Author Paul Torday makes his debut with this clever absurdist novel. Fisheries scientist Dr. Alfred Jones is approached by an extravagantly wealthy sheik with a novel plan. To foster goodwill, the sheik would like to introduce salmon fishing to Yemen-the same Yemen that is largely a desert-and politicians think it's a great idea. "A remarkably assured first novel, this one is a pure delight."-Booklist, starred review
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"The author uses a crazy project (salmon fishing in the Yemen) as a basis to capture the importance of hope, faith and love. It is also a satire of the British political system. It is multilayered and very cleverly written. There is a nice blend of irony and humanity. I quite enjoyed it."
— Marlene (4 out of 5 stars)
" A light enjoyable read that is easily devoured in a few sittings. It's a quirkily impressive debut novel from a 60 year old engineer/fisherman! It is laced with humour and optimism as well as taking a satirical swipe at Yes Ministering and spin doctoring. The format of diary extracts, emails, interviews and articles is used throughout to good effect to flesh out the story and main characters who are largely sympathetically drawn, though the machinations of the the PM's Director of Communications is rather overstated. A book that doesn't make fishing seem boring that is also shot through with tenderness and political insight. "
— Nigel, 2/13/2014" OMG this took so much longer for me to read than usual! It took so much mental effort to actually pick it up and read, and I didn't really enjoy it that much... A few bits every now and again were less monotonous than the entire rest of the book, but on the whole, I found it really boring, and the ending ruined it for me... It's the first book I have EVER read that is worse than the movie, and that's saying something, 'cause the movie wasn't even that amazing, but it was much less depressing... "
— Rosie, 2/7/2014" A satire of western policies toward the Middle-East (and Afghanistan) - "why does the west want to replace our piety and poverty with consumer goods . . . and corrode our faith?" asks a character. It raises questions, too, of the nature of belief (can salmon really be transplanted into the rivers of Yemen?) "
— Edward, 1/27/2014" It's something a little different and not the Hollywood ending that I feared when I discovered that it was made into a movie. The changing narratives kept the book fresh and gave it a different feel than most. "
— Ian, 1/27/2014" lovely, funny, satirical and human. Read it! "
— Lesley, 1/19/2014" Loved it...had no interest in salmon fishing until I read this "
— Alex, 1/18/2014" I loved the story and the mystery in this book and I especially loved the characters but there was just something about it which didn't quite deliver. "
— Laurajane, 1/15/2014" Great first half, then descending into farce. Great premise, left feeling as though the end had been rather rushed. "
— Moose, 1/14/2014" This was a good book. I saw the preview for the movie and it looked pretty interesting, so I thought I'd read the book before I saw the movie. I really liked the 3 main characters, and I liked how the story was written through emails, letters, interviews, etc. It was fun to read it like that. "
— Tanna, 12/27/2013" What a creative story and an unusual way to tell the story - diary entries, transcripts and email correspondence. I learned a lot about salmon and the Yemen. Also a timely story considering bin Laden's recent demise. Highly recommend it! "
— Renee, 12/26/2013" Liked it. Different, but goo. "
— Simone, 11/25/2013" Fun delightful read! "
— Laura, 11/4/2013" easy read, uplifting, sweet book. "
— Liv, 6/22/2013" I Thought the Movie was better. "
— Jeff, 5/28/2013" Wow. That was not the feel-good ending I was expecting. Not dark, but nobody happy in the end either. The journey to get there was very enjoyable, though. "
— Suzanne, 12/7/2012" The characters weren't as well-developed as I'd like, and I found some of the segues tough to follow, but it was a reasonably entertaining read. "
— Vikki, 10/26/2012" I loved this book - but then I'm British, and so is this book! I did wonder if other people would understand all the quirks and references to our political system, but the over all message, that it's possible to swim upstream against the current, really appealed to me! "
— Janet, 5/17/2012" Fabulous book, really enjoyed it. Recommended. "
— Ronnie, 3/30/2012" a gem of a book. "
— Lara, 11/9/2011" original wacky idea. Light entertainment. Very one-dimensional characters. My mother called it 'chick-lit for men' - no descriptions of clothes, little romance ;-) "
— Ruth, 5/14/2011" Really is about salmon fishing in the Yemen! A lovely read. "
— Angela, 5/12/2011" This was a fun book. I loved the narrative format it worked better for the story than straight narrative. "
