"I believed that if I moored myself to Charlie, I would know tranquility interspersed with organized adventure. I could remain here, safely. Our lives would be the 'three rifles, supplies for a month and Mozart' of Out of Africa without the plane crashes, syphilis and Danish accent."

In a follow-up to the award-winning memoir "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight", Alexandra Fuller charts her tempestuous marriage to the man she thought would save her from the eccentricities, chaos and dangers of life with her family in Africa.

In 1992, after her parents had seen off all other suitors, Alexandra Fuller married Charlie Ross, a charismatic polo player, and the only man who seemed able to stand up to her parents. In this witty, frank and courageous memoir, Fuller charts their twenty tempestuous years together, from the brutal beauty of the Zambezi to the mountains of Wyoming - looking at what made her marry this man, and why in the end she had to save herself.

In this opening episode: 'Charlie Ross: Mr Adventure - the man Alexandra hopes will be her saviour.

Read by Tracy-Ann Oberman.

Abridger: Richard Hamilton

Producer: Justine Willett

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2015. Show less