Official Review: Timot by Frans Bijsterveld

[Scerakor]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Timot" by Frans Bijsterveld.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Some of us are perfectly comfortable living a life of luxury or ease. Others, however, have no such ambitions and are drawn to wide-open spaces or the call of adventure. Tim Braybooke fell squarely into the latter category, and his life in Africa is a testament to this sense of exploration. Timot, by Frans Bijsterveld, tells the non-fiction story of Tim Braybooke’s adventures from 1955 through 1986. Before he died, Tim started recording his life’s adventures in the form of a manuscript. Since Tim never finalized this work, Bijsterveld took it upon himself to publish the work, along with a compendium of photos, into a finished product for all to enjoy.

This book takes the reader on a journey through Tim’s life. Whereas your first job may have been flipping burgers at your local fast food joint, Tim had a slightly different plan. In 1955 he started his working career in Bechuanaland (now known as Botswana) as a professional crocodile hunter. As if that isn’t enough, however, he continued to work in a variety of positions in Rhodesian national parks (becoming the youngest warden in the country), as an entrepreneur with a safari business, and even served a brief stint with the psychological warfare branch of the Rhodesian military. Everything that Tim did seemed to ooze adventure. For example, a simple trip home from Europe for most of us would have included a couple of plane rides maximum. He, on the other hand, decided to take the land route across Africa and even found himself working with the French Foreign Legion! Pick up your copy of Timot to see just how much Tim got up to during his life.

I absolutely loved this book. Memoirs can easily be hit and miss depending on the subject matter at hand. I’ve always had a sense of adventure, and I absolutely drooled over the descriptions of the African landscapes, the promise of excitement at every turn, and the incredulous tales. Not only were Tim's stories rife with the right level of action to keep me interested, but Bijsterveld’s writing was on point as well. This is the kind of book that has the reader scheduling a safari or filling out his African immigration papers after turning the last page. What I liked the most about this book is how the author was able to put you into the scene with his writing and still maintain a relatively informal/conversational style with the reader.

The only negative comment that I have about the book, and consequently what I liked the least, was the final chapter. Whereas the rest of the book chronicled Tim’s adventures through the years in a linear fashion, the last chapter was simply tacked on the end. It told a variety of different fishing stories from throughout his life but felt slightly out of place and unlike the rest of the work.

As I’m sure you’ve guessed by what I’ve written so far, this book comes highly recommended. The stories kept me glued to the pages, and I only found a few minor errors in the entire book. Therefore, I have no qualms whatsoever in giving this tribute to Tim Braybooke’s life a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. Lovers of memoirs or stories about the African wilderness will definitely enjoy this book. If, however, you’re turned off by the killing of animals, hunting, or have no interest in the wilds of Africa, you can comfortably ignore this one.

******
Timot
View: on Bookshelves

[Etienneza]

Enthralled am I. Thank you for a very thorough review, of a genre and life path I would be interested in. Details from the text creates a picture of Tim's daily routine and challenges in the outdoors. Well done with BOTD!

[Becca Olsson]

Your excitement over the book is felt through your review. The plot sounds incredible and inspiring and your excitement makes me want to read this book all the more

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Thanks for a well-detailed review. I really enjoyed reading it.