Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - Paul Torday

I discovered the book in the English corner of a German bookshop, the bright blue cover with the silvery fish caught my eye (they glow in semi-darkness!), the bizarre title appealed to me and the blurb ‘A wonderful novel’ convinced me that I should buy it, not because that’s a highly original remark but because it is from Marina Lewycka, author of ‘A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian’, a novel I appreciate. Not living in GB I didn’t know that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has already become a top seller there and the Hardcover edition has moved to No 117 on the sales rank of Amazon.co.uk. A ... more

This book came well recommended not only from reviews in the media but also from many friends who had enjoyed this political satire with a darker comic streak. Dr Alfred Jones, a middle aged rather boring fisheries scientist, is living out an ordinary life immersed in his work. At home his wife the career minded Mary rules the roost, he is happy enough to go along with what she has to say. However Alfred’s life changes when he is placed in charge of a project to introduce salmon fishing in the dry mountainous regions of Yemen in the Middle East. At first Alfred naturally thinks the project is ... more

Dr Alfred Jones, a hen-pecked civil servant working for the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence finds his values compromised when he is instructed by his boss to collaborate with a property management company charged with fulfilling the dreams of a rich Yemeni Sheikh who dreams of seeing his passion of salmon fishing made possible in his homeland. At first Doctor Jones tries to get out of the job - after all there are good scientific reasons why salmon don't live in the Middle East - but when the Prime Minister's Director of Communications gets wind of the story he sees its potential as a ... more

Deliciously light fare from a first-time novelist in his sixties. I picked this up cheap from bookgiant.co.uk because I needed another purchase to take advantage of the postage discount. I managed to zip through it in a day and a half as it was surprisingly airy. Plot Alfred Jones is a salmon expert for a small government agency. When the PM's office senses an opportunity for some good publicity, he is pressured into a consulting role for an impossible task - bringing salmon fishing to the Yemen. On the way he is inspired by the visionary sheikh who originated the idea and impressed by the ... more

I first came across this book when we decided to read it for our book club and I enjoyed it. I found it quite an easy book to read, not too taxing, a bit of a break from the norm and quite a funny book too. I think the story is really quite a funny one as the idea of having Salmon fishing in the Yemen is quite a preposturous one. That's definitely the way Dr Jones felt in this book and I loved the way he felt about it and how he expressed himself when it came to this idea. As time went on I really enjoyed the way his character grew. To me he has such a dry, ironic sense of humour and that ... more