Sign-In
Cart
Happy Valley: The Scandalous Rise and Fall of Kenya's Settler Aristocracy
Paperback
African HistoryBritish History
Publisher: N.W. Martin
Published: Jul 31 2026
Pages: 420
Weight: 1.23
Height: 0.86 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Thomas and Clara Erskine leave behind their quiet life in London after an unexpected inheritance draws them to a coffee farm in the White Highlands near Nyeri. What begins as the promise of a new future soon draws them into the most notorious society in the British Empire.
As they travel from Mombasa to Nairobi, dine at the legendary Norfolk Hotel, and build a life beneath the shadow of Mount Kenya, the Erskines discover that the colony is ruled as much by gossip as by law. Behind the elegance of country estates and lavish parties lies the scandalous world of Happy Valley, where fortunes are made, marriages collapse, and reputations can be destroyed overnight.
From the extravagant Idina Sackville at Slains to the charismatic Josslyn Hay, later the Earl of Erroll, from Lord Delamere and Karen Blixen to Alice de Janzé, Beryl Markham, and Denys Finch Hatton, Clara finds herself drawn into a circle of remarkable men and women whose lives would become the stuff of legend.
As the years pass, glittering parties give way to whispered betrayals, forbidden affairs, shocking murders, and the slow collapse of a world that believes itself untouchable. Clara and Thomas soon discover that no one can remain a mere spectator. Friendships carry risks, secrets demand a price, and each choice draws them deeper into a society from which there is no easy escape.
Happy Valley: The Scandalous Rise and Fall of Kenya's Settler Aristocracy is a sweeping historical novel that brings colonial Kenya vividly to life through unforgettable characters, breathtaking landscapes, and one of the most extraordinary social circles the world has ever known.
Step into the golden age of Kenya's White Highlands and discover the unforgettable world of Happy Valley.Also from
Martin, N. W.
Healing Gastritis: A Memoir and Gentle Guide for Anyone Facing Gastritis, Ulcers, or Chronic Stomach Pain
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
The White Highlands and the Mau Mau With the Rucks, Leakeys, and Kikuyu Freedom Fighters, 1952-1961
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
Wangari Maathai Biography of the Nobel Peace Prize Winner Who Founded the Green Belt Movement
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
Boosting Testosterone Naturally After 40: Hidden Secrets for Men to Reclaim Libido, Strength, Energy, and Vitality
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
AI Health Guide: Smart Tech Tools for Fitness, Nutrition, Sleep, Longevity, and a Healthier Family
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
WHITE SETTLERS IN KENYA Colonial Arrival and Settlement in the Kikuyu Homelands, 1901-1908
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
The Lunatic Express: A Late 1800s African Safari Wilderness Adventure and Thriller
Martin, N. W.
Paperback
Also in
African History
Mountain Farmers: Moral Economies of Land & Agricultural Development in Arusha & Meru
Spear, Thomas
Paperback
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland
Kahn, Ashley
Hardcover
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
Hochschild, Adam
Paperback
We Are Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution 1983-87
Sankara, Thomas
Paperback
Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War
French, Howard W.
Paperback
The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World
Lagnado, Lucette
Paperback
The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide
French, Howard W.
Hardcover
Slow Poison: IDI Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State
Mamdani, Mahmood
Hardcover
A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Woman Confronts the Legacy of Apartheid
Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla
Paperback
River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile
Millard, Candice
Paperback
The Golden Trade of the Moors: West African Kingdoms in the Fourteenth Century
Bovill, Edward W.
Bovill, E. W.
Paperback
Seeking Sexual Freedom: African Rites, Rituals, and Sankofa in the Bedroom
Sekyiamah, Nana Darkoa
Hardcover
When The World Was Black, Part One: The Untold History of the World's First Civilizations Prehistoric Culture
Understanding, Supreme
Hardcover
Mirror to the Church: Resurrecting Faith After Genocide in Rwanda
Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan
Katongole, Emmanuel M.
Paperback
Mdw Dtr: Divine Speech: A Historiographical Reflection of African Deep Thought from the Time of the Pharaohs to the Present Paperback
Carruthers, Jacob H.
Paperback
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
Millard, Candice
Paperback
Another Man's War: The True Story of One Man's Battle to Save Children in the Sudan
Childers, Sam
Paperback
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
Gourevitch, Philip
Paperback
Ancient African Empires: An Enthralling Guide to the Major Kingdoms and Civilizations of Africa
Wellman, Billy
Hardcover
Jews Under Moroccan Skies: Two Thousand Years of Jewish Life
Elmaleh, Rapha'el
Ricketts, George
Paperback
Politically Unconscious: The Psychic Aftermath of the Sudanese Revolution
Khougali, Mohamed
Paperback
The Willie Lynch Letter and the Making of a Slave by Kofi Ghanaba and Oyafunmike Ogunlano
Lynch, Willie
Paperback
Cuba and the Independence War in Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde: The Fall of the Last Colonial Empire in Africa
Dreke, Victor
Paperback
The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination
Reid, Stuart A.
