A first from Penny Haw for me and definitely won't be my last! This is a riveting story about two women from different generations who come together.

I found the archaelogical aspect exciting and I love how these women are independent and make their own way in the world.

Haws draws a strong portrait of archeologist Mary Leakey both as a young woman finding her passion and as an accomplished archeologist, but the real engagement for me was with the marvelously depicted African landscape. Easily traversing back and forth in time and viewpoint, Haws pairs Mary's story with that of the purely fictional character of 17 year old Grace who is similarly trying to find a purpose and a place. Enjoyable and informative. For me it brought back memories of old TV documentaries, but for younger readers it will shine light on an era of discovery that has been forgotten.

I loved the author’s previous book - Woman At The Wheel- and was so excited to see she had a new novel coming out on the life of Mary Leakey ! However, this one didn’t work as well for me . There are two POV - a young Mary Leakey in the early years of her meeting with her husband and an older Dr Leakey in Africa with a young girl named Grace and a wild cheetah named Lisa
For the most part , especially the Mary L POv,
I felt like I was being told “facts” ( albeit fictional) most of the time vs being shown these characters and their development and relationships over time .
My fav part of the story was definitely Lisa the cheetah and Grace’s growing love for the wild animal .

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up ⬆️ for 🐆
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review

From the Author of Women at the Wheel. Follow Me to Africa by Penny Haw tells the real life story of Mary Leakey.

The story follows a dual time line set in 1913 England - when Mary Douglas Nicol was born and later marries Louis Leakey. Her Father Erskine Edward Nicol is a watercolour painter and artist. Together they travelled the world visiting the USA, Italy and Egypt working as artists and selling their artwork to make a living.

Mary begins her life also as a drawer and artist. Then at the age of 13 after the death of her father and whilst in Egypt, shows interest and a passion for archeology becoming a famous paleo anthropologist. Her mother is not happy about the life her daughter wants to live but Mary lives the life she is excited about and enjoys.

In 1983 Africa - Mary now aged 70 meets Grace Clarke a 17 year old. Grace whose mother was sick and has passed away is unhappy and believes her father George abandoned his family for work. Grace decides to travel with her estranged Father to the Serengeti Plains Tanzania working on an archaeological dig at Oiluvai Gorge along with Mary.

Mary and Grace become friends and have more in common than they realise. Mary tells Grace her life story, loss of beloved parents, passions in archaeology and discover they both share a love of animals. Along comes an injured cheetah named Lisa into the camp and together with great care they assist the cheetah fulfilling their duty of looking after the animals and wildlife surrounding them.

I rate this story 5 stars and thank NetGalley for the opportunity of reading and for writing an honest review of this beautifully written book. It teaches you a lot about how life is in a different part of the world. Africa has a great history and a tough terrain that makes you wonder how life can be lived. It has opened my eyes to the way of life and things I was not aware of. Archeologists have a fascinating career and understanding of how past events and history takes shape from deep spaces and come alive in present times that the common man can only see in museums.

Just like Penny’s other book Women at the Wheel, I love how Penny writes about true real life strong women in moments of history. I am looking forward to reading Penny’s next novel and can’t wait to see who she will write about next.

"Follow Me To Africa" by Penny Haw was a very well-written read. As a reader, I noticed and wanted to acknowledge the amount of time, research, knowledge, and effort that was put into this novel. It is both a refreshing and interesting read that is also inspirational. The author has taken great care to fictionalize Mary Leakey, a British paleoanthropologist and the main character in this novel, and has created a novel with the perfect mix of fact and fiction. I found it very enjoyable to read about her life, which this book is largely based on, as well as the fictional character that the author has created. Mary Leakey, alongside teenager Grace, is a well-rounded and developed character who forms an intergenerational friendship with Mary and represents a beautiful message that anyone could draw inspiration from. The author has written with such meticulous detail and description that the reader simply cannot help but picture themselves in the diverse yet vastly beautiful plains of Africa. The author's love and passion for Africa shine through with her immersive descriptions of both the scenery and wildlife. Readers who are fans of dual timelines will enjoy this book, as the author has beautifully written and connected two interconnected storylines from different periods of time. This novel is not only about Mary Leakey and her interests, reputation, and life as one of the world's most renowned paleoanthropologists, but it also tells a story about women's equity, what can happen when you follow your passions and relentlessly chase your dreams, as well as the connections we can make with different species as animal lovers. I really enjoyed this read and found it incredibly stimulating to learn about such an influential woman alongside some of my other passions. Thank you to NetGalley for a pre-release copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was wonderfu! I knew the name of Mary Leakey, but very little about her work and nothing about her personal life. Using teenaged Grace as a counterpoint was a great way to allow Mary to explain her work and highlight all the possibilities open to the younger woman—largely a result of Mary’s having gone before. To tell the truth, it makes me a bit regretful about missed opportunities in my own life. I am going to seek out other works by Penny Haw, and highly recommend this one!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

“What would you tell your younger self?”  --> Follow Me to Africa is inspired by the story of real-life paleo/anthropologist Mary Leakey at the start of her career in the 1930s and in a dual timeline with Grace, a fictional seventeen year old girl who travels to Mary's dig site with her father, after her mother's death in the 1980s.

