A Guide to the Birds of East Africa

Nov 14, 2025 7:16 PM

Author:Nicholas Drayson

For lovers of Alexander McCall Smith, Nicholas Drayson introduces the charming Mr Malik and the East African Ornithological Society in A Guide to the Birds of East Africa.

Reserved, honourable Mr Malik. You wouldn't notice him in a Nairobi street - except, perhaps, to comment on his carefully sculpted comb-over - but beneath his unprepossessing exterior lie a warm heart and a secret passion. Not even his closest friends know it, but Mr Malik is head-over-heels in love with the leader of the local Tuesday-morning bird walk, Rose Mbikwa.

Little can he imagine the hurdles that lie before him. Even as he plucks up the courage to ask for Rose's hand, thieves, potential kidnappers and corrupt officials, not to mention one particularly determined love rival, seem destined to thwart Mr Malik's chances.

Will an Indian gentleman in the heart of Africa be defeated by the many obstacles that stand between him and his heart's desire? Or will honour and decency prevail?

'A funny, ingenious and touching love story' Joanne Harris, The Times

'A delightful comedy... It invites comparison to The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, but it's original and, if anything, has more depth' Daily Mail

'Sweet, charming and utterly wonderful on the subject of birds'Metro

Nicholas Drayson was born in England and has lived in Australia since 1982, where he studied zoology and a PhD in 19th century Australian natural history writing. He has worked as a journalist in the UK, Kenya and Australia, writing for publications such as the Daily Telegraph and Australian Geographic. He is the author of three other novels, Confessing a Murder, Love and the Platypus and A Guide to the Beasts of East Africa.

Reviews

A book of immense charm; a sort of P G Wodehouse meets Alexander McCall Smith

—— Joanne Harris

An enchanting comedy of bird-watching, love and African life

—— Woman & Home

A delightful comedy... It invites comparison to The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, but it's original and, if anything, has more depth

—— Daily Mail

Sweet, charming and utterly wonderful on the subject of birds

—— Metro

A perfect holiday read

—— Prima

A charming satire - think William Boyd's A Good Man of Africa with a dash of Alexander McCall Smith

—— Conde Nast Traveller

Heart-warming, I was charmed . . . akin to the No 1 Ladies Detective AgencySeries [with] a flavour all its own

—— Richard Fortey

Drayson's tale, spiked with a comtemporary sensibility and wit, teases apart the strands of life in Nairobi... More than that, it's a page-turner... Charming, certainly, but far from cloying

—— Wanderlust

Book to savour and reserve for treat reading, a bit like the best honey…a word-filled jar of golden treasure

—— Dovegrey Reader

Ian is a little star. His many sayings and observations that he'll burst out with are endearing - and often funny. It's clear that Lucy is smitten by her favourite 'borrower.'

—— The Bookbag

This story - often fun, sometimes sad, always bookish - deals with big issues...Rebecca Makkai's literary debut will appeal to young adults and readers of adult literary fiction

—— We Love This Book

In Makkai's picaresque first novel, Lucy, a 26-year-old children's librarian, "borrows" her favorite patron, bright, book-loving 10-year-old Ian, after his fundamentalist parents enroll him in a program meant to "cure" his nascent homosexuality.

—— Booklist

His biggest, most ambitious and most engaging novel to date

—— The Times

Psychological acuity, a wonderful linguistic precision and the ability to make beautiful accordance between form and content via thoughtful narrative experiment. Gods without Men is a step further along the road towards the full realisation of Kunzru's early promise. It makes undeniable the claim that he is one of our most important novelists . . . As large and cruel and real as life

—— Independent on Sunday

Ambitiously eclectic . . . smartly sharp social detail, high-fidelity dialogue, vivid evocation of place . . . ironic wit and exuberant guyings of paranormal gobbledegook

—— The Sunday Times

Fuelled by an energetic intelligence. Along with a love of big ideas came narrative zest, verbal and comic flair, and an acute eye for contemporary mores both East and West . . . Gods with Men marks another new and bold departure . . . This really is Kunru's great American novel . . . Compulsively readable, skilfully orchestrated, Kunzru's American odyssey brings a new note into his underlying preoccupation with human identity'

—— Independent

Being able to create a vivid sense of place is one of the hallmarks of a quality literary writer, but few could have done so as brilliantly as Hari Kunzru in his latest novel Gods without Men

—— Big Issue

Intensely involving . . . Gods Without Men is one of the best novels of the year

—— Daily Telegraph

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