The White Masai
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Product Description
Book Description
At once a hopelessly romantic love story, a gripping adventure yarn and a fine piece of social anthropology, White Masai is a compulsive read. Whilst on holiday Corinne Hoffman fell in love with a Masai warrior. After overcoming all sorts of obstacles she moved into a tiny shack with him and his mother and spent four years in Kenya. Slowly but surely, the dream began to crumble. She eventually fled back home with her baby daughter. From wild animals through starvation to ritual mutilation, this is a book steeped in humanity and one that tells a fascinating tale.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
Wonderful warm tropical air embraces us the minute we land at Mombasa Airport, and already I feel in my bones that this is my country: I'm going to be at home here. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Wonderful warm tropical air embraces us the minute we land at Mombasa Airport, and already I feel in my bones that this is my country: I'm going to be at home here. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found the writer, Corinne Hofmann, completely self-obsessed and ignorant to the reality of the situation around her.By the time she has sold up in Switzerland her Masai has shown no real interest in her whatsoever but again she chooses to ignore this-even though she's heard nothing from him for months!She practically hijacks him-how can he say no to her wealth?
Although she is a thoroughly unsympathetic character the book is worth reading for the very interesting cultural differences.
Although she is a thoroughly unsympathetic character the book is worth reading for the very interesting cultural differences.
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a fascinating biography of one woman's experience of starting a new life in an alien culture. Her story begins when she meets her Masai on holiday and becomes obsessed by him. She leaves her home country Switzerland to become his wife and live in the depths of Kenya.
The back of the book has the quote from the Daily Mail 'dashing tale of love and adventure' and herein lies the fundamental reason as to why this book is so incredibly irritating. Hofman clearly is NOT in love with her masai. Throughout the book she keeps trying to create the impression to the reader that this is love with rather whimsical descriptions and lots of 'My darling husband' scattered generously throughout its pages. However beneath the fluff it is interesting when you look at her core descrptions of him and their relationship. She talks of being a 'breathtakingly beautiful man' 'he looks like a young god'. She later describes ' his sleek body' in detail. Infact at no point in this book are we presented with any evidence that she was 'in love', instead we are left with the impression that this is a holiday romance gone horribly wrong (eventually) and that she is obsessive and to be honest, a bit of a bunny-boiler. The GREATLY over-used description of her Masai as 'my darling' on almost every page left me wanting to extract my own eye balls, on more than one occaision and physically shout at Ms Hofman to 'WAKE UP AND GET A GRIP YOU SILLY WOMAN'.
I could not feel sympathy for her at any point in the book. Towards its end, there is a chapter which details her becoming very unwell and needing a significant stay in hospital for liver problems. She is warned not to eat meat as it will make her ill again but 'sneaks afew pieces' when her Masai comes to visit her and brings her a roasted goat leg. It makes her ill, resulting in a doctor screaming at her that if she didn't want to get better why is she in hospital in the first place. It is another example of her making a bad decision based on emotion rather than common sense. The best bit of this book comes when the doctor screams at her for being so stupid, a feeling echoed by myself for the entire book.
I would recommend this book as it is truely interesting, however it is not a book of one womans bravery, of following her heart and love. It is a story of an impressionable woman following her sex drive and making a life style choice based upon her labido and thats OK as we all make good and bad decisions in life. However the marketing of this book made me expect alot more inspiration and 'depth' from its pages, from this book which is apparently ' steeped in humanity' and a tale Hofman's bravery. Instead I was left with the feeling that I had been somewhat mislead and this is the story of a silly woman who made a rather silly choice.
