The African Queen

Great read. Lovely use of words and phrases.

The story is well known. What surprised me most is the sexual frisson that Forester instils in the book from the first page. Rose is the sister of a missionary and it is a position she quickly adopts in her liberating journey with her Cockney 'beast of burden' down the Ulanga River.Charlie Allnutt readily becomes the quiescent tool in Rose's wish to strike a blow for freedom and revenge against the German 'navy' in First World War East Africa. He would 'sooner be guided and driven' than take the lead but this is contrary to what Rose expects from the 'godlike...superior sex'. Their journey allows them to work out a relationship which satisfies their expectations of each other.The narrative drags you in. Their are several set-piece sections which are great fun to read and allow you to forget the iffy cockney accent. Charlie progresses from a weak character who is ready to admit his cowardice only to himself and flourishes under the manipulative, stout hearted Rose. She 'comes into flower' on a liberating jouney of self-discovery and sexual release.All great fun and hugely readable until we get to the denouement. No further spoiler comment but that's why it's four stars not five.

If your only experience of The African Queen is the 1951 Bogart/Hepburn film, you must read this book. The characters are infinitely more interesting; Rose is in her early thirties, unlike Hepburn and Allnutt is a weak and timid Cockney who grows throughout the story into an unlikely hero. The story is set in Central Africa at the beginning of the First World War. The strong-willed missionary Rose persuades mechanic and skipper Allnutt that they can use his steam launch,The African Queen, to make a patriotic strike against the Germans. The plan is preposterous – she want him to sink the German gunboat Königin Luise, docked on a lake downstream. Her silences and bad treatment persuade Allnutt to take on the task and as they travel down river, through exhiliarating rapids, occupied villages, leech invested swamps and miles of reeds and water-grass, they become closer as well as becoming lovers. CS Forester's depiction of the steaming, creaking country is the heart of this wonderful book. It is an adventure story full of excitement and tension with a fascinating and convincingly odd romance at its centre.

In good C S Forerster tradition of a good yarn

I often think that modern films from books do not do justice to the original. In this case the John Ford film is far better than the book.Having said that, the book is a very enjoyable read from an excellent author.

Great book,the end is nothing like the film . Great ending ,better than the film ,will see if there any more like it

Always keen to read the novel, having seen the film so many times.

I was a little nervous about reading this book as the film is such a favourite and the Hepburn/Bogart combo was branded into my mind. It had been recommended, however, so I decided to give it a go. I am so glad I did. It is a wonderful read and I loved almost every moment and kept sneaking off with it when I should have been busy doing other things. I hesitated about giving it five stars because of the way the cockney accent is written phonetically, which I found off putting (though I did get used to it). I also wanted a different ending! The strength of the narrative convinced me, however, that it deserved five stars and I am going to recommend it to everyone I meet.

Enjoyed it!Saw the original years ago with Hepburn and Bogart. Real actors too bad there aren’t more like them today!!

Interesante ya que lapeli esbastamte fiel a la novela salvo en su final. Es demasiado técnica en detalles de navegación y por ello algo pesada. Pero mantiene el interés.

I've never seen the movie but the little blurb Macmillan gave piqued my interest. Especially since I had read Riddle of the Sands (Also in Macmillan's collector's library) and loved it. I wanted another boat adventure and this one delivered. I even looked up what a steam launch looked like and found out the one used in the movie has been restored and is at Key Largo Florida and you can take an excursion on it.Even though it is a boat adventure, it is more about the interplay between two different personality types. Rose, the sister of a missionary has been pretty much dominated by the strong personality of her brother. But in fact, she proves to be made of sterner stuff. When she was baulked of her great purpose she had devised for herself, she didn't just give up and pine away like her brother did. Allnutt the pilot of the steam launch is the sort who has let life happen to him. When he visits right after Rose's brother dies, she happens to him. She gets him to go along with a very ill-advised scheme of shooting the rapids of a river in a decrepit boat to go to a lake and destroy a German ship by ramming it. I won't tell you more, you have to read it yourself. Very good read. I think this book would make a great beach read.Macmillans' Collector's Library editions are such pretty, portable little books. Handy, like a pulp paperback, but made of quality materials to last. The jacket on this one is especially colorful and pretty. I have quite a few volumes in the collection and some of my favorites have been schlepped everywhere and tolerated numerous reads. The size makes them ideal for travel and they don't take up much space in a suitcase.

As a fan of C.S Foerster this is typical of his greatly detailed outline of stories scenes as the plotline pulls you in .

This was an enjoyable book. Really easy read. Makes me want to watch the old movie.