Book Description:
Ever since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It’s the trip of a lifetime–but life sure isn’t what they thought it would be back when they were young.
Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts–but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.
Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Tea with Elephants, a lovely women’s fiction vacation story set in Kenya. Fern and Lily became best friends years ago when they met at summer camp. Their teenage dreams of travelling the world together didn’t happen. Fern pursued a publishing career as an editor in Colorado and married a few years ago. Lily married young and raised her children in Nashville.
When Lily’s in-laws gift her an African safari trip for two in Kenya, she invites Fern to travel with her. Fern applies for vacation leave and discovers she’s being retrenched from her long time editor role. Her dream publishing job is gone and she doesn’t know what she’ll do next. Fern’s husband encourages her to go on vacation with Lily and enjoy the experience.
I loved armchair travelling with Fern and Lily and discovering the culture and beauty of Kenya from Fern’s perspective. Their safari was amazing and I loved seeing the animals in their natural habitat. I appreciated the story connections to Karen Blixen and Out of Africa.
We see Fern’s faith in action and her relationship with God as she processes her job loss and how it impacts her life. Lily meets her aunt and uncle in Kenya for the first time and she has her own struggles to overcome in the story. Fern and Lily have a beautiful friendship and I loved how they support each other during the story.
I recommend Tea with Elephants to contemporary fiction readers who like charming friendship travel stories in an African setting with a strong faith element in the story.
