Get Your Free Audiobook
-
An African Love Story
- Love, Life and Elephants
- Narrated by: Virginia McKenna
- Length: 14 hrs and 45 mins
- Categories: Science & Engineering, Science
Non-member price: $35.96
Publisher's Summary
The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of An African Love Story, Daphne Sheldrick's touching memoir about romance, life and elephants from Africa's greatest living conservationist. Read by Virginia McKenna, the star of Born Free and the Founder Trustee of the Born Free Foundation. An African Love Story is the incredible memoir of the life of Africa's greatest living conservationist. It tells two stories.
The first is the Tsavo years, and the extraordinary love story which blossomed when the young Daphne, moved to Tsavo with her first husband and fell head over heels with both the park and its famous warden, David Sheldrick. The second is the love story of how Daphne and David, who devoted their lives to saving elephant orphans, at first losing every infant under the age of two until Daphne at last managed to devise the first-ever milk formula which would keep them alive.
This recording contains a bonus track featuring an interview with Virginia McKenna in which she talks about her own conservation work and her friendship with Daphne Sheldrick.
More from the same
What listeners say about An African Love Story
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 05-08-2019
I love this book
The author's passion for nature is amazing, the narrator captures Daphne's true spirit and love for elephants and all wildlife.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Edna Marshall
- 01-03-2019
Moving Story.
What an amazing book. So full of Emotion. I cried I laughed I learned - thank you
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 10-05-2018
Wonderful.
Absolutely loved this book. Beautifully narrated and the most fabulous story of Daphne Sheldricks passion for elephants, and all other animals.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sleep Tech
- 07-06-2017
Beautiful story
Wonderful in every way Excellent narrative Highly recommend Thank you for getting this story out there.
-
Overall
- Coral Arlidge
- 18-03-2017
An amazing Love Story
Listening to Virginia read was like being in a room with Daphne herself telling her life's story. Made me laugh out loud and sob uncontrollably. Beautiful tale of two extraordinary people and the wonderful contribution they have made to Africa's wildlife
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lululune
- 12-10-2019
Magic... I fell in L♡VE with this book and everyone, human and animals, in it...
The most beautiful and touching story of L♡VE... Love of Africa and its wildlife, love between a woman and a man, love of elephants.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anna Spencer
- 18-05-2016
A magical tale of Africa.
This enchanting tale of the love between humans and animals, as well as the deep love between Daphne and her husband David is spellbinding.
It is exquisitely read by Virginia McKenna, who makes the reader feel that it is she who is living the experiences of Daphne Sheldrick. She even convincingly conveys Daphne's emotions.
This book and the reading are brilliant! Anyone who loves animals, especially wild animals, will find it a real treat!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Deborah
- 25-06-2012
A story of Africa, of human nature and Elephants
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
An absolutely delightful listen. Well narrated and a terrific life story to learn from.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Daphne of course as the central character - honest and insightful
Which scene was your favorite?
The epilogue of the attack of the elephant which Daphne mistook as Eleanor, kept me intrigued throughout to discover what became of her and how this came to be after a lifetime associated with the elephants.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I both laughed and cried throughout. The experience of wildlife was both cruel and kind, savage and civilised. I recognized the universal law of balance operating throughout the book, both from the perspective of Daphne's personal life, and that of the wild animals she cared for, especially the elephants. Her love for the elephants best expressed in her quote: 'a hundred miles for an elephant is just like a stroll.'
Any additional comments?
Terrific narration. Great life story.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Deb
- 01-04-2012
African Love Story with a difference
Would you listen to An African Love Story again? Why?
Yes I would listen to it again. The story had me riveted from the beginning to the end and I like that.
What was one of the most memorable moments of An African Love Story?
The story of the little mongoose whom Daphne had saved as an orphan
Have you listened to any of Virginia McKenna’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I had it clued to my ear for hours but had to sleep sometime
Any additional comments?
Virginia McKennas diction was marvellous and I enjoyed listening to her and would get other books performed by her because of the way she brought the story alive for me.
-
Overall

