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Loading... Salmon Fishing in the Yemenby Paul Torday
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Fluff. (  )1   simondavies | Sep 30, 2009 |  When Dr Alfred Jones, a fisheries scientist, is asked by a wealthy Yemeni sheikh to introduce salmon into the highlands of the Yemen, he scoffs at the absurdity of the idea. We do too. But somehow, once planted this seed of an idea starts to take hold. What makes this gem of a book work is that the reader starts to will the success of the project, irrespective of how ridiculous the venture. Torday , a keen River Tyne salmon angler himself, weaves his story around his undoubted in depth knowledge of wild salmon. Whether he is describing the physical geography of Yemeni wadis, poking fun at the machinations of the Civil Service, exposing the farce of political spin or commiserating with the death throes of a failing marriage, Torday keeps a light touch throughout and keeps the reader engaged. A book for romantics (like me)! (  ) flyfishertc | Jun 18, 2009 | A political satire and a modern epistolary novel (if that is the right word). The ' letters' are emails, Hansard , diary entries and interview transcripts. It all really works quite well and is put together nicely. Entertaining and funny. (  ) wendyrey | Mar 31, 2009 | Wonderful novel full of quiet charm, humour, and ultimately wisdom. An examination of the impossible, and the role of belief. Most highly recommended. (  )1 polutropos | Nov 29, 2008 | Meh, I didn't especially care about this. It's about this fisheries scientist who gets talked into working on a seemingly impossible project for political reasons, told through diary entries, newspaper cuttings and interview transcripts. An interesting idea, but none of the characters had any personality, and the ridiculously stereotyped characterisation of the protagonist ranged from offensive to unoriginal depending how angry I felt at the time. (  ) tronella | Sep 18, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
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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
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:12 -0400)
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