Himalayan Hostages
This is a great read for pre-teens (or anyone young at heart) interested in Nepal, wildlife, or simply adventure! From run-ins with poachers and bears in the jungles of Bardiya, to struggling to survive in a mountain cave, to canoeing down the Karnali River, James and Alex (the protagonists) seem to find adventures wherever they go.
As an American journalist who grew up in Nepal myself, I loved the details in this book about wildlife, Nepali cultures, and politics / social problems. The book deals with a terrible time in Nepal's history - the Maoist civil war, when many ordinary people were stuck in the crossfire between rebels and the state security forces - without simplifying complex issues too much. The book's protagonists view the world from a unique vantage point as "Third Culture Kids." Wilson-Howarth, the author, shows her fondness for Nepal and Nepali people, and also demonstrates her lively imagination and story-telling ability!
Peter Gill
Madagascar Misadventure
I listened to this story before recommending it to a teenager. It has that good mix of excitement and natural history that I like in a book. Read in a clear, warm voice, it's a good story to sit back and relax to.
I knew nothing about Madagascar until I heard the story, but I soon realised that the author really knows the island and by end I felt I'd been there.
book lover
Himalayan Heist
From looking at the cover of the book I wouldn’t normally have chosen to listen to this audiobook. However I am pleased I did.
It is very interesting learning about Nepal and the characters surviving in the Himalayas. I didn’t like James's character because he farts a lot at the beginning and is mostly talking about food at inappropriate times. However I liked Alex's character and I liked the other main characters. I liked how Alex was so knowledgeable about animals and plants and ecological and animal welfare.
I think Jane’s voice is really good and the book is well read and easy to understand and enjoyable to listen to. Her reading is a lot better in my opinion than some other audiobooks I have listened to on audible and the library app.
The photos in the accompanying PDF really help the listener to visualise what some of the things and places in the book would look like and is a helpful addition. On the PDF I learnt that Jane had taken most of the pictures herself and written what they are. This validates her knowledge of Nepal and the animals and culture.
This book has an enjoyable story but also a serious animal welfare theme and interesting setting.
Snowfed Waters
Sonia escapes to Nepal only to find no escape from herself. In a confrontation with another culture that becomes more life-enhancing and a land more life-threatening than anything she has ever experienced before, her overwhelming problems back in England gradually transform into trifling matters for her. Meanwhile her Nepalese employer Rekraj and hostess Guliya aren’t quite sure what to make of this obviously disturbed Westerner, but then Guliya’s teenaged daughter Moti befriends Sonia and adventures ensue. Told from five points of view and voices that weave together a rich tapestry of cultural confrontation, this story deftly draws one into minds with very different perspectives.
The transformative effect of Nature in full flow is another character in this story. Its voice underpins and carries the tale like the river that becomes so important in Sonia’s reinvention. This journey that Sonia undertakes to heal herself is a guidebook on how to become whole by facing reality and by learning how not to suffer from the fairytales we create for ourselves. When we do confront reality, we might just notice a more satisfying magic begins to unfold inside and all around us.
Amy Corzine author of The Secret Life of the Universe