Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Mysterious Death in Africa - Softcover

Seal, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0812979095 ISBN 13: 9780812979091

Publisher: Random House Inc, 2010

Synopsis

With compassion and an unswerving regard for the truth, veteran journalist Mark Seal lays bare the deeply moving, inspirational story of Joan Root, a dedicated environmentalist and Oscar-nominated wildlife filmmaker. He covers her early days in Kenya as a shy young woman with an almost uncanny ability to connect to animals; her whirlwind courtship with the dashing Alan Root, their marriage, and the twenty years of nonstop adventure and passionate romance that followed, both in Africa and around the world; the shattering disintegration of the marriage and partnership; and Joan's triumphant struggle to reinvent herself as the protector of her lakeshore community's fragile ecosystem--a struggle that would lead to her tragic death in January 2006. Joan Root dreamed of a bright future for Kenya, a country blessed with unmatched beauty but scarred by decades of colonization and a culture of corruption. She spent her life fighting to make that dream a reality. Her life ended too soon, but "thanks to Seal's meticulous re-creation, her extraordinary life lives on." (People, four-star review)

About this title

Review:

"Featuring an extraordinary real-life heroine, exotic settings, a love triangle, and a mysterious death, [Mark] Seal's riveting portrayal of famous wildlife filmmaker Joan Root is not to be missed."--Good Housekeeping

"Compelling . . . [a] strange, brutal, sad and beautiful story . . . a vivid and intensely captivating chronicle of fairy-tale lives played out against a once wild and seductive backdrop that is quickly disappearing."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Fascinating . . . [Mark Seal pulls] various elements into a compelling narrative: the personal love story. The physical splendor of Africa and its endangered wildlife."--USA Today

"More significant than Seal's investigation into Root's murder is his portrait of this extraordinary adventurer."--Washington Post

"Transports readers into the midst of an incandescent, doomed life."--Kirkus Reviews

Book Description:

For readers of the bestselling WHITE MISCHIEF and MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL - this is a mesmerising story of African adventure, heroism and undying love.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Inc
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0812979095
• ISBN 13: 9780812979091
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272