Looking for Mrs. LivingstoneThis is the enthralling story of the extraordinarily courageous and stoical wife of the world-renowned explorer and missionary, David Livingstone. In the history books, Mary Livingstone is a shadow in the blaze of her husband's sun, a whisper in the thunderclap of his reputation. Yet she played an important role in Livingstone's success and her own feats as an early traveller in uncharted Africa are unique. She was the first white woman to cross the Kalahari, which she did twice - pregnant - giving birth in the bush on the second journey. She was much more rooted in southern Africa than her husband: he has a tomb in Westminster Abbey, London; she has an obscure and crumbling grave on the banks of the Zambezi in a destitute region of Mozambique. In the thrall of Africa, the author has travelled extensively over several years in the footsteps of Mary Livingstone, from her birthplace in a remote district of South Africa to her grave on the Zambezi. She explores the places the Livingstones knew as a couple and, above all, explores the detail of the life and family of this little-known figure in British - but not African - history. |
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Agnes Anna Mary arrived Bakwena baobab Batawana became Blantyre Boer border Boteti Botswana bridge British bush called camp Cape Town chief child Chobe Chobe River Chonuane Christian Chupanga church colonial cross daughter David Livingstone desert elephant European explorer father Gaborone Gaia Griquatown husband journey Kalahari Keith Khama Kirk Kolobeng Kuruman Lake Ngami Land Rover later letters Linyanti lion Living look Ma-Mary Mababe Mabotsa Magomero Makololo Malawi Mary Livingstone Mary Moffat Mary’s grave Maun Mike miles mission station months mother Mozambique Mzilikazi National never night Okavango Delta ox-wagon parents Portuguese reach Renamo river road Robert Moffat route safari Scotland Sebetwane Sechele Setswana Shire Shoshong South Africa Stewart stone there’s trees tribe Tswana Victoria village wife wildlife William Cotton Oswell woman women wrote young Zambezi Expedition Zambia Zimbabwe