52 pages • 1 hour read
Alexandra FullerA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Alexandra and Vanessa join their father and his workers on a journey to herd cattle and fence parts of their vast ranch. They endure a two-day journey through rough terrain, during which Alexandra falls ill after drinking contaminated water. She experiences vomiting and dehydration, and the family struggles to manage the situation with limited communication and dwindling resources. Vanessa cares for her sister, while their father employs various methods to feed her.
Eventually, after days of illness, she begins to recover. Despite her ordeal, Alexandra vows never to leave Africa.
The Fullers’ farm workers struggle to herd the cattle. Frustrated by their lack of progress, Tim calls on Vanessa and Alexandra to demonstrate proper herding techniques, who use a calm and gentle approach instead.
Tim, Vanessa, and Alexandra visit Nicola at the hospital, where Nicola, visibly weakened and pale, struggles with sharing a room with another new mother. Separation from her daughters adds to her distress, but she finds solace during their visits.
On their way back from the hospital, the Fullers encounter a hitchhiker named Charlie Chilvers, whom Tim reluctantly gives a ride and offers lodging. As the family anxiously awaits the baby’s birth, Vanessa and Alexandra agree to name him Richard.