Himalayan Kidnap
I’m betting that no other book combines a story about Nepal with an eco-friendly message. Although the story is meant for early to mid-readers, this adult thoroughly enjoyed it. Right from the start, I felt that I got to know the two brothers on an intimate level – their dialogue makes you smile and pulls you into getting to know them well. The animals of Nepal play a role throughout the story … readers won’t even realize how much new knowledge about Nepal they are absorbing as they read. Toward the end, I found myself reading as fast as I could to find out what happened
Patty Costello, children's author
Snowfed Waters
It seems it is not enough for Jane Wilson-Howarth to have got completely under the skin of an entire country because in ‘Snowfed Waters’ she also manages to create a refreshing and ingenious plot mechanism that propels the reader at light-speed through a wholly absorbing story about self-awareness, redemption and ultimately personal salvation.
Each chapter contains the separate viewpoints of the six main characters; which provide the reader with a prismatic glance at the events as they unfold. Cultures clash from the start but as acceptance and understanding grow, the viewpoints become more unified. It is a skilful technique used subtly and with great verve. The book fairly fizzes with witty dialogue, unexpected plot twists and is set against the ravishingly described backdrop of the Himalayas.
As principle protagonist Sonia (a burnt-out Cambridge teacher in search of change) finds her western sensibilities challenged by what she initially sees as a primitive, unhygienic and dangerous country, her Nepali hosts are equally dumbfounded by her inability to simply enjoy her life. As the story develops, we see her growth not only through her eyes but also from the viewpoint of her hosts and new friends. This enriches our understanding of her self-discovery enormously.
Jane Wilson-Howarth’s understanding of Nepalese life is borne not only from her extended time living in the country but from her empathetic understanding of what ‘culture’ means and how it manifests itself both to those living in a place and to the bewildered outsiders who visit Nepal. Her great skill is to have taken a place she knows intimately and to have re-populated it with a cast of characters who leap from the pages into your memory. This book is far more than ‘travel literature’, it is a heartfelt examination of what it means to be an outsider – either as an individual or an entire nation.
An enthralling and absorbing read (it’s also a book begging to be filmed!)
Tim Hooper
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