Paperback
Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youths Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa
Mathabane, Mark
Paperback
Nuer: A Description of the Modes of Livelihood and Political Institutions of a Nilotic People
Evans-Pritchard, E. E.
Hardcover
Hidden Treasures of the Ethiopian Bible in English Complete: Uncovering the Secrets of the Deuterocanonical Apocrypha, Enoch, and Lost Writings
Thornfield, Alexander J.
Paperback
Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers
Mokhtefi, Elaine
Paperback
Country of My Skull: Guilt, Sorrow, and the Limits of Forgiveness in the New South Africa
Krog, Antjie
Paperback
Three Sips of Gin: Dominating the Battlespace with Rhodesia's Famed Selous Scouts
Bax, Timothy
Paperback
Scapegoats of the Empire: The True Story of Breaker Morant's Bushveldt Carbineers
Witton, Edward
Paperback
Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War
French, Howard W.
Hardcover
Pan-Africanism and Communism: The Communist International, Africa, and the Diaspora, 1919-1939
Adi, Hakim
Paperback
By Flesh and Toil: How Sex, Race, and Labor Shaped the Early French Empire
Lamotte, Mélanie
Hardcover
Kindezi: The Kongo Art of Babysitting
Fu-Kiau, Kimbwandende Kia Bunseki
Lukondo-Wamba, A. M.
Paperback
Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa
Stearns, Jason K.
Paperback
World History: A Visual Journey From The Dawn Of Civilization To The 21st Century
Alive, History Brought
Paperback
A School for My Village: A Promise to the Orphans of Nyaka
Linville, Susan Urbanek
Kaguri, Twesigye Jackson
Paperback
They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan
Deng, Alephonsion
Deng, Benson
Ajak, Benjamin
Paperback
In the Company of Heroes: The Personal Story Behind Black Hawk Down
Durant, Michael J.
Hartov, Steven
Paperback
African Saints Saints, Martyrs, and Holy People from the Continent of Africa
Quinn, Frederick
Paperback
This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa's First Woman President
Sirleaf, Ellen Johnson
Paperback
Operation Legacy and Other Stories: Graphic Histories from Africa
Getz, Trevor R.
Diptée, Audra A.
Paperback
World History, Volume 2: from 1400 (paperback, b&w)
Lynch, Ryan J.
Nelson, Brooke
Kordas, Ann
Paperback
When The World Was Black, Part One: The Untold History of the World's First Civilizations Prehistoric Culture
Understanding, Supreme
Paperback
When the World was Black Part Two: The Untold History of the World's First Civilizations Ancient Civilizations
Understanding, Supreme
Paperback
People in Motion: Flexible States and Porous Boundaries in the History of Coastal West Africa
Barnes, Sandra T.
Hardcover
Ripples from the Zambezi: Passion, Entrepreneurship, and the Rebirth of Local Economies
Sirolli, Ernesto
Paperback
The Kingdom of God in Africa: A History of African Christianity
Shaw, Mark
Gitau, Wanjiru M.
Paperback
The Kebra Nagast: King Solomon, The Queen of Sheba & Her Only Son Menyelek - Ethiopian Legends and Bible Folklore
Budge, E. a. Wallis
Paperback
African History: Explore The Amazing Timeline of The World's Richest Continent - The History, Culture, Folklore, Mythology & More of Africa
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
Nineveh and Its Remains: With an account of a visit to the Chaldæan Christians of Kurdistan, and the Yezidis, or devil-worshippers; and an enqu
Layard, Austen Henry
Paperback
The Heretic of Cacheu: Crispina Peres and the Struggle Over Life in Seventeenth-Century West Africa
Green, Toby
Hardcover
When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda
Mamdani, Mahmood
Paperback
Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Norse Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters
Clayton, Matt
Hardcover
Lessons From the Rhodesian Bush War: A Study in Survival, Rural Defense, and Collapse
Shift, Don
Paperback
When the World Was Black Part Two: The Untold History of the World's First Civilizations - Ancient Civilizations
Understanding, Supreme
Hardcover
The Hatata Inquiries: Two Texts of Seventeenth-Century African Philosophy from Ethiopia about Reason, the Creator, and Our Ethical Responsibilities
Heywat, Walda
Yaqob, Zara
Paperback
Red Rubber: King Leopold II's Regime; the Belgian Slave Trade in the Congo over Twenty Years, 1890-1910
Morel, Edmund Dene
Paperback
Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History
Lewis, Jori
Paperback