Themes: loss of parent abandonmentinsecurity with career choiceconversations with your younger selfneed a man vs. career in the 1930sstrong desire to learn despite no formal education 

My thoughts:
Despite having zero archeological/paleontological knowledge myself, I found the fictionalized pages of Mary's timeline easy to follow, and induced my usual pauses for Googling (which I personally love to do during historical fiction reads). Grace's timeline and experiences mirroring Mary’s life in multiple ways, really added to the emotional journey and growth for Grace while in Tanzania. 

This book made me realize how little i NOTICE anymore...I felt like Grace having to be told to look at something that is/was so obvious to Mary but Grace completely missed.

Dual timelines & POVs always read very quickly for me, and the chapters were short enough that it kept me engaged and reading to find out what happens next in each POV. 

I can't review this book without also giving a mini spotlight to LISA THE CHEETAH...this story, by default, has a great many insights into animal instinct and nature's way of training the wildlife in Olduvai, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. 

TL; DR: This one is a great read for histfic lovers, (especially looking for non-war based stories),  looking for a story that includes both reflection at retirement and a younger protagonist finding herself.

Review Epilogue:
You also know I love a good "Author's Note" in my historical fiction...here are some great passages from this one:
“Mary Leakey was an exceptional, utterly original woman who disregarded what was expected of her, blazed her own trail, and carried her own dirt—literally and figuratively” - Penny Haw
"I understand the value of formal education, but I’m among those who enjoy discovering stories about people who’ve succeeded without it because of their passion, determination, curiosity, and unequivocal hard work. Take a bow, Mary Leakey, and thank you for inspiring me to create a version of your story." - Penny Haw
Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you to Sourcebooks/Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

With its focus on 17-year-old Grace Clark, and clear, direct language, this is a good Young Adult novel, though its inclusion of Mary and Louis Leakey’s affair and disregard for his first wife may make the target audience on the older side, 16 years and up.

Grace comes to Africa in 1983, soon after her mother’s death and with her estranged father. There she meets 70-year-old Dr. Mary Leakey, eminent paleoanthropologist and director of research into fossils and ancient artifacts at Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzania.
Interspersed with Grace’s story is that of the young Mary, also 17-years-old, but in 1930, and her difficult path to finding her calling as an illustrator and anthropologist.

Both young women deal with loss of a parent, grief, uncertainty, hopelessness and finding their ways through these circumstances and feelings. And they both are animal lovers, so dogs and a tamed cheetah are important parts of their stories.

Addressing the question of writing biographical fiction, the author’s note does a fine job of explaining why she is drawn to this, and what she hopes to communicate through it.

Thoughtful discussion questions also make the book a good choice for Young Adults; however, its lack of sophistication may make it less appealing to more seasoned readers.

My expectations were high for Follow Me To Africa. I love Africa as a setting and was looking forward to discovering more about Mary Leakey"s life and times. There is a duo timeline in the novel. Mary's begins in the 1930"s, much of the focus is on her romance with Louis Leakey. The second character is seventeen year old Grace, the timeline is 1983.
Unfortunately Mary's character didn't really come alive for me until the last quarter of the book, the romance and disappointment with her husband Louis felt a little tired, it seemed like there was much more to know about the young woman who became a world renowned paleoanthropologist.
Grace visits Africa with her estranged father after her mothers death. The story became interesting as she interacted with Mary Leakey and a cheetah who visits the camp and is in need of help. As an animal lover, I found the story of Lisa the cheetah the best part of the book.
While I liked the story, I wasn't completely drawn in. The writing is straight forward, more journalistic than poetic. I would have enjoyed a bit more poetry.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey commissions her to illustrate a book, she's not at all expecting to fall in love with the older married man. Mary then follows Louis to East Africa, where she falls in love for a second time, this time with the Olduvai Gorge, where her work defines her as a great scientist and allows her to step out of Louis's shadow.

In time, Mary and Grace learn they are more alike than they thought, which eventually leads them to the secret that connects them. They also discover a mutual deep love for animals, and when Lisa, an injured cheetah, appears at camp, Mary and Grace work together to save her. On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her.

