This is an absolutely beautiful novel of 1920's Kenya, where the African savannah is almost as much a character as any human.
Delilah Drummond is a 20-something-socialite whose latest scandal has even her mother in a tizzy. So she ships Delilah off to her stepfather's Kenyan estates, Fairlight, to wait for things to die down and maybe grow up a little. Delilah and her cousin, Dora, find that Fairlight has been left to fall apart, and set about doing what they can to make the place livable and working with the natives to improve the living situation for everyone. They also find a community of British ex-pats who are all a little too involved in each other's lives, among them tracker/hunter/know-it-all Ryder White, who has an immediate attraction with Delilah.
Yes, there are similarities to Out of Africa, but those are superficial. Author Deanna Raybourn has created a wonderful heroine in Delilah - she's smart, beautiful, charming, loyal, and worldly. Ryder is the perfect foil for her, and they have fabulous chemistry. And the story just drives you right along - I really couldn't put it down. This is one of the best novels I've read in a while.
A Spear of Summer Grass
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