The Bottom Line
- Well-written.
- Contains much interesting info that I didn't know about Ruark.
- Africa history helps one better understand Ruark's books involving Mau Mau.
- Repetitive, and contains typographical errors which should have been avoided.
- Filled with unnecessary information that has nothing to do with Ruark.
- Not chronological, which can be confusing.
Description
- Well written and fairly thorough biography of Robert Ruark.
- Each chapter appears to have been written to stand alone - thus, there is much repetition.
- Out of sync. Ex: Tells how "Something of Value" was received, then later about the writing of it.
- Contains much unnecessary information that has nothing to do with Ruark.
- Anything about Ruark is worth reading for a Ruark fan - and this book is mostly about Ruark.
- Contains lots of good insight on Ruark the man.
- Visit the publisher's site for more reviews of this book.
Guide Review - A View From a Tall Hill: Robert Ruark in Africa
Late in the book I found the author's explanation of why this book is not what I expected. In describing his meetings with Harry Selby, whom he had expected to rely heavily upon as a source of information, he reveals that Selby was unwilling to help him with the book. At that point, I believe the writer's hopes for his envisioned book about Ruark in Africa were dashed - but he carried on, preserving the title and filling the considerable non-African gaps with anything that could be considered Ruark-related - and much that is not.
Wieland says this isn't intended as a full biography of Ruark, but in many ways, it is - moreso than a portrait of Ruark's time in Africa. A history of WWII in the Atlantic, including the sinking of the Bismarck, has little to do with Ruark, yet is included in dull detail.
Repetition gave me the most aggravation. I don't need to read twice in the same book about Ruark's leopard attack, or his getting the news of Hemingway's suicide. Lack of chronology was also a problem, and in the end I realized that each chapter was written to stand alone rather than working together to tell one contiguous tale.
A good read for a Ruark fan, but don't expect what the title and cover infer.
