Too Late to Turn Back: Barbara and Graham Greene in Liberia

In 1935 Graham Greene planned a trip to Liberia - a little known country on the west coast of Africa, and was in need of a travel companion. When nobody else would accompany him, he accepted an offer made by his young cousin - after a few champagnes. At any time an expedition in Liberia, travelling by foot with native guides picked up on the way, and carriers organised as best one can, is an impressive undertaking. Graham Greene, with his drive and unwillingness to compromise, and Barbara Greene, still finding her feet with her cousin, shows a willingness to make the hard miles too - in fact she seems to relish it.The largest part of the appeal of Barbara Greene's book is the charm of her nativity. At 23 from a fairly privileged background, trekking in deepest Africa, where maps show no details other than a label of ‘cannibals' she is for the most part in awe of her elder cousin. Graham deals with the guides and carriers, wrangling them when needed. He deals with the village chiefs on arrival in each town, organising accommodation for the cousins and the carriers, as well as food for the carriers. For the largest part Barbara is just tagging along.Of course Grahame Greene wrote his [b:Journey Without Maps 17928155 Journey Without Maps Graham Greene https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368688769l/17928155.SY75.jpg 1172121] about this journey, and cousin Barbara barely receives more than a mention. The other aspect he barely mentions is his illness - an illness Barbara is convinced at one point that Graham will die from. She plans her solo travel to the coast to be able to send telegrams advising family! Thankfully for all of us, Graham pulls through - soldiering on while not really recovering at all!Graham Greene didn't know Barbara was keeping a diary, and reportedly wasn't too pleased that she converted that diary into a book and had it published. I suppose it shows him in a different light than his own book. Barbara says she only re-wrote it to share it with her ailing father, and it fell into the hands of a publisher who convinced her.Of course, this would be best read alongside [b:Journey Without Maps 17928155 Journey Without Maps Graham Greene https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1368688769l/17928155.SY75.jpg 1172121], a book I read in 2013, and gave 3 stars. I might get more if I was to re-read it, but you know - so many books, so little time. I find it very hard to justify a re-read with an abundance of unread books in my house!I can't fairly apportion more stars to cousin Barbara's turn of events than Graham's own, so will have to award only 3 stars. This is a very gentle and charming read though, perhaps worth another!