A good quick easy read. Politics and its machinations on an engineering project. ( )

This is a strange and wonderful book with heart and deep wicked humor. Told with a series of memos, diary extracts, parliament records and other "documents" a story of vision and political turbidity, which bizarrely includes an interview, fictitious, by Boris Johnson in which he comes off as educated and alert. I don't think any other real person enters the story. ( )

This was Paul Torday's first novel and in my view still his best -- and surely one of the best book titles of all time. Surprisingly engrossing, the premise is so unlikely that you find yourself carried along by the desire to know what happens. It takes the form of a series of supposed diary entries and memos about a mad-cap project by an Arab sheikh to turn a dry desert creek into a salmon-fishing river, recruiting an English fish expert to achieve the impossible, money no object. In the course of it the expert falls in love with the management consultant that the sheikh has hired to run the project. Well worth the read, ( )

A Yemeni sheik falls in love with fly fishing for salmon on his Scottish estate and enlists the help of an English fisheries bureaucrat to help him take Salmon to the desert country of Yemen. The stuffy bureaucrat who is also a passionate fly fisherman, is transformed by the sheik's influence and by the project, and learns to have belief. The story is also interleaved with hilariously dry accounting of political shenanigans as various politicians and civil servants try to take advantage of the project. Recommended. ( )

The first third of this novel was reaching a 4-star rating ~ incisive character sketches that really nailed the various persona categories (social-climbing, unreliable government employee, irresponsible, publicity-seeking politician, scientist focused exclusively on research while oblivious to the politics swirling around, bitchy-career-oriented, me-first, spouse).

The plot was intriguingly set-up, despite its scientifically implausible basis. Alfred, his boss David Sugden, wife Mary, colleague Harriet and the Sheik were well-characterized players and it was fun to follow their antics. However, the epistolary format descended into confusing Hansard bulletins, boring long-winded drivel by Peter Maxwell, and disconnected interviews from an investigative panel to discover how the whole sorry house of cards came tumbling down. Some of the narrative was understandable only after the fact, a disruptive device in keeping the reader engaged.

It was worth the read for me because the author brilliantly captured these persona and the the magic of the desert so very well. The ending, however, was rather naive (anyone familiar with Middle Eastern wadis in the rainy season would never have been caught so disastrously). As well, the fate of Alfred and his relationships with Mary and Harriet were markedly unsatisfying. This final resolution in an intricate plot deserved better. ( )

A little book that is both funny and sad, about faith, disappointment and the politics of modern western governments. Worth reading. ( )

This was a recommendation from my mum as I had asked for some "light reading". I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Had honestly thought it was going to be some kind of romance, but instead I got a gentle comedy told through correspondence and interviews. I liked the format and enjoyed the story. Won't read it again but might watch the film. It was sweet. ( )

“Even if only one hundred fish run, if only one fish is ever caught, think what we will have achieved. Some men in my position, with great wealth and freedom to spend as they like, have built mosques. Some have built hospitals or schools. I, too, have built hospitals and schools and mosques. What difference does one more mosque or one more hospital make? I can worship God outside my tent on the sands as well as in a mosque. I want to present God with the opportunity to perform a miracle, a miracle that he will perform if he so wills it. Not you, not Dr. Alfred, not all the clever engineers and scientist we have employed. You and they have prepared the way, but whatever happens will be God’s will. You will have been present at the delivery of the miracle and you will have been of great assistance too me, but the miracle is God’s alone. When anyone sees a salmon swimming up the waters of the Wadi Aleyn, will they any longer be able to doubt the existence of God?” p196

When Dr. Alfred Jones of the British Department of Fisheries is approached by a Yemeni Sheikh about introducing salmon into the deserts of Yemen, he can do nothing but laugh it off as a joke.

But to the sheikh who wants it, it isn’t a joke. It's an opportunity to create a miracle, as well as introducing a sport that rich and poor, Muslim and Jew can enjoy together.

Dr Jones begins a serious engineering task to undertake the project.

The results are quite unexpected.

This epistolary novel has laughter, relationships, and a serious look at attempting the impossible. I found it strangely uplifting. It is one to read if you’re looking for something lighter yet inspirational in this time of trouble. ( )

A good story about the unrealistic project of creating a salon river in the desert country of Yemen.

Some good characters in here, from Arthur the fish scientist, the sheikh , Harriet, and the vile political types. The sheikh has a calm authority and a strong faith and believes that this project will bring the joy of salmon fishing to his country.

The project has support from the politicians and then doesn't, all of which adds to the drama that steadily builds. That with the sub plots of Arthur and Harriet means an emotional roller coaster on the way to the completion of the project.