Phenomenal traipse to another place and time through the eyes of two women of different generations. Beautiful imagery, fantastic characters. I didn't realize this was an homage to a real person until after I finished it. This is a gem! Highly recommended! 5⭐

I received an advanced complimentary digital copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Overall a good story well told about the anthropologist . I felt it was engaging and well thought out out and loved the setting
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC!!

Historical fiction is a genre I'm still trying to figure out what I like in. I mostly gave this book a try because it's about Mary Leakey - and I have a degree in anthropology, so I'm familiar with her work (and find her fascinating).
I loved this book, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. It was a quiet 5 stars for me - a bit of a slow boil, but by the end I loved it so much! There are two storylines going on in the book, with basically alternating chapters. The first is the story of Mary Leakey and how she came to anthropology and archaeology. The story involves a teenage girl joining a dig when Leakey is in her 70s and wrapping up a site.
We get to watch both women grow and learn about themselves. We get to watch them interact. I don't want to give too much away, but I loved both storylines and really feel like I came away with a better understanding of Mary Leakey.
I will definitely be checking out other books by Penny Haw in the future!

I've absolutely adored Peggy Haw's past books (The Invincible Miss Cust and The Woman at the Wheel) and was so excited to see another biographical fiction about an influential, and perhaps lesser-known, historical woman. Follow Me to Africa explores the life of Mary Leakey, a woman who didn't let her lack of formal education stop her from striving for her goals and becoming a world-renowned paleoanthropologist.

Follow Me to Africa is a dual-timeline novel. The first timeline is told entirely from the perspective of Mary Leakey, and it was fascinating to see her drive, ambition, and passion for archeology. She was a trailblazer who did things her own way (even though some of those decisions came with great heartbreak and pain.)

This 1930s+ timeline was a little slower but it felt well-researched. Peggy Haw does an exceptional job at bringing real-world individuals to life on the page, and (as someone who reads a lot of biographical historical fiction) I know that's tricky to do. While fictionalized, the book feels informative and authentic, and the conversations, motivations, and emotions felt entirely plausible.

The second timeline is set in the 1980s and features the teenage character, Grace. While Grace is an entirely fictional character, this young teen mirrors Mary's life and emotional experiences in many ways. Grace was a great foil for the older Mary, highlighting the many lessons learned along the way. The 1980s timeline also features the fantastic Lisa the Cheetah (which may have been my favourite plot point of the novel!) It was a beautiful element to the story, and you can see the characters' (and author's!) deep love for animals.

My one picky note (which has nothing to do with the story and everything to do with marketing) is that the blurb for the book says, "On the morning Grace is due to leave, the girl—and the cheetah—are nowhere to be found, and it becomes a race against time to rescue Grace before the African bush claims her." Given the emphasis on this in the book's description, I kept expecting this to play a larger role in the overall plot -- and it didn't. It was very small (and quickly resolved) part of the story, which threw off my expectations for the story a little.

Overall though, this was an interesting story exploring the life of a woman that I'd never heard of before. I love that Haw highlights incredible women and gives readers the opportunity to "meet" and cheer on these historical trailblazers. With its gorgeous, transportive setting and remarkable characters, this historical novel is one to watch for!

DNF at 34%. I just do not care about Mary Leakey and the domestic drama with the husband who cheated on someone else to be with her.

Follow Me.To Africa is inspired by the story of real life groundbreaking paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey, There are two timelines. We follow Mary as a young woman starting her career and 17 year old Grace in 1983 when Mary is 70 years old.

Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. Grace is still first resistant to even being there but things change as she begins to get to know Mary and meets a Cheetah who needs their help.

I loved the setting of Olduvai Gorge. All of the information about archeological digs is fun. The story about the Cheetah is very interesting and I wish there had been more of a focus on that. I didn't enjoy the chapters from Mary's perspective as much.

Overall the story is good but I was expecting something a little different based on the description.

I knew of Mary Leakey from an anthropology class and had seen her name on numerous fossil displays at museums. I loved this biographical historical fiction story about her life as a young girl through her final days in Africa. She did not have the easiest life but she did what she loved and made decisions that allowed her to continue to go on digs and live in Africa her entire adult life. The other story line was a fictional one about a teenager named Grace who was struggling with family drama and was brought to the Olduvai Gorge dig site in Tanzania by her father. Mary took Grace under her wing and helped her become more confidant and make decisions about her life. The chapters alternated between sharing Mary's life beginning in the 1930s and Grace's visit in 1983. I was fascinated by Mary's life and learned quite a lot about her skills and brilliance in the world of anthropology. I also enjoyed the chapters with Mary mentoring Grace and providing that guidance she was missing after her mother passed away. The author painted vivid pictures of the vast plains and sites she visited and you could imagine the sense of awe a young person from England experienced when she saw the beauty of the land, animals roaming free (it felt like walking through a zoo with the number of animals mentioned), and bright foliage across the land. The way the author used a cheetah to help bond the two women was masterful-have to read the book to find out how!
The author notes detail more about what was true and how the author chose the pieces to include from Mary's incredible life.
If you are looking for an immersive historical fiction about a strong, dedicated, and fearless woman, I highly recommend this book!
#FollowMeToAfrica #NetGalley #historicalfiction
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

