The wager:
"It has been agreed by the two members now before us, Mr. Malik and Mr. Khan, that they will make a Wager. The winner of that Wager will have the privilege of asking Mrs. Rose Mbikwa to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball of November the twenty-fifth coming."
"The substance of the Wager is as follows: That starting at noon tomorrow, Saturday October fourteenth, and finishing at noon on Saturday October twenty-first, each protagonist will make a list of all bird species he is able to identify at first hand. The protagonist able to identify the highest number of species during these seven days will be judged to have won the Wager."
My thoughts:
Finally! A book set in Africa that isn't sad and doesn't involve war or genocide. In fact, this book is the complete opposite. It's charming, and witty, and has an old-fashioned feel that made me smile. I was rooting for "brown, short, round, and balding" Mr. Malik throughout. I also liked Rose. And Khan makes for the perfect antagonist. (He's Malik's childhood nemesis.) And as a birder myself, I really enjoyed the whole birdwatching aspect. While the pacing of this novel is slow like a lazy summer afternoon, the quirky characters and the captivating glimpses of Kenyan life that it offers definitely makes it worth your time.
Happy Reading!
I love the sound of this one. I'm only a backyard bird watcher, but the pleasure is still great, so my interest extends to those who are more involved with birding. The plot and characters sound like great fun with that feel-good vibe!
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those quietly delightful reads that kind of sneaks up on you and makes you smile.
DeleteHi Lark, sounds like a great book for birders or anyone who likes good literature and the fact that its set in Kenya just adds to why it must be such an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteThe Kenya setting was a lot of fun. :)
DeleteThis sounds like a wonderful read! The cover instantly catches my eye and then the wager totally draws me in. So glad you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun read. :)
DeleteYay for a happier book. Glad you enjoyed it. I always wanted to visit Africa some day.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much to see in Africa. I'd love to visit Kenya and Tanzania, and Morocco, too. I just wish the flights weren't so long and so expensive. :)
DeleteYay! I just remembered The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso which takes place in South Africa which is also not sad and doesn't involve war or genocide.
ReplyDeleteThe Woman Next Door sounds awesome. Even better? My library has 5 copies of it. Thanks for the rec! :)
DeleteThis sounds like a fun read and it's always a good thing to have a character to root for, isn't it? :)
ReplyDeleteI love having a character to root for. :D
DeleteThis sounds charming! I need to read more books set in Africa, so I'm putting this one on my list. Just curious: it is an #ownvoices book? I'm also trying to read more diversely when it comes to authors and/or content.
ReplyDeleteThe author is British and worked as a journalist in Kenya, and isn't a native of Africa. But he does a good job of giving you a feel for the people living in Kenya. :)
DeleteI love it - this sounds like a great book! Once you said that it was finally a book not about war and genocide set in Africa, I realized that all of the books I have read set in Africa do involve conflict. I need to change that!
ReplyDeleteIt is a little sad that it's unusual to find a happy book set in Africa.
DeleteI hate depressing books so I'm happy you found one to love set in Africa! I love the cover of this one, too. I enjoy bird-watching too, but I'm not very knowledgeable.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm that knowledgeable when it comes to bird-watching either, but I have a lot of fun doing it. :)
DeleteThis sound ADORABLE!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun one.
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