A Guide to the Birds of East Africa - Hardcover

Drayson, Nicholas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0547152582 ISBN 13: 9780547152585

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008

Synopsis

A beguiling novel that does for contemporary Kenya and its 1,000 species of birds what Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies Detective series does for Botswana

For the past three years, the widower Mr. Malik has been secretly in love with Rose Mbikwa, a woman who leads the weekly bird walks sponsored by the East African Ornithological Society. Reserved and honorable, Malik wouldn't be noticed by a bystander in a Nairobi streetexcept perhaps to comment on his carefully sculpted combover. But beneath that unprepossessing exterior lies a warm heart and a secret passion.

But just as Malik is getting up the nerve to invite Rose to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball (the premier social occasion of the Kenyan calendar), who should pop up but his nemesis from his school days. The jokester Harry Khan, good-looking in a flashy way and quick of foot, has also become enraptured with the object of Malik’s affection.
So begins the competition cooked up by fellow members of the Asadi club: whoever can identify the most species of birds in one week’s time gets the privilege of asking Ms. Mbikwa to the ball.
Set against the lush Kenyan landscape rich with wildlife and political intrigue, this irresistible novel has been sold in eight countries and is winning fans worldwide.

About this title

About the Author

NICHOLAS DRAYSON has written extensively about wildlife and natural history; he is also the author of Confessing a Murder, which was hailed by Booklist for its “view of Darwin never before seen.” An Englishman by birth, Drayson lived in Nairobi for two years. He now lives in Australia, where he received a Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales.

Reviews

A charming love triangle in Nairobi, Kenya, forms the center of a novel that manages to be both sweet and gripping. Mr. Malik, a quiet widower guided by a naïve crush, spends his Tuesdays on bird walks led by Rose Mbikwa, the Scottish widow of a Kenyan politician, whom he secretly wishes to escort to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. Enter Harry Khan, Mr. Malik's playboy nemesis, who also takes a liking to Rose. Mr. Malik's social club organizes a bet—whoever can spot the most bird species in one week earns the right to ask Rose to the ball. While Harry heads off on expensive safaris, Mr. Malik is beset by a plague of problems, including the theft of his car and bird-watching notebook, and an ambush by renegade Somalis. The competition takes on a surprising page-turning urgency, thanks largely to Mr. Malik's delightful nature and his unexpected secrets. With captivating character sketches and glimpses into Kenyan life and politics, Drayson meets the inevitable comparisons to Alexander McCall Smith without breaking a sweat. (Sept.) ""
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Ornithology cloaks this cozy tale of a lovelorn man. Mr. Malik of Nairobi pines for the leader of his bird-watching club, Rose Mbikwa. The widowed Rose also attracts plights of troth from the insincere Harry Kahn. When the two suitors discover each wants to ask Rose to the annual Hunt Club Ball, the rivals refer their conundrum to members of Mr. Malik’s private club, who propose a contest: he who spots the most bird species in one week claims the right to ask Rose out. Their bird-watching methods reflect their personalities as the shy Mr. Malik walks or drives solitarily around Nairobi, while the bombastic Harry Kahn flies all around Kenya. En route, author Drayson (Confessing a Murder, 2002) often directly addresses his reader on the finer points of the birds tallied by the competitors. Complicating things with misadventure (bandits for Mr. Malik; a trespassing arrest for Harry Kahn), Drayson winds up his plot with an ending satisfactory to all parties. An entertainingly light romance for the avian set. --Gilbert Taylor

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0547152582
• ISBN 13: 9780547152585
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 201