“We all want to be worth something, do our bit, matter somehow. Work it out, girl, for yourself - before someone else does it for you and you find yourself stuck in a life you don’t want.”

Pack your suitcase ~ you’re heading to the Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, and hanging out with world-renowned paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey!

Known for her exploration of remarkable women achieving extraordinary things, author Penny Haw shares Mary Leakey’s story in a compelling dual timeline story through 17-year-old Grace’s perspective and through that of 70-year-old Mary.

The story is built around this question:
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?

Grace Clark has come to Tanzania to spend time with her father; she doesn’t want to be there and she dreads the 10-day ‘bonding’ experience. Things take a 180-degree turn when she meets Mary and Lisa.

Mary has so much to share with Grace. She’s spent 48 years in the wildest, remotest Africa and has learned to become fearless, unwaveringly confident and competent. Mary encourages Grace to be more confident in her abilities, to talk about her feelings, and to let go of things to “make space for new things to happen”. Her professional advice and life lessons help change Grace’s outlook and soon she doesn’t want to leave.

The writing had a wonderful flow and echo and the emotional pull both in 1930s and 1980s added to the plot. I loved learning more about this completely original woman, who disregarded expectations and blazed her own trail. As a teacher, I’m always intrigued by those who didn’t receive a typical education yet found other ways of amassing the knowledge and skills to pursue their dreams.

I highly recommend this story!

I was gifted this copy by Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Traditional format 📕 (digital)

Follow me to Africa is a biographical historical fiction. Novel about palaeontologist Mary Leaky.

The story is told in dual time ones: one taking place as Mary’s life was told in chronological order and one towards the end of her life. From a biographical story perspective it was unique for me where her life story was told from the beginning and then also as flash backs in the story line.

I really enjoyed the setting of this book; both the African setting and the archeological digs.

While I enjoyed sections of this book I feel like it lacked identity. I wanted more details on Mary’s life. Too much time was spend on the begging romance part and lacked details about when she had children. Because of this I found the book very slow and draggy at points and to be honest I almost quit a few times.

I feel like this had the potential to be a great book but too much focus on one part of the story and lack of focus on others made it a struggle to get through. I give this a 3/5 overall.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for a digital ARC in exchange for a review.

Another engrossing biographical historical fiction book from this author! This book is a dual timeline story with one part in 1983 and the other from the 1930's to 1983. The latter is based on the life of Mary Leakey, and astonishing woman with no formal education, who became a world renowned paleoanthropologist. Her life had me enthralled. What courage she had to flout the conventions of her time. The 1983 story did not interest me as much as it is based on a few fictional characters who interact with Mary. I very much appreciated the author notes at the end of the book that talked about who was real and who wasn't. I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in African anthropology and archeology.

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and Netgalley for an early copy of this book. All thoughts and comments in this review are entirely my own.

A teenage girl follows her estranged father to Africa on an archeological dig. She doesn't want to be there but begins to discover the beauty around her. Her connections with the dig's leader and a cheetah will have her looking deep within herself and reconciling the past. 
This is not a story you can speed through. The perspectives bounce from the young teenage girl in the 80s to the leader as a young woman in the 40s. That got confusing in the beginning as I tried to get familiar with the characters. Eventually, I moved in time quite easily. 
Overall, I didn't see this story as a plot driven one. It is character driven. Grace is a teenager with a big attitude due to the fact that her father abandoned her before her mother died. She's in Africa where she doesn't want to be. The reader sees her internal struggles as she attempts to come to grips with her perspective of the past and the truth. During that time, she finds a connection with Mary who leads the dig. But Mary has her own past she has had to overcome and helps her connect with Grace. 
The chapters that visit Mary's past helps the reader see how much her own life is similar with Grace's in the desire to be her own person yet still not sure of her heart's desire. Africa calls to each of them for different paths but journeys that cross each other's. 
A very thought-provoking book that will have the reader discovering they have a vested interest in the characters' decisions. It is not what happens next that pulls the reader in. It is what the characters decide and learn.