— Kyle, 5/9/2011" What a creative story and an unusual way to tell the story - diary entries, transcripts and email correspondence. I learned a lot about salmon and the Yemen. Also a timely story considering bin Laden's recent demise. Highly recommend it! "
— Renee, 5/3/2011" Disappointing. Could not decide whether it was Whitehall farce or serious drama and tragedy. I shall give the film a miss. "
— David, 4/28/2011" Liked this book much more than I thought I would. Interesting and snarky take on life in a big bureaucracy, as well as tidbits of how faith and hope can change lives. "
— Molly, 4/19/2011" Silly premise and only bought it as it was in the pound shop! but draws you in nicely and is engaging, worth a read. "
— Paul, 4/14/2011" Very witty and moving book. Loved the use of emails as the main method to tell the story. "
— Sarah, 4/7/2011" A cross between the Office and Yes Minister. Entertaining, with mostly cultural and geographic creditability "
— Quinn, 3/9/2011" A cross between the Office and Yes Minister. A quirky novel, with accurate cultural and geographical elements. Definitely worth reading. "
— Claire, 3/9/2011" While reading it I didn't appreciate the shifts in style but upon completion they made a bit more sense. "
— Mo, 2/22/2011" By the book's title it's obviously a satire. But it's more than that. A skeptic is transformed into a believer and for a few short moments the impossible becomes reality. An enjoyable read. "
— Harry, 2/14/2011" Liking it. Very British. Enjoy reading the different phrasings and sayings. You realize the project can't succeed but there's a twist as to how it ends. A good read. "
— Kayla, 2/9/2011Andrew Sachs may be best known as Manuel from the BBC show Fawlty Towers, starring John Cleese. His recent roles include guest appearances on Silent Witness, Doctors, and Holby City. His audiobook narration has won him seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Crawford Logan is a British actor best known for his work in radio. In 2006 he became the latest actor to play the eponymous hero Paul Temple in a revival of the long-running mystery series on BBC radio. In 2009 he narrated the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson.
David Timson is an actor, voice actor, and playwright. He is best known for his narration of The Complete Sherlock Holmes audiobook, in which he voices all 125 characters in the Holmes novels and short stories. His narrations have earned eight AudioFile Earphones Award.
Fenella Woolgar is an actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator. She has starred in films including Bright Young Things, Wah Wah, Vera Drake, and Scoop. On television, she played Agatha Christie in “Dr Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp,” and she also joined the cast of Case Histories for the BBC.
John Sessions is a highly versatile actor and comedian best known for his comic work in films such as My Night with Reg, In the Bleak Midwinter, and The Pope Must Die, as well as the television shows Whose Line Is It Anyway?, The New Statesman, and Spitting Image.
Mark Perry is a military and foreign-affairs analyst whose articles have appeared in the Nation, Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Politico, and Los Angeles Times, among other papers. He is the author of several books.
Peter Kenny, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, is a talented and experienced actor, voice-over artist, singer, musician, and designer, with over twenty-five years of experience working in theater, film, television, and audio. He has achieved great critical acclaim for multicharacter recordings of audiobooks by authors such as Iain Banks, Christopher Priest, and Edmund St Aubyn.
Samantha Bond, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in several James Bond films, including Die Another Day, The World Is Not Enough, Tomorrow Never Dies, and GoldenEye. Her many television credits include Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Rumpole of the Bailey, and Downton Abbey. She is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has appeared in multiple performances on Broadway and London’s West End. She starred opposite Dame Judi Dench in David Hare’s award-winning play Amy’s View at the Royal National Theatre.
Neil Pearson is an English actor who was educated at Woolverstone Hall, a boarding school in Suffolk. He is best known for his work on television, including such shows as All the Small Things, The State Within, Trevor’s World of Sport, and others.
Erin Bennett is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a stage actress who played Carlie Roberts in the BBC radio drama Torchwood: Submission. She can be heard on several video games. Regional theater appearances include the Intiman, Pasadena Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company, A Noise Within, Laguna Playhouse, and the Getty Villa. She trained at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.