Ride the Wings of Morning: Letters to and from Africa

A conventional English girl arrived in South Africa, to help a friend run horseback safaris on a game reserve in the Northern Transvaal. It was 1992. There were yellow road signs declaring "Dit is die Volkstaat". Sophie had heard of "biltong" but knew nothing of Afrikaans culture. She was aware of poachers, but not of the danger of sausage trees. Nor how to cook a gemsquash on the campfire without causing an explosion.

She understood there were rhino on the reserve, but not that she would end up working as the safari guide. In the dark. On a stallion. Lost. With completely innocent tourists on other horses.

This upbeat true story, the sequel to her book 'Funnily Enough', is told through correspondence sent back and forth between Sophie Neville and her family in England. Armed only with a paintbrush, she set off on various adventures into the wilderness, to illustrate the beauty, diversity and warmth of the great continent.

“Enormously amusing.” Nick Archer. ‘Real life jumps off the page with such warmth and energy I couldn’t put it down.’ Fiona Lindsay.