{"product_id":"drums-on-the-night-air-a-womans-flight-from-africas-heart-of-darkness-9781849016414","title":"Drums on the Night Air: A Woman's Flight from Africa's Heart of Darkness","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eVeronica Cecil was twenty-five years old when her husband was offered a job at a large multi-national company in the Congo. Filled with enthusiasm for their new life, the couple and their eleven-month-old son set off for an African adventure.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eVery soon, however, Veronica began to realise that life in the Congo was not what she had imagined. Food shortages were an everyday occurrence; she felt like an outsider at the club in Léopoldville, which only the Belgians and other expats frequented; and flickers of violence were starting to erupt everywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSix months later Veronica and her family were sent to Elizabetha, a remote palm oil plantation on the banks of the Congo River. But even here paradise didn't last. Civil war broke out, and the rebels captured the neighbouring town of Stanleyville and took all the whites hostage. Despite the fact that Veronica was on the verge of giving birth, the situation was so dangerous that she and her toddler had to be evacuated. Leaving her husband and all their possessions behind, she and her son began on a two-day journey through the jungle. But on the plane back to Leopoldville, the first labour pains began...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eLetters From Abroad\u003c\/i\u003e, written and read by Veronica Cecil, BBC Radio 4: '... absolutely enthralling' \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e; 'Blending her personal memories with the wider picture, Miss Cecil effortlessly packs more into her quarter hour than many an hour long documentary...' \u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA story of hope and hopelessness, of a woman fleeing for her life...a compelling tale of a country in turmoil. -- Jenny Crwys-Williams\u003cbr\u003eFrank and compelling. * The Pulse *\u003cbr\u003eAbsolutely enthralling * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA gripping page-turner. * Oldie *","brand":"Little, Brown Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51771614101847,"sku":"9781849016414","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781849016414.jpg?v=1758728518","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/drums-on-the-night-air-a-womans-flight-from-africas-heart-of-darkness-9781849016414","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}