Beyond Mombasa tells the unforgettable story of Ronald and Florence Preston, the pioneering Victorian-era couple who, with the help of 1000 mutinous coolies, not to mention all manner of beasts, attempted the seemingly impossible - building a railway line from exotic Mombasa on the east coast all the way to Lake Victoria, deep in Africa's dark and wild heart.

In an era when the French were threatening the British stronghold over Africa, this intrepid couple defy the odds in their quest to accomplish the greatest engineering feat the world has ever seen. But to achieve their goal they must overcome innumerable challenges: inhospitable terrain, floods, droughts, illness, man-eating lions, political pressures, warring tribesmen, traitors from within, not to mention the huge personal strain put on their marriage ...

Beyond Mombasa takes the reader on a heart-stopping adventure across Africa - a land full of danger and colour, a land which has since the dawn of time resisted the white man's scourge, and a land where man is pitted against not only nature, but against himself.

Thankyou for choosing this book! I'm so glad you're checking out what all this bookcrossing business is about! Please enjoy the book then if you'd like, leave a journal entry & let us know what you think. If you love the book you're welcome to it but if you want to join in the fun release the book somewhere else & leave a journal entry letting us know where you left it.
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One of my picks for the last round of OZ VBB and it arrived today. A bit of a big book! Sounds very intriguing and will also help with my 666 reading challenge this year. Thank you leah152!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I like historical fiction, it is set in Kenya, which I visited a long time ago (and as it happens, took the overnight train from Nairobi to Mombasa), however, feats of engineering are not necessarily my thing. But it totally grabbed me. It's an incredible story and Frank Coates, the Australian author does a great job of giving us a fictionalised account of it. He is an engineer himself which is probably why all the technical bits are very clear and understandable to people like me! He is also clearly in love with Kenya, and I felt that strongly through the book. By the end I couldn't put it down and the story of the Uganda Railway will stay with me for good I think!

Now ready to travel again.

To be released at meetup.

Caught today at the Templestowe meeting.