Book review: The Lion Tamer Who Lost by Louise Beech
Title: The Lion Tamer Who Lost
Author: Louise Beech
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Publisher: Orenda Books
Publication date: 15th July 2018
My rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Summary:
“Be careful what you wish for…
Long ago, Andrew made a childhood wish, and kept it in a silver box. When it finally comes true, he wishes he hadn’t…
Long ago, Ben made a promise and he had a dream: to travel to Africa to volunteer at a lion reserve. When he finally makes it, it isn’t for the reasons he imagined…
Ben and Andrew keep meeting in unexpected places, and the intense relationship that develops seems to be guided by fate. Or is it? What if the very thing that draws them together is tainted by past secrets that threaten everything?
A dark, consuming drama that shifts from Zimbabwe to England, and then back into the past, The Lion Tamer Who Lost is also a devastatingly beautiful love story, with a tragic heart…“
My review:
Some books leave their mark for such a long time that I keep coming back even though months go by. I read this book in November but I have only just now been able to gather my thoughts and write this review.
The story begins as Ben is starting a new project as a lion tamer in Zimbabwe. He is young, nervous, yet hungry for life and adventure. His relationship with his father is strained and he has left a complicated relationship with Andrew back home. Several chapters later we learn who Andrew is and how he and Ben met, how their friendship developed into something more and how a set of unexpected circumstances led them to grow apart to such an extent that Ben decided on a fresh start abroad in an exciting environment. The story so far focuses more on Ben’s time at the lion resort and this part of the book was so interesting and eye opening. It was clear that the author had done a lot of research into the topic yet she presented her findings in a tender and beautiful manner with just enough technical details. I had no idea about the difficulties lion tamers faced and was left with my heart in my mouth at some of the tense moments.
The second part of the book focuses more on Ben and Andrew’s relationship prior to his trip as well as after his return. This part of the story line was emotionally draining and heartbreaking. I had to leave and return to the book several times as at times it felt too much. As with previous books, Louise Beech tells their story beautifully with a lot of emotion and care. However, I couldn’t get past the sequence of events which followed Ben’s return from Zimbabwe and Andrew’s fate. It almost felt like their story was destined to be over before it had even started and I would have preferred to see them make amends earlier rather than the devastating turn of events which followed.
Fortunately there are also moments of happiness as Ben’s relationship with his father develops in unexpected ways after he comes back. We learn more about his father’s prejudice, which is a sensitive topic handled extremely well by the author. The minor characters were also wonderfully woven into these last few chapters and a few extracts from Andrew’s book at the end don’t fail to move the reader in inexplicable ways and were a beautiful finish to a brilliant book.
With its superb storytelling and fantastic set of characters, The Lion who Lost is a gem not to be missed. Fans of Louise Beech will enjoy the unique traits present in her books and those who have not yet read her writing must do so in order to not miss out on the beauty in this book.
12 Comments
nsfordwriter
What a wonderful review!! 🙂
Darina
Thanks so much! 🙂
Yvo
Fab review! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this one as well. I only discovered Louise Beech last year and she’s already one of my favorite authors… I’m actually reading How To Be Brave right now! 🙂 xx
Darina
Ah, I’m so happy to hear you also enjoy her books! I’m really excited to read How To Be Brave, if it’s anything like this one it is bound to be a memorable read 🙂
Yvo
It’s another fantastic read! I love how different each of her books is while still maintaining the same high quality.
Lashaan Balasingam @ Bookidote
This sounds like a beautiful and profound tale. I haven’t heard of it before but I’m glad to hear such positive thoughts on it. It’s always so nice to hear about authors who do their research and know how to integrate it into their story without making it too heavy or boring! Great review, Darina. 😀
Darina
Thanks, Lashaan! The research here was definitely very well integrated into the storyline.
jennifertarheelreader
This one has been on my radar for a while, Darina, and your fab review just cements it. I need to read this one!
Darina
Thanks, Jennifer! It’s a very moving book, I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂
Stephen Writes
Excellent review, Darina! I have been holding off reading your thoughts until I had read the book myself 😉
It truly is a fantastic book that has left a lasting impact and I will remember for a long time. Louise Beech is a sensational writer and there was so much in The Lion Tamer Who Lost, but she managed to weave it all together beautifully.
I have just finished my review – it is one of the most difficult I have ever written!
Darina
Thanks so much, Stephen! I completely agree with you, Louise Beech is a brilliant writer who left a long lasting impact with this book. I finished it months ago but I still remember even the smaller details! I’m definitely going to read your thoughts on it!
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