Book Recommendations

An Elephant in My Kitchen

By Françoise Malby-Anthony, Katja Willemsen

Biography & Autobiography, Personal Memoirs, Environmentalists & Naturalists, Women, Nature, Environmental Conservation & Protection, Animals, Wildlife, Mammals, General, Animal Rights | 320 pages
1 recommendation

'The most magical book about the African bush since Born Free' – Daily Mail

'A beautiful love story between humans and the majestic elephants' – Jo Malone, Daily Express

Françoise Malby-Anthony never expected to find herself responsible for a herd of elephants with a troubled past. A chic Parisienne, her life changed forever when she fell in love with South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony. Together they founded a game reserve but after Lawrence’s death, Françoise faced the daunting responsibility of running Thula Thula without him. Poachers attacked their rhinos, their security team wouldn’t take orders from a woman and the authorities were threatening to cull their beloved elephant family. On top of that, the herd’s feisty new matriarch Frankie didn’t like her.

In this heart-warming and moving book, Françoise describes how she fought to protect the herd and to make her dream of building a wildlife rescue centre a reality. She found herself caring for a lost baby elephant who turned up at her house, and offering refuge to traumatized orphaned rhinos, and a hippo called Charlie who was scared of water. As she learned to trust herself, she discovered she’d had Frankie wrong all along . . .

Filled with extraordinary animals and the humans who dedicate their lives to saving them, An Elephant in My Kitchen by Françoise Malby-Anthony is a captivating and gripping read.

Latest recommendations
Camilla Peters
30th Jan 2025
"Loved the easy writing style of Francoise as she described the challenges of animal conservation in South Africa. The highs and terrible lows and how it sometimes feel that poaching will never be eradicated. The joys of the elephants and how they seem so human in their reactions to life events was a heartwarming part of the story. Francoise never gives up despite being a French woman living in the "middle of nowhere" - she so deserves her success with her books, her amazing looking lodge and I admire her "never give up " attitude to life. Can recommend the book and I definitely have Thula Thula on my bucket list of places to visit one day."