Child of Happy Valley: The Childhood Memoir of Juanita Carberry

This book is an excellent companion piece to the better known 'White Mischief' by James Fox, which dealt with the excesses of the wealthy, selfish & hedonistic Happy Valley set in Kenya in the 1930's & early 1940's. Juanita Carberry was pretty much the only child in evidence of any of the people in the group, & thus saw them all from a rather different perspective. She had a very difficult childhood, with her beloved mother Maia being killed in an air accident when Juanita was only 3. Neither her sadistic & unpleasant father John nor her subsequent step-mother June showed much interest in her, so she was largely left to fend for herself. John may not have been much of a family man, but (to give him his due) was very active in the early aviation scene in Kenya, overseeing the opening of Malindi airport & being one the founders of what became East African Airways. I myself grew up in Kenya in the 1960's & early 1970's, so Juanita's beautiful descriptions of the Nairobi - Mombasa railway journey, & places on the coast such as Diani Beach & the Kilifi Ferry really resonated with me, as they hadn't at that time changed very much since her trips there 30 years earlier ! Her description of Jock Delves Broughton confessing to her out of the blue three days after the event that he had indeed murdered his wife's lover Joss Erroll rings true - after all, he was one of the very few adults who ever bothered to talk to Juanita, & really they were both outsiders within their social set with him being much older than the others, & she of course much younger. In fact she may well have inadvertently saved his life by casually asking him on a separate visit to his house the day before why he was rather obviously burning a pair of gym shoes ('tackies') on a bonfire when such items were normally passed on to the African servants. Given that marks from a similar pair of shoes had apparently been found inside Joss Erroll's crashed car, production of these as evidence would probably have been enough to convict JDB in the subsequent trial. Juanita reckoned later that the shoes were spirited away never to be seen again shortly after she made her remark. JDB then effectively reaped his reward for his kindness to Juanita through her loyalty in 'keeping mum' for 40 years about what he had told her. Delves Broughton himself was a tragic figure, as his background was coincidentally very similar to Juanita's, with his mother dying when he was very young, & his father never showing much interest in him. Having a lot of money in the background was also clearly not an unalloyed blessing, as it probably resulted in him not having to have any real aims in life. Juanita's book really brings many of the Happy Valley set to life from a different angle, & is thus well worth reading. Whilst it is always interesting to read about people who live life at the extremes, it is probably a good thing that there aren't too many of them ! It is to Juanita's credit that she got away from the Carberry household as soon as she could (in 1941 aged 16) & went to live with relatives on her mother's side, before starting to chart her own course through life. As a final word, the book 'The Temptress' by Paul Spicer (the right-hand man of the legendary entrepreneur Tiny Rowland of Lonrho) about Alice de Janze (perhaps the most way-out member of the entire Happy Valley set) sheds further light on the lives of that extraordinary group of people.

Interesting and disturbing account of what became the 'White Mischief' film in the 80s.

I liked that this autobiography was available. A very interesting and insightful record about the Happy Valley world experienced through a very intelligent child's eyes.

Enjoyed this book from beginning to end...don't know if I agree with the statement on the cover..."shocking". I didn't find it shocking and is just another view of the Happy Valley set with the story woven around June Carberry's step-daughter Juanita who was treated badly by her father and step-mother. It describes Juanita's life.... her travels, her upbringing, neighbours, the schools she went to etc etc As in most of the books about Happy Valley details are slightly different depending on who's version you read. Even though this book promises to reveal the real truth about who murdered Lord Erroll..I am still not convinced..again it depends on who's version of it you read.

Juanita ( wonderful irish connection) grew up in Kenya quite unloved, yet having lived amongst drug addicts and alcoholics she turned her live around and despite her father cutting her off without a penny she does not dwell on his failures. It comes across to me that her father did love her though after a fashion, there were after all trips to England holidays in France boarding schools in the UK and finishing schools in Switzerland. A good read if at times the prose is quaint-I don't think small farmers in Cork who lived on or by their estate Castle Freke would like themselves being referred to as 'peasants'.

Fascinating account of the author's childhood in rural conolial Kenya. It would have been idyllic if not for her sadistic father.

An extraordinary childhood in a fascinating age. This book shows the resilience of character that this young girl has in the midst of breathtakingly harsh treatment in what was considered to be such a privileged world. A true tale of contrasts - depravity, sadism and cruelty set amongst the beautiful hills of colonial Kenya. A good read.

An entertaining memoir, enjoyable writing style and fairly "un-put-downable" - if a little far-fetched at times! A vivid picture of life as a wealthy but semi-neglected, innocent yet sophisticated child living amongst the hedonistic, callous and affected "Happy Valley" set.

Book came on time and in the exact condition as described. Very happy and would recommend!

More than sordid tales of white mischief in colonial Kenya, this memoir chronicles what many today would consider child abuse. Notwithstanding the dark undertones, the prose is light, lively, and full of vivid descriptions of people, places, and historical events before and during Kenya's transition to independence. Anyone who has spend time living/working in Kenya will appreciate it.

One of the top books about life in Kenya in the pre-colonial days.. A very personal description of life among the Happy Valley crowd.

This is an engaging memoir of a life, of a rather likeable and genuine woman, who happened to grow up on the fringes of the infamous Happy Valley set in colonial Kenya. Of far more interest than this however is the authenticity and resilience of the author herself, and her rich descriptions of life in the colony- and the mindset of English people and expats in that era. She writes with a real and down-to-earth style, complimented by her natural honesty, warmth and empathy for other people, her animals and wildlife. This is undercut by her rather dark upbringing at the hands of her sadistic father and self-absorbed stepmother. There is also the tension that comes from the disparity between the relatively priveleged lifestyles of the colonials, the basic and lowly existences of the Africans, and the hidden reality of her own dysfunctional family life. It is another spinoff book from the Happy valley genre, yet even without that association, it stands alone as a fascinating and pleasant read that brings back to life the vanished era of colonial East Africa.

If you have read White Mischief by James Fox, you will be fascinated by this book. This is a memoir of a young girl during the Happy Valley time in Kenya. It is well written and very frank about Juanita Carberry's life. Highly recommended. This book deserves an A++++++++