Enjoyed this, and will be reading more of his books. ( )

I read this after watching the movie (https://www.librarything.com/work/13014294). I confess I liked the movie better, but the story was still interesting. Not sorry I read it. The concept of building a place for salmon fishing in Yemen is a hilarious idea that draws people in when convinced by the Sheikh that it is important to believe in something. I am just unhappy about the ending of the book and the characters that were emphasized. I thought the movie characters were better. ( )

This was a book club selection and therefore a new author to me and I wasn’t disappointed! The first thing that I was drawn to with this book was the name of the book. The idea of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was interesting and intriguing at the same time. I wasn’t really sure what to expect so I was excited to find out.

The book started off by introducing us to a Dr Alfred Jones who worked for the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence (NCFE) through the correspondence he had with the director of NCFE David Sugden and others. We also meet Alfred’s (Fred’s) wife Mary who is hard to read at the best of times and at others seems to really lack any ounce of humour. We see that her relationship with Fred deteriorates over the course of the story. Personally I was never enamoured with Mary but thought that Fred was an interesting character - an honest man yet sensible.

The story showcased how politics is very good at covering up things so as to save face when things look as though they’re about to go horribly wrong and therefore needs to be standing an appropriate distance from goings on. Conversely, this story showed how politically powers are very happy to be associated with a project when there’s a prospect that such an association would work in its favour. I really thought that it was a great comment on today’s political system even though it was the British government the story was focussed on. There were times when all one could do was laugh about what was going on.

This story was more than just a nice little story about Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. It was about faith, belief, and pushing the envelope within yourself. It was a very rich story which allowed the reader into a world that we would perhaps not understand in a normal situation. Highly recommend this author’s work.
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The group enjoyed this book immensely. It was not the usual type of book any of us would have chosen but instead of putting us off we dived in because the group specifically wants to try new things. We were not disappointed - we learnt a great deal and gained a lot of pleasure from the book. This was the first time most of us had read an epistolary novel so this format again was something new and the group loved it. The ending of the book came as a surprise to us all. For the sheikh, the salmon project had been a religious ambition and the consolidation of his faith, so his death at the moment the waters opened and the salmon were freed was particularly symbolic. Is the author implying that a man may dream great dreams and try to be close to God, but he may not PLAY God. The project after all was contrary to the laws of nature. It is also interesting that all of the surviving main characters in the book ended in the most miserable fates. Again, is this a 'message' from the author? All in all a very interesting read with much to consider.

Beautifully described story about having a belief in something. ( )

I really didn't hate this novel or anywhere close. However, I had a few problems with it that meant I couldn't rate it any higher than I did.

1. The structure. While I love (love love LOVE) epistolary novels, a lot of the switches in medium really didn't work for me here. The excerpts from Peter Maxwell's biography, the newspapers, Hansard, and some of the police interview things are superfluous and don't work as well as the diary, email, and letter portions. I got really bored during some of the former kind of sections and found myself glazing over.

2. The way Harriet's character was portrayed with relation to Fred. It felt like her whole story, in particular her relationship with Robert, was structured in order to enable Fred's character development. Although I am glad they didn't end up together, I wasn't terribly happy about the way Harriet and Robert's story played out. Ultimately, I wanted to know more about Harriet and was more invested in her as a character than any of the others. She really suffers in this story and it feels a bit unfair that she is so sidelined to Fred and his marriage issues. The sex scene was icky and felt completely out of character - I would also have preferred if the author had maintained the repressed longing aspect rather than have had that scene in there.

3. The ending. Having two of the best characters in the novel die for no reason just... ugh. It was such a crap way to end the story. I mean, what for? Blugh.
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Beautifully written and heartwarming, this book grabbbed me from the first page I couldn't put it down. The way it is written in the form of emails, diary entries, memos and interviews works very well, in other hands this could have come across a gimmicky and detracted from the story.

I know a lot of people will be put off by the title but they would be missing out on a very good read. ( )

A gentle political satire a la Yes Minister. The first half was the best but it was all a quick read. ( )

I really didn't hate this novel or anywhere close. However, I had a few problems with it that meant I couldn't rate it any higher than I did.

1. The structure. While I love (love love LOVE) epistolary novels, a lot of the switches in medium really didn't work for me here. The excerpts from Peter Maxwell's biography, the newspapers, Hansard, and some of the police interview things are superfluous and don't work as well as the diary, email, and letter portions. I got really bored during some of the former kind of sections and found myself glazing over.

2. The way Harriet's character was portrayed with relation to Fred. It felt like her whole story, in particular her relationship with Robert, was structured in order to enable Fred's character development. Although I am glad they didn't end up together, I wasn't terribly happy about the way Harriet and Robert's story played out. Ultimately, I wanted to know more about Harriet and was more invested in her as a character than any of the others. She really suffers in this story and it feels a bit unfair that she is so sidelined to Fred and his marriage issues. The sex scene was icky and felt completely out of character - I would also have preferred if the author had maintained the repressed longing aspect rather than have had that scene in there.

