Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Amazon.de: Paul Torday: Englische Bücher

Amazon.com

British businessman and dedicated angler Paul Torday has found a way to combine a novel about fishing and all that it means with a satire involving politics, bureaucrats, the Middle East, the war in Iraq, and a sheikh who is really a mystic. Torday makes it all work in a most convincing way using memos, interviews, e-mails, and letters in clever juxtaposition.

Dr. Alfred Jones is a fisheries scientist in Great Britain who is called upon to find a way to introduce salmon into the desert in Yemen. The Yemeni sheikh will spare no expense to see this happen. He says:

It would be a miracle of God if it happened. I know it... If God wills it, the summer rains will fill the wadis... and the salmon will run the river. And then my countrymen... all classes and manner of men--will stand side by side and fish for the salmon. And their natures, too, will be changed. They will feel the enchantment of this silver fish... and then when talk turns to what this tribe said or that tribe did... then someone will say, "Let us arise, and go fishing."

Such is the sheikh's vision. He tells Alfred: "Without faith, there is no hope. Without faith, there is no love." Alfred has no religious faith and has been mired in a loveless marriage for twenty years, so these words seem fantastic to him.

Alfred and Sheikh Muhammad connect immediately through their mutual love of fishing, despite Alfred's misgivings about the viability of the project. The Prime Minister's flack man tells Alfred that he must persevere and succeed because Great Britain needs some positive connection to the Middle East, something other than a failing, flailing war. These kinds of political alliances are always shaky at best, and when things start to go sideways, allies have a way of disappearing. Alfred soldiers on, with the help of the lovely Harriet, Sheikh Muhammad's land agent, and the project is readied for opening day, when the Sheikh and the Prime Minister will have a 20-minute photo op.

All of the faith and good will in the world cannot overcome the forces ranged against them, bringing tragedy to everyone involved. Despite all, Alfred's interior life is changed immeasurably. He says in the end: "I believe in it, because it is impossible." --Valerie Ryan -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Almost exclusively through correspondence--memos, e-mails, diary excerpts, and the text of a government investigation--Torday has woven a charming novel about a bizarre plan to introduce salmon fishing into Yemen and bring the benefits of the sport to Yemenis. When first approached, Alfred Jones, a scientist at London's National Centre for Fisheries Excellence, dismisses the idea as ridiculous, but it catches the attention of the prime minister's spinmeister, and Alfred is compelled to consult with the author (and bankroller) of the plan, a fabulously wealthy Yemeni sheik. Dutifully, Smith begins to study the idea while realizing that his 20-year marriage to a shrewish, driven banker is devoid of love. And, while being tossed about by political agendas, he begins to believe that the impossible may be possible. That may sound trite, but Torday carries it off with a wacky plot, vivid characters, and a knowing sense of politics and bureaucracy. A remarkably assured first novel, this one is a pure delight. Thomas Gaughan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

Alle Produktbeschreibungen

Kundenrezensionen

5 Sterne

4 Sterne

3 Sterne

2 Sterne

1 Sterne

6 Rezensionen

4.5 von 5 Sternen

Kundenrezension verfassen

Die hilfreichsten Kundenrezensionen

14 von 14 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich

Salmon fishing as a social equalizer. 5. M�rz 2007

Von D. Murphy

Format:Taschenbuch

I realize this is not really a good description of the book. The Amazon short review describes what the basics are, but there is a lot more to this book. It's one of those subtle works that makes you think about what you believe in and how you see yourself.

It is a lovely book, by turns funny, sad, touching and thoughful. On the surface it deals with salmon and challenge of bringing them to Yemen. On a deeper level it is about faith, but not necessarily about 'church-type' faith. It is more a question of what you believe to be true or possible and why can't one dream a little. Just because everyone says something can't be done, isn't there a slim chance that maybe it could? It is also about people and their perceptions of the world and themselves. One of the characters ends up totally reassesing his life because he is willing to believe in the impossible, another precipitates a disaster because he thinks he can bend everything to his perception. And then there's the sheik.

In short, read the book. I think you'll like it even if you don't know beans about Yemen or salmon, or even British politics. I didn't and I loved it.

Kommentar |

War diese Rezension f�r Sie hilfreich?

Nein

2 von 2 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich

Different and beautiful 28. Januar 2010

Von vilana

This book is one of the few that leaves a good feeling behind and you start thinking about the things that are important in life. The style of writing is different to other books but this is what makes it unique. After you got into it, it becomes more and more beautiful. I simply loved this book.

A great laugh! 11. Juli 2009

Von Corinna Witt

I loved this book from the beginning to the unexpected end. It's a brilliant satire on the spin in British politics. And the whole story about introducing salmon in the Yemen to encourage intercultural understanding on the back of an impossible exercise sounds so absurd that it could almost be true. A great laugh!