This was a delightful read. I had heard about this book in a few different reviews and it seemed like it would be similar to Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies' Detective Agency books.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it accessible and quick, like Smith's books, but less like a fable.
The story follows a group of birdwatchers in Kenya. One man in the birdwatching group falls in love with the group leader and tries to muster up the courage to ask her out. As he is preparing, a nemesis of his from high school returns to the city and sets his sights on the same woman. To determine who should get to date her, their friends design a hilarious contest around birds.
I really like how Drayson made the drama of the contest something that I could relate to and get invested in, despite my complete lack of knowledge of birdwatching. I also liked how funny the book was - there were several parts of the story where I chuckled out loud. Finally, I appreciated how multi-dimensional his characters seemed, even when he used just a paragraph or short anecdote to describe them.
Was it an accurate representation of modern-day Kenya? It was hard to say. Like Smith, Drayson created a set of situations that seemed timeless - there were cars and telephones, and mention of AIDS, but no other markers that indicated the decade in which the story was set.
As to who wins the contest? You'll have to read it to find out.
I was pleasantly surprised to find it accessible and quick, like Smith's books, but less like a fable.
The story follows a group of birdwatchers in Kenya. One man in the birdwatching group falls in love with the group leader and tries to muster up the courage to ask her out. As he is preparing, a nemesis of his from high school returns to the city and sets his sights on the same woman. To determine who should get to date her, their friends design a hilarious contest around birds.
I really like how Drayson made the drama of the contest something that I could relate to and get invested in, despite my complete lack of knowledge of birdwatching. I also liked how funny the book was - there were several parts of the story where I chuckled out loud. Finally, I appreciated how multi-dimensional his characters seemed, even when he used just a paragraph or short anecdote to describe them.
Was it an accurate representation of modern-day Kenya? It was hard to say. Like Smith, Drayson created a set of situations that seemed timeless - there were cars and telephones, and mention of AIDS, but no other markers that indicated the decade in which the story was set.
As to who wins the contest? You'll have to read it to find out.
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