Chasing the Tiger
A rollicking adventure ... and a great follow-on to Himalayan Kidnap. It has boys who behave in the all the annoying ways boys do, and a girl to pick them up on their absurdities. It made me want to go away and search for images of the vividly described landscapes and, of course the amazing array of animals in the Himalayas. Can't wait for volume 3.
Himalayan Heist
At first I was attracted to this book by the beautiful cover and the fact that Nepal sounded interesting. When I received the book I was impressed with the quality of the paper and good, clear print. It is unusual to have photos and this really added to my enjoyment. The character of each child is shown clearly by how they react to their situation and each time I came to the end of a chapter, I wanted to carry on for another. I haven't read a novel set in Nepal before and by the end, not only had I enjoyed their adventure, but I knew more about the people, animals and plants in this country.
Himalayan Hideout
Thrilling adventure novel based in the mountains of Nepal, From start to finish, this is a fantastic and fast paced tale of adventure and comoradery in the Himalayas. There are twists and surprises throughout and the local sounds at the start of every episode sets the scene wonderfully. Its a gripping read!
Snowfed Waters
… Another super story, is Jane Wilson-Howarth's Snowfed Waters, her fictional sequel to her non-fiction book, A Glimpse of Eternal Snows. Jane, who is based in Cambridge, spoke at Words in Walden a few years ago about her very moving experiences in Nepal on which A Glimpse is based. And it is immediately clear when you read Snowfed Waters that it is shot through with cultural insights and anecdotes which could only have come from personal experience.
The story is related through five voices - Sonia, the English woman travelling to Nepal, Rekraj, a young Nepali man who has been appointed to look after her; Guliya Tharu, a Nepali village woman, Regimental Sergeant-Major Bom Bahadur Gurung, and Moti, a Nepali teenage girl. Much of the humour in the story comes from their often perplexed accounts of each other's reactions to particular circumstances, highlighting their false cultural assumptions.
Rekraj, for example reports on the following exchange between himself and Sonia:-
'"Where exactly is England in America?"
She is angry when she answers. "England is NOT in America. England, Britain actually, is very, very different!"
I do not know how I have offended her. I feel I should apologise but I do not see what the problem is. Perhaps she has tasted some alcoholic drinks...'
Very quickly one warms to each of these characters and the story, which becomes unexpectedly dramatic and is full of vivid local description, unfolds through their joint narrative. This is a really lovely, uplifting, gloriously humane read.
Jo Burch in Hub Magazine (Saffron Walden)