The back of the book has the quote from the Daily Mail 'dashing tale of love and adventure' and herein lies the fundamental reason as to why this book is so incredibly irritating. Hofman clearly is NOT in love with her masai. Throughout the book she keeps trying to create the impression to the reader that this is love with rather whimsical descriptions and lots of 'My darling husband' scattered generously throughout its pages. However beneath the fluff it is interesting when you look at her core descrptions of him and their relationship. She talks of being a 'breathtakingly beautiful man' 'he looks like a young god'. She later describes ' his sleek body' in detail. Infact at no point in this book are we presented with any evidence that she was 'in love', instead we are left with the impression that this is a holiday romance gone horribly wrong (eventually) and that she is obsessive and to be honest, a bit of a bunny-boiler. The GREATLY over-used description of her Masai as 'my darling' on almost every page left me wanting to extract my own eye balls, on more than one occaision and physically shout at Ms Hofman to 'WAKE UP AND GET A GRIP YOU SILLY WOMAN'.
I could not feel sympathy for her at any point in the book. Towards its end, there is a chapter which details her becoming very unwell and needing a significant stay in hospital for liver problems. She is warned not to eat meat as it will make her ill again but 'sneaks afew pieces' when her Masai comes to visit her and brings her a roasted goat leg. It makes her ill, resulting in a doctor screaming at her that if she didn't want to get better why is she in hospital in the first place. It is another example of her making a bad decision based on emotion rather than common sense. The best bit of this book comes when the doctor screams at her for being so stupid, a feeling echoed by myself for the entire book.
I would recommend this book as it is truely interesting, however it is not a book of one womans bravery, of following her heart and love. It is a story of an impressionable woman following her sex drive and making a life style choice based upon her labido and thats OK as we all make good and bad decisions in life. However the marketing of this book made me expect alot more inspiration and 'depth' from its pages, from this book which is apparently ' steeped in humanity' and a tale Hofman's bravery. Instead I was left with the feeling that I had been somewhat mislead and this is the story of a silly woman who made a rather silly choice.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I nearly didn't continue reading this book after the first few pages. Hoffman comes across as truly blinkered; she sets her sights instantaneously on the warrior and with her comparative wealth, he's hardly likely to turn her down, is he?! She falls in lust, not love. The prose is clunky, and she is self-obsessed. I only finished it so I could effectively slate it at my book group, and because I wanted to know how long she'd last. Ghastly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
well written but...
Its is a good writting, but I could not stop thinking how stupid and ignorant that woman was, just to dump everything for a lust, for a so-called love for a complete stranger, who... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Sabz
Love story?? Not much...
This is one of those books that on the face of it should be fascinating, but a clunky style (maybe partly due to translators, but it's hard to say) and the fact that Hoffman seems... Read more
Published 13 months ago by tiggrie AKA Sarah
Not a love story
I enjoyed this book, HOWEVER not because it was a love story, unless love is defined by a shiny six pack and red hair. Read more
Published 14 months ago by C. Martin
Great Read
Could not put this book down and enthralled by it all. Just back from Kenya on holiday and wished I'd read it before I went. Can't wait to read Corrine's other books.
Published 17 months ago by Ruth Maxwell-Hart
Arrogant Swiss woman
As a Kenya lover I found this a fascinating read, and I'll confess to having read it all in one go. However I found the author naive, unlikeable, arrogant and out for what she... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Globetrotter
The White Masai
An excellent and fascinating account of a lifestyle which is fast disappearing. It helped that I read it just after returning from Kenya and had actually been to Samburu, Nairobi... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Nickie A
OK, if you can stand the VERY un-likeable author!!
I was really disappointed by this book. It isn't really a romance story at all, it's just about a naive, selfish young woman who decided she wanted a man and unashamedly did... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Kerry
The White Masai
This is a searingly honest book, if nothing else. The story reads something like this - Swiss woman goes on holiday to Kenya, sees a man, falls in love and marries. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Ciara Roche
Lost in translation.......?
Well, what can I say, I read through this book much easier and quicker than I anticipated, it makes a wonderful reading group read as it is thought provoking and I am sure that... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Kernow Girly
Fascinating account of a different life
Having recently returned from Tanzania and visited a Masai village, this vivid discription of the harsh life these people lead made fascinating and believable reading. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Red Jonah
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