3. The ending. Having two of the best characters in the novel die for no reason just... ugh. It was such a crap way to end the story. I mean, what for? Blugh.
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I used to work for DEFRA so I was disposed to like this from page one. A very enjoyable and unusual novel. ( )

Good book, very entertaining. But what is up with the ending? I was expecting a happy, cheesy conclusion for a feelgood comedy. The actual ending is much closer to tragic.

Edit: It's also completely different from the movie (and much better). ( )

having seen the movie first and now read the book I see that it is a prime example of a Hollywood "interpretation" of a novel. Both have not much in common.

Back to the book. It is a good story. English scientist is asked by a Sheik to bring salmon and salmon fishing to Yemen. Throw in a bit of love, romance, relationship problems and pepper with quite a lot of politics and you get a potentially strong story. Has it been implemented as such? I am not sure. The book is spread across too many sources in my eyes. There is the diary of our scientist, an interrogation protocol, a biography f one of the narcissist politicians. I think that hinders a flow.

It somehow left me unsatisifed. ( )

A delightful novel about Dr Alfred Jones and his work for Sheikh Muhammad to bring salmon to the Yemen. Alfred Jones if a fishery expert and he is bought on board by Harriet, who supports Sheikh Muhammad as a land agent for his Scottish estate.
Paul Torday certainly understands fishing: a past-time I have had little understanding of previously but now have more appreciation of why someone might get satisfaction from fly fishing and the patience involved. I also understand much more about the life-cycle of a salmon as this is described in detail throughout the book.
The novel uses diary accounts, letters, emails and reports from Hansard to get the information to the reader so we hear more than one voice. This works fairly well, although it is Alfred Jones' diary entries that are the most engaging.
Dr Alfred Jones starts as a cynical man about the idea of bringing salmon to the Yemen but is taken by the faith of Sheikh Muhammad and Alfred changes and grows as a person as the novel moves on. Alfred's wife Mary has a voice through emails only and she also grows and changes as the novel comes to its amusing end.
Paul Torday makes fun of bureaucracy and the class system in Britain. He also finds fun in spin doctors. These are all easy targets but he has found an original and entertaining way of picking at these structures. ( )

This is a wonderful little book! Both touching and humorous, a fast read and yet thoughtful, it's an amusing satire on British politics as well as attempting to look at the meaning of belief and faith. It's a little weird, definitely, but I enjoyed it very much. ( )

I approached this book with a little trepidation as I have heard a lot of praise for it and when that happens I am often left disappointed. This book however did not disappoint.

Dr Alfred Jones is a pretty unimaginative man as a fisheries expert working for an anonymous Government and living in a loveless marriage. When he is approached by representatives of a wealthy Arab to introduce salmon to the deserts of Yemen he is initially dismissive but when he is forced by his boss to so he gradually believes that he can make it work. When the British PM's spin doctor gets wind of the project he realises that this is an opportunity for the Government, battered by bad press due to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to gain some good press within the Middle East and maybe win some extra voters back home he also encourages Fred to complete the development with devastating outcome.

The book is written in the form of a Government overview report using diary entries,letters and emails as sources and for me it would not have worked if written in any other manner.

The basic premise of this book is a little absurd but at the heart of it is the difference between the secular West and faith-based societies of the Middle East. Fred no longer goes to church on a Sunday instead he goes to Tesco whereas the sheikh believes that their plan will work only if God wills it. The book also takes a satirical dig at the materialistic West where wealth is measured in belongings whereas the Middle East inhabitants have less but are more open and generous. However, the author's most savage satire is aimed at the bureaucratic and spin doctor centred British political system. I particularly loved the spin doctor's idea of the a TV station 'The Voice of Britain' where the poor of the developing world can win dishwashers despite not having electricity.

I read most of this book with a smile on my face yet despite this was tempted to give it only 4 stars as the satire is very heavy handed at times. However, I finally plumped for 5 stars as it is one of the most original that I've read in quite a while. ( )

A light-hearted, warm-hearted novel with (as one reviewer puts it) surprising bite. The narriative is all in the shape of letters, diary excerpts, newspaper articles, autobiographies and interviews. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an ironic take on British politics, but it is also a sweet love story, and a story about what matters most in our lives and about faith in the broadest sense of the word. Dr Jones, the Sheik and Harriet are all loveable, not-to-unbelievable characters, with some more one-dimensional characters like Dr Jones' wife Mary and Colin, the Scottish gillie, thrown in for comedy. ( )

Somewhat uneven, but it is all bailed out by the brilliance of this debut novel. I laughed a lot and at the same time I feel sad after finishing this it. Isn't it a sign of excellent work of fiction. ( )