- Emma
- 13-04-2013
Lovely uplifting book
This is a lovely book with a real feel-good story. When listening I felt I was really able to visualise being in Kenya amongst the many animals described in the book. Even if you are not an animal lover I think you would enjoy this book. The relationships described both amongst the animals and between the animals and the humans are heart warming. Perhaps at times the descriptions were a little lengthy but generally I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- Lindsey
- 27-03-2013
Beautifully narrated tale of an interesting life
Cannot recommend this highly enough. Having at first thought I might find it too distressing, I soon found that the style of writing, and narration, manage to tell the story of this lady's extraordinary life and works with compassion but without undue sentimentality. You go through sadness, relief, anger and wonder and admittedly the occasional tear, but ultimately it is an uplifting story in many ways and well worth a listen.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Rui Ribeiro
- 15-07-2020
A lovely story beautifully narrated
This is a lovely uplifting book and it is indeed an African love story, an endearing one about the life work of Daphne and David Sheldrick on the preservation of widlife in Kenya and the ever present menace of paching and human greed. It is also a story of love, beautifully narrated by Virginia McKenna. This is one of the not so common situations where the narration makes perfect justice to the book, conveying the emotions that one can perceive from Daphne Sheldrick's lovely writing. Highly recommended.
-
Overall

- Alexis Lay
- 13-02-2020
Great knowledge shared in a wonderful way
especially entertaining and poignant for anyone with an African upbringing, but also a love of animals
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- portra
- 31-08-2019
inspiring & emotional
one of the most beautiful, incredible true stories, I've heard. The pure tenacity if Daphne, David Bill and their family helping the wind animals in Kenya against poachers is inspiring, a legacy to Africa. I cannot recommend more highly this book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- milly
- 13-06-2019
The best read ever! So heart warming
Absolutely beautiful. Read beautifully too. Very touching book I cried a few times and also very happy to learn such wonderful humans exist. Elephants are my favourite animals and rhino's. So I cannot wait to raise money for her amazing charity and visit the sanctuary x
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Valerie
- 01-05-2018
Wonderful book.
Written and read from the heart. True feeling of Africa and the wildlife. Didn't want it to ever finish.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- reeceyp123
- 07-04-2017
Passionate story of deep love for man and animals
Really enjoyed this biography from a bygone era starting in colonial times all the way to the present day.
the authors love and passion for her family whether its her husband and human family to her live and compassion for her animal family.
what a worthwhile life!!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 19-03-2017
Learning to listen to Elephants through compassionate men and woman.
This books charm is definitely the reader, who captivated for me, the real life emotions of this life story. It was hard to put it down as each chapter left me in suspense to listen to yet another chapter, well into the night on some occasions. My sincere thanks to Daphne for her courage, following her second husbands death, and to Joy who made Daphine's life come alive for me.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Angela Findlay
- 03-02-2017
Fantastic audio book
This book was gifted to me upon leaving my job, and beforehand I made a request to my work colleagues to donate any money that was collected as a present for me leaving to the David Sheldrake Wildlife Trust. They sponsored "Jotto" the elephant in my name and purchased this book.
I really wanted to read it but could not find the time, therefore I paid for the audio book which was beautifully narrated with dignity and passion. I do not believe anyone else could have read it better than Virginia.
I found this book incredibly interesting and didn't want it to end! it made me laugh and cry so many times. As a person who knows how intelligent and cheeky animals are, it really hit a raw nerve in regard to the human disregard for animals.
Daphne has had such a wonderful life and a really tough one at the same time, she is right when she says that you never get used to the death of an animal/friend and she has had more than her fair share.
This is a fantastic book, the beauty of it is when you own the actual book too you can see the photos of the animals and people that are mentioned in the book, its great! I would highly recommend this audio book and I would also urge you to buy the actual book too!
16 Best Audiobooks by Aboriginal Authors
Across genres, there’s no shortage of brilliant titles from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers of Australia.



25 Best Celebrity Audiobooks
It’s always a pleasant surprise to pick up a familiar story and find an unexpected famous friend in the narrator’s booth.



Best Audiobooks of 2020
We've crunched the numbers, heard from our listeners and gotten expert opinions to round up the best listens of 2020.


