13 h 32 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 32 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the rare flower you want to collect is sacred to the people who protect it?
In H. Rider Haggard’s Allan and the Holy Flower, an extraordinary orchid draws Allan Quatermain into an African expedition. Stephen wants the living plant, not a description. Allan supplies the practical experience: travel, hunting, negotiation, and a clear sense of how quickly an ambitious search can become a struggle to survive.
With them travels Hans, whose unassuming appearance hides sharp judgment and courage. Their search leads toward the Pongo people, for whom the orchid holds a sacred place. Amid dangers involving slavery and sacred customs, a collector’s desire meets a community’s determination to protect what it values. Finding the flower is only part of the challenge.
What you’ll discover
- An unusual quest Follow an expedition driven by the desire for a living orchid rather than conventional treasure.
- A practical adventurer Meet Allan Quatermain, whose dry wit keeps extraordinary dangers close to the business of survival.
- Courage beneath the surface Get to know Hans, a resourceful companion with sharp judgment beneath an unassuming appearance.
- A flower worth protecting Encounter the Pongo people, whose sacred orchid means far more than a collector’s specimen.
- The cost of wanting Explore the distance between desiring something rare and understanding what taking it might mean.
Who will love it
For readers who love dangerous expeditions, dry-witted adventurers, and unusual motives for a quest, this orchid hunt brings rare plants, sacred customs, and deadly secrets together.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An extraordinary orchid inspires a dangerous expedition
- Stephen seeks a plant, Allan plans the expedition
- The flower expedition faces violence and danger
- A sacred orchid brings conflict with the Pongo
- An orchid quest leads into unforeseen struggles
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Allan and the Holy Flower
by H. Rider Haggard · 1915
Allan Quatermain hunts an extraordinary orchid in Africa, where its guardians will protect their sacred flower.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Allan and the Holy Flower is an adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard in which Allan Quatermain leads an expedition into Africa in search of an extraordinary orchid.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An extraordinary orchid inspires a dangerous expedition
Allan Quatermain knows that an expedition can begin with a small object and grow into a great deal of trouble. Here, the object is an extraordinary orchid. Brother John, a wandering missionary and naturalist, brings evidence of a flower whose size and beauty promise something remarkable to anyone who collects rare plants. For Stephen Somers, an enthusiastic orchid grower, the chance to find it is enough to justify a dangerous journey.
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What is Allan and the Holy Flower about?
Allan Quatermain accompanies an orchid collector on a dangerous African expedition to find an extraordinary flower. The search brings the travellers into conflict with slave traders and with a community for whom the orchid is sacred rather than something to collect.
Who is Stephen Somers?
Stephen Somers is the orchid enthusiast whose wish to obtain the remarkable plant drives the expedition. His excitement about collecting contrasts with Allan Quatermain’s practical concern for routes, dangers, and the survival of the people travelling with them.
What is the holy flower in the book?
The holy flower is an extraordinary orchid associated with the Pongo people’s religious life. Its importance creates the central conflict: the visitors want to obtain a rare plant, while its guardians regard it as something sacred that must be protected.
The author
H. Rider Haggard
1856–1925 · English adventure novelist
Henry Rider Haggard (1856–1925) was an English novelist. He was born in Norfolk, lived in southern Africa from 1875 to 1881, and later settled in Norfolk. He wrote King Solomon’s Mines (1885), She (1887), and Beatrice (1890). He also wrote about agriculture and rural life. He died in London.
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