A Training School for Elephants by Sophy Roberts

$40.00 NZD

Category: 2025 February New Releases

From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia, comes a new journey tracing a colonial-era African expedition. In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants - if only he c From the acclaimed author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia, comes a new journey tracing a colonial-era African expedition. In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa's resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants - if only he could train them. And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants. Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo. The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled. She digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary - and enduring - story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly. ...Show more

The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts

$24.00 NZD

$26.00 (7% off)

Category: History | Reading Level: very good

'Stunningly written' Sunday Times ... 'Richly absorbing' Guardian... 'Hooks you in from the start' Times... 'Masterful' Independent... 'Hugely compelling' Observer... 'Wonderful' Financial Times Siberia's story is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell. 'Stunningly written' Sunday Times ... 'Richly absorbing' Guardian... 'Hooks you in from the start' Times... 'Masterful' Independent... 'Hugely compelling' Observer... 'Wonderful' Financial Times Siberia's story is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell. Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos created during the boom years of the nineteenth century. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. How these pianos travelled into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is remarkable. That they might be capable of making music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is a story about a piano hunt - a quixotic journey through two centuries of Russian history and eight time zones stretching across an eleventh of the world's land surface. It reveals not only an unexpected musical legacy, but profound humanity in the last place on earth you might expect to find it. ...Show more