Oliver Dowson

Ronald Jones is in solitary confinement. The man himself confirms that. But what is the purpose of his imprisonment? Where is an individual confined not in a cell but an apartment of sorts? As Ronald begins writing his story on a computer accessible to him, the details of preceding days and nights become more puzzling. The man himself confirms the details of the space, but at first, the reason is withheld. What led a retired Head of Modern Languages at a private high school in Slough, England, to this enforced confinement?

I requested the eARC from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer Group monthly offerings as I love espionage thrillers and was excited at the prospect of a new voice in this genre. The cover was intriguing, with visions of classic thrillers enhanced by the publisher’s book description with words including gripping, thrilling, and unexpected twists and turns. I was also curious how the author’s experiences of international travel might flourish within the travel experiences of his characters.

Curious, I checked the number of pages as I came to the end of the novel. This is an unusual action for this reader, before or after the reading experience. The 274 pages felt exhaustive, like a novel at least double that, many of length reading with intensity and suspense, but this was not. It took me several evenings to push through until a turn of the page to a new day catapulted the storyline to divulge the reason for the subterfuge, and that allowed me to move the rating from 2 stars to 3 stars. This unique voice is not for me.

Thank you to Oliver Dowson, and LibraryThing for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.… (plus d'informations)

I want to preface this review with the simple declaration that I LOVE business travel. The author’s sentiment that he is different because he loves traveling for work hits home with me. Any excuse to get out of my area with a clear objective and goal to complete makes the trip pop in cultural and social environments that differ from your own. It makes my " down" time for exploration much more fun and enriches me professionally. This book captures the beauty of that sentiment.
Dawson does a great job writing about his trips and business travel experience overall and showing us what adventure there is in bridging the professional gap between nations. He journals his trips with a business slant. It's also important to note these trips took place before Zoom of Google Hangouts became an easy way for people to connect virtually worldwide, creating a distance between us and everyone else. Ace job here. I'm glad I gave this book a shot.… (plus d'informations)

There’s No Business Like International Business explores the author’s crucial planning in travelling abroad for business. Oliver Dowson provides a comprehensive analysis of his journeys, as well as the unexpected problems that affected them.

But this book is far more than just informing the reader of the author’s itineraries. This is set before the time of the convenience of the internet when the luxury of arranging deals online was not possible. What follows is a combined business and travel log infused with humor that covers approximately 5 years. One notable thing about this book is the extensive wealth of knowledge it provides. The strategies highlighted in the book contain sufficient information for the reader to completely grasp the idea and desire of the author to make healthy decisions whilst travelling in a foreign country for business. The author makes erudite discussions that engage the reader and also provides insight into circumstances that he had never come across before. I love how the author explores the ideas and topics in the book through personal experiences. The manner in which it is portrayed makes it easy to relate to and empathize with the author’s struggles. Also, the book is fashioned in a way to not only provide knowledge but to show the result of the ideas the author acted on and how they affected him. I enjoyed a lot of things about this book. Nowadays, we take the ease of internet availability for granted, with the ever-present access to apps etc. The author describes very real problems, some that could have gone very wrong, all while trying to reach his destination and struggling with language and local transport.

I definitely recommend this book for other readers to discover Oliver Dowson’s brilliant storytelling and ingenuity in circumstances where I would have rolled into a ball and panicked!… (plus d'informations)