Naomi Sherer reviews.....

paperback jacket purchased in London

THE SMOKE JUMPER
by
Nicholas Evans

Bantam House

 

The title The Smoke Jumper caught my eye in a London bookstore because the fires in the forests of California were in the headlines when I left home. A brief read of paragraphs in random places throughout the book mentioned Montana, Uganda and Kenya. That intrigued me because I was on my way to those African countries.

Would a novel set in those countries give me any insight of the peoples? I couldn't be sure. But Evans book The Horse Whisperer was already a favorite of mine so I knew I wasn't taking a risk with the purchase. Incidents in the novel that I finished reading before landing in Nairobi, led me to look at the news and ask questions of the people.

In Northern Uganda the war goes on. In Kampala, on July 23rd, the president's wife called upon the Ugandan women at the Eighth International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women to be more influential in speaking out against support of the rebels.

But back to the book's plot - it is an adventure story first in fire-fighting. It is a story of conservation, of compassion for people. It is a love story, tragic and yet heroic with unexpected events woven into the lives of two long-time friends and the woman they love.

It may not give you insights into lives of the Africans or smoke jumpers for that matter but it is a well woven story with vivid details of nature and wonderful descriptions that paint ideas so clearly.

It is full of suspense that moves the reader along with subtle flashbacks to fill in details with unbelievable ease.

 
paperback jacket purchased in London

THE SMOKE JUMPER
by
Nicholas Evans

Bantam House

Consider novels by Naomi Sherer available on Amazon

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Coming Soon: Beyond Namche, The Open Door, Wildly in the Rockies