBC documentary.

An interesting book. I liked some characters more than others. The most interesting character was the doctor and his struggles to get through medical school. I haven't read much about the colonization of Africa and the aftermath of it, so it was interesting to get that perspective.

This one was really just ok. The strength is definitely the historical/geopolitical information, and the opening is promising. After the story starts to move away from a linear following of Wambui, it weakens significantly. I don’t think I’d seek out any other works by Githaiga.

Audio: the narrator does the work no favors with his monotonous sing-song presentation. There were times I needed to stop the audio and move to reading it to stay engaged. I will be actively avoiding any other works narrated by Lee Goettl.

Thank you to Ndirangu Githaiga, Lee Goettl, Bon Esprit Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

**𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟏𝟗𝟓𝟎𝐬' 𝐌𝐚𝐮 𝐌𝐚𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐭. 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚, 𝐖𝐚𝐦𝐛ũ𝐢, 𝐚 𝟏𝟒-𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫-𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐚𝐲’𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝.

𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐖𝐚𝐦𝐛ũ𝐢 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐄𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. 𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐦𝐛ũ𝐢, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐝-𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐲, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬.**

When I say I need a sweeping story that spans over generations...this is what I mean!!!
Such an epic family saga where each character's story is so intricate even though they are interwoven with one another.

The narrative voice of this story was bloody beautiful...there was a softness and warmth to it that we saw reflected in so many of the connections made between the characters.

I wish I could put my finger on what exactly made this such an easy and enjoyable read- maybe it was the historical and sociopolitical aspects being explored from such a humane and emotional POV? Perhaps it was the believability of the story? Perhaps it was the vivid imagery that transports the reader... I don't know but it gets a high star rating from me! (I actually went into it expecting to be a bit bored and to have to force my way through it, so coming out the other end, I wonder why more people aren't talking about it)

This was a fantastic, well written family saga about 3 generations of Kenyans. The characters along with the plot feel fully developed and realistic. A job well done, however I would not recommend the audio version of this book as the narrator tends to dull down the story.

I listened to the Audiobook version of this novel, and while I admit- I didn't love the narrator- I really enjoyed this book.
The novel begins in a critical time in Kenyan history- the 1950's with the Mau Mau rebellion- or as it is better known in Kenya- The Emergency -and takes us through to more current times. The main character Wanbui starts the novel attending a prestigious boarding school where everyone is required to go barefoot as not all girls had shoes- and ends texting her daughter -thousands of miles away- as she waits for an appointment at a university in Nairobi.
What is unique to this novel is that there are actually several main characters- Wambui - a young school girl at the time of the rebellion, her British ex-patriate teacher Eileen, and her son Raymond. Through the novel, there was a shifting focus between each character, but- just as I began to wonder what happened to one- a new chapter would pop up- updating me. It's a complex novel - spanning 5 decades and covering events in the US, Kenya and the UK. This book would be an excellent book club book or reading for students- there are many jumping off points for discussion of race, disability, history, healthcare, and gender issues.
Like many who picked up this book- I've worked in Africa for many years, never in Kenya- which was always a stop over point when I was working in South Sudan during their war. So I felt familiar with Kenya- and East Africa. The life scenarios and situations described seemed very accurate and I rather enjoyed reading exactly how Ray managed to exchange his MD training year - scheduled for a terrible location, for a more acceptable one. It reminded me of so many instances of getting on a timely flight, or explaining away a missing passport stamp were a matter of luck and who knew someone.
Somehow the author is able to make the stories of a mother and son, and a favorite teacher all come together - in three separate countries, and have so much meaning. Rich in detail- but not weighted down with excessive prose- the book really transported me to Kenya, and then to the cold streets of Chicago, and the damp gray of England, as I followed with interest the life choices of the three characters, and cheered as each successfully navigated their lives. Towards the end, I found myself wondering how the author would wrap it up- but- just like that- a satisfying conclusion!
Highly recommend this novel. Excellent choice for people interested in Africa, immigration, women's issues, and even healthcare in the US.

Absolutely amazing read! Such a captivating read! Amazing cover art that was super eye catching would definitely recommend to all!

I enjoyed this audiobook. The setting was very interesting. I have not read many books that take place in Africa. The atmosphere was well developed. I especially liked the main character, Wambũi, a young woman who shows exceptional ability in mathematics. Other storylines include her teacher and son; however, Wambũi is the star of this novel.
The son goes to the US to become a doctor, which is a little cliche. His experiences seemed very realistic. and I felt for him when he was inappropriately dressed for interviews and had no idea about the difficulty of being accepted for medical training. I also appreciated how one of the professors/mentoring physicians stood up for the interns. This was well-written.
I learned about Kenya and the culture from this book, which I always appreciate. The book is well researched.
The ending was lovely. I would like to read a second book about this phase of Wambũi's life.
I would read this author again.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book begins in the 1950s when the Mau Mau uprising began in Kenya. A fourteen year old girl named Wambui has been an excellent student and her father sold his favorite goat in order to pay her train ticket to. a girls’ boarding school six hours away. Even though she excelled at school, she returned to her poor village to help her family. She married and became a mother. she excelled at math and tried being a math teacher but it did not work out. She returned to her husband’s business which was a hardware store and she became an excellent businesswoman. The book also contains a story of a Scots woman who had become a teacher at the girls school and told more about her life.Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this audiobook.

I really enjoyed this audiobook! For a novel that spans 5 decades and 3 continents, it is surprisingly gripping and the author does a great job of bringing the settings to life. I loved all of the main characters but Ray's storyline was my favorite. The narrative perspective fills a gap in the historical fiction market about this time. Ndirangu Githaiga excellently highlights the challenges of being a woman in Kenya's mid-twentieth century and the challenges of life in the USA as an immigrant today. It also offers readers the opportunity to reflect on the true meanings of home and community. Great listen!

Thank you Net Galley for an audio ARC of The People Of Ostrich Mountain by Ndirangu Gitaiga. This is a family saga. I didn't like it so well. I had problems concentrating with the narration.

This well-written saga has us following 3 people as they experience trials and tribulations in their lives.

Wambũi, a 14 yr old Kenyan girl, leaves her home to go to a boarding school far from home. While at school she forms a life-long friendship with one of her teachers, Aileen Atwood. Wambui will come to depend on Aileen throughout her life. Although Wambui becomes a math teacher she eventually leaves teaching to help her husband and father-in-law run their hardware store. Her shrewd business sense allows her to help their business expand and grow beyond their expectations.

Wambũi's son Ray, while studying to be a doctor in Chicago experiences prejudice at every turn although his love of medicine allows him to let it go.

After 40 years Aileen is heartbroken when she has to return to England after losing her teaching job. She felt that Kenya was her home but she lost her job due to her "being a foreigner" per Administration. Ironic that she would experience discrimination in Kenya while Ray would experience it in America.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Kenyan culture and family loyalties in this novel. The narrator, Lee Goettl, has a soothing voice which was easy to listen to. I found myself a little frustrated with his choice of the stuttering voice for Ray. I actually had to jump ahead or would have put the audiobook down which I did not want to do. This did not take away from the beautiful writing of Ndirangu Githaiga.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Bon Esprit Books for the ARC. This opinion/review is my own.

A sincere thank you to NetGalley, Avon Esprit Books, and Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA) for providing me a copy of the audiobook of “The People of Ostrich Mountain” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to listen to the story and leave my review voluntarily