Isak Dinesen's memoir of her years in Africa, from 1914 to 1931, is a love story. No, not a love story as a romance between a man and woman, but one between Dinesen and the land (and people) of Africa. 

After separating from her husband, who brought her to Kenya from Denmark, Dinesen learns how to manage a four-thousand-acre coffee plantation in the hills near Nairobi on her own. Her out-of-order account of African adventures paints a picturesque and impassioned perspective on the Kikuyu tribe who shares the land, neighboring Swahilis, Somalis, and many other tribes. She is also visited by other Europeans and a part-time lover, the big-game hunter Denys Finch-Hatton.

As the unnamed narrator (referred to once or twice as Baroness Blixen) becomes entrenched in the land, she becomes actively involved with the natives, running an evening school for children and adults and providing basic medical care when needed. The story eventually takes a tragic turn, when Blixen is forced to face the harsh realities of trying to operate a farm. 

Major themes include Africa as a pastoral landscape, the differences between cultures, and the spirit of aristocratic nobility — something she feels middle-class settlers from Europe lack. She is also very sympathetic to the rapid introduction of culture and technology by the tribes, which did not benefit from the gradual adoption of such innovations as the Europeans did. 

Despite its merits, not everyone will appreciate the tone, perspective, or lack of chronology to ground it. I'm a bit more forgiving in Dinesen achieves two ambitious endeavors — convey her deep love for Africa and the power of storytelling.