A Guide to the Birds of East Africa
Ratings3
Average rating4
15
Ratings3
Average rating4
Reserved, honourable Mr Malik. You wouldn't notice him in a Nairobi street – except, perhaps, to comment on his carefully sculpted comb-over – but beneath his unprepossessing exterior lie a warm heart and a secret passion. Not even his closest friends know it, but Mr Malik is head-over-heels in love with the leader of the local Tuesday-morning bird walk, Rose Mbikwa.Little can he imagine the hurdles that lie before him. Even as he plucks up the courage to ask for Rose's hand, thieves, potential kidnappers and corrupt officials, not to mention one particularly determined love rival, seem destined to thwart Mr Malik's chances.Will an Indian gentleman in the heart of Africa be defeated by the many obstacles that stand between him and his heart's desire? Or will honour and decency prevail?
Featured Series
1 primary bookMr Malik is a 1-book series first released in 2008 with contributions by Nicholas Drayson.
Reviews with the most likes.
I unexpectedly loved this book. While I knew I wanted to read it for the College Students Spring/Summer Challenge this year, when I actually picked it up from the library I actually hesitated before bringing it home. For whatever reason, the font really bugs me in this book, but I got used to it. I also find it can be difficult for me to read books with British spellings, punctuation, and dialogue (because of the punctuation), so I was a bit hesitant.
I am so thrilled to have read a book about Africa—specifically Kenya, in this case—that differs from a traditional Orientalist perspective on how different and inherently tribal “their people” are, and how much they suffer economically. This book revealed a political and social elite, while also giving depth to characters of less fortunate backgrounds.
The plot was entertaining and interesting, despite the fact that I am hardly at all interested in birds. The feud between Mr. Malik and Harry Khan is funny, and you can almost picture this being a movie with dusty lanes, a fair-skinned red-headed woman, and two South Asian men fighting over her. It's almost Bollywood-esque to imagine! I also found Mr. Malik's ultimate realizations and observations to be quite interesting, and I found him to be a much more intriguing character than I first thought.
I also loved the fact that the narrator seems omnipresent yet anonymous.
I would highly recommend this book to almost anyone. I found it, in two words, utterly delightful.
