I am 100% sure I already reviewed this book and somehow, the Goodreads app once again deleted it. So, here we go again...

I picked this up assuming it would be a somewhat cheesy read, and it definitely was. However, the facts that I work in East Africa and that I am an avid birdwatcher myself meant that there was no way I was going to pass this one up. In fact, I found this book while searching for an actual guide to the birds of East Africa in the library catalogue.

Things I enjoyed:
* The fact that the protagonist is an older, somewhat average man with a lot of unexpected baggage and depth (Mr. Malik, be still my heart!).
* The setting in Nairobi and the emphasis on birdwatching, particularly birdwatching as a competition to win a chance at a woman's heart. Anyone undertaking this type of competition to win a date with me would score an incredible number of points.
* The fact that the expat author chose to present a view of expat/immigrant life in Nairobi, since this is what he knew from personal experience.
* The small but interesting plot line and theme about Kenyan politics.

Things I didn't enjoy:
* It's fairly sappy.
* The writing isn't stellar.
* The book tries to cover a lot of thematic ground, and it's a bit too much for a novel this size and scope.
* It feels a bit odd that this book has a focus on how corrupt Kenyan politics can be, but the people who are primarily fighting this corruption are not African, or at the very least, they come from privileged, expat backgrounds.
* I can't find the sequel anywhere and, despite these flaws, I really need to know what happens to Mr. Malik.