Twenty Chickens for a Saddle

As the blurb says, this is the story of the childhood of Robyn Scott, her brother and sister and family in Botswana. From moving there when she was six, homeschooled by her mother, with her father operating a flying doctor service, to her high schooling in Zimbabwe across the border.

With grandparents already established in Botswana, they move in with eccentric Ivor, renovating an old cowshed to become their home. While ostensibly the story of Robyn's childhood, the story encompasses the whole extended family, the challenges and successes, and the coming of AIDS to Botswana, and her fathers efforts to assist his many patients who are HIV positive.

The book, while 450 pages in length, is an unchallenging read, mostly linear and largely anecdote based. It is hilarious in some places and at least amusing for its entirety. While others found the narrative lacked ‘action' and ‘excitement', I appreciated that the story didn't read as embellished to add these factors when there was no need.

The title refers to her parents challenging her to raise money to contribute to the new saddle Robyn wanted for her horse. It was the first of her money making ventures, where she bought twenty chickens who had completed their year at the battery farm, and coxed another year of eggs from them free-range, and sold them to the white expats. In high school she brought stationery from Botswana to sell in Zimbabwe where the quality was far inferior, at a reasonable markup.

Overall a worthwhile read, with lots of detail about Botswana and the development of the AIDS epidemic. A cast of interesting characters within and outside the family.

4 stars