Monday, January 26, 2009

Miss Thompson in Kenya

A tender little story of unrequited love, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa
by Nicholas Drayson (Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 978-0-547-15258-5, $22) can be devoured in hours--it's that good. Under Kenyan skies, the wild man Mr. Kahn and the shy widower Mr. Malik compete for the affection of the lovely British widow Rose Mbikwa. Each chapter begins with a simple illustration of a Kenyan bird—so pretty—and the cover alone is a work of art; kudos to Christopher Neal.  I imagine this book could be compared to those written by Alexander McCall Smith, though I have never warmed to his writing. Drayson's 202 pages are perfection, and I love how he talks to me as he writes: "Before we find out more about the mysterious stranger, I should tell you a little more about Mr Malik, and about Rose...." Mysterious stranger? I'm there! No need to wear lipstick while reading this book: just jump into bed, pull up the covers, with a hot water bottle at your feet...and possibly a cat.

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