Reviews of Wild Child
Wild Child
"When Ian Mathie sadly passed away some months ago, the world lost one of the last adventurers who grew up and loved the African continent and its people in the mid 20th Century. I have avidly read all of this author’s books and this last one, completed by his family in collaboration with his publishers, tells the story of Ian’s early days growing up in the bush. It recounts the freedoms, the adventures and the creatures, running wild without a care in the world. His voice shines through on every page, painting vivid pictures of a rural missionary school and the exacting punishments he received. He tells us of his African friends, getting to grips with a new language and the culture shock of boarding school back in Britain. Reading Wild Child takes you to Africa, surrounding you with the dust, the smells, the atmosphere of those vast areas densely populated with wildlife and vegetation. The book is a must read for all those who have visited, lived there or who simply want to experience a world very different to any other continent on earth."
Lucinda E Clarke
Author, broadcaster and traveller
Wild Child - Growing Up a Nomad
"Mathie is a consummate story-teller. This book recounts the highlights of his early years. The adventures and experiences he enjoyed imbued him with a deep love for, and respect for, Africa and its peoples and cultures. From a fearless lad who was able to handle venomous snakes, to his “adoption” by an African family, to his love of flying, this is a tale of adventure that few of us can dream of. I hope this teaser will invite you to check out Mathie’s other, earlier books. They will not disappoint."
Yvonne Hertzberger, author, fantasy/magic realism writer
"For Ian Mathie fans there is good and bad news. Ian has come up with the missing link in his narrative, the story of a very unusual childhood (yes, the very years that made him the amazing man he became). The bad – well it's hardly news two years later – is that the book is published posthumously. As always, it's beautifully written, with many exciting moments. What I most enjoyed was the feeling that many of the questions in Ian Mathie's later books are answered in Wild Child with a satisfying clunk. Seemingly all that's now left in the drawer is unpublishable.
Ian describes himself as 'growing up a nomad.' An army family, the Mathies lived together in colonial Rhodesia, Malay, Aden and Nigeria, interspersed with shorter periods in Scotland and England. Later, Ian was sent to school in Southern England where he was constantly in trouble, but learned to fly and saved a boy's life. After flying training with the RAF, Ian was recruited by men in grey suits – make of that what you will - and spent most of his working life as a water engineer in Africa."
Another Winner from Ian Mathie
"Witch doctors! Poisonous snakes! Riding zebras! Rescuing an imperiled canoeist. These are just a few of the exotic adventures of young Ian Mathie in Africa and English boarding schools. This remarkable Scottish born lad had already attracted the notice of a witch doctor, been adopted into a native tribe, and earned a coronation medal in Northern Rhodesia for demonstrating leadership when he was barely six.
Logically, a person would write memoir in chronological order, but this book makes it clear that Ian was a non-conformist from Day One. Thus his coming-of-age memoir is his sixth and last. I had already read and reviewed all of Ian’s previous African memoirs and have shouted their praises far and wide. When I learned of his death a couple of years ago, I grieved the loss of further stories from him. Thank goodness this was not so. I’m thrilled that he left a completed manuscript for this final book, and that his wife worked with his publisher to complete the project. What a fine gift of love and lasting legacy for Ian.
As with his other volumes, I read this one slowly, savoring his rich humor and deft expression. The sharp contrast between his experiences in Africa and Scottish and English schools made it clear why he strongly preferred the warm acceptance he found in Africa where he could easily innovate and march to his own drummer. This book clearly showed the early roots of his unsurpassed resourcefulness. His affinity for mischief had me laughing throughout. From WILD CHILD I see that while much of this may have been innate, he could not have developed any of these traits so fully without the laissez-faire, supportive parents who raised him and served as models of respect and empathy.
If there is a flaw in this story, it’s that I got confused about the timeline in some places and seldom knew how old he was at any given point. Some details seemed unclear. I feel certain that had Ian lived to complete the project himself, much of this may have been sorted. I understand how daunting it can be to tinker with story structure and words that may change the author’s intended message when he’s unavailable for questions or comment. But the bottom line is that story trumps style. Be assured that these minor matters do not interfere in the least with the pleasure of reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it has my unqualified recommendation."
Posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and B&N
Note: Sharon Lippincott is a writing coach and memoir teacher for the Lifetime Learning Institute in Austin, Texas. She also mentors memoir writing groups for Austin Public Libraries.
June 2019