She is such a beautiful writer.Īnd once again, the theme is independence. Well, it does in Listening for Lions as well.
The sense of atmosphere is so compelling and in my review of Homeless Bird I had said the Prose glows. Animals seem to play a big role in her writings and in Lions, you will meet birds and wild ponies and hear Rachel talk of her love for Lions. Whelan's books, at times, read almost like poetry. The vivid descriptions of Africa were stunning, particularly the animal descriptions. What I liked best about this book is what I adored about Homeless Bird. (Not romantic love.(this book has no romance in it). I do not want to say to much but what this book is really about is Rachel's journey as she comes into herself and develops her own identity encountering many obstacles along the way as well as much love found in the most surprising places. To tell you the truth, that is just the surface of the book. Rachel becomes enmeshed in a scheme by her evil neighbors who temporarily assume charge of her, through lies and deceit. Tragically, Rachel's parents both wind up catching it and they do not survive, leaving Rachel on her own.
Rachel is a young girl and her parents run a hospital where they treat people with influenza. While Listening for Lions did not make it onto the list of my favorites, I still think it is a good read that many fans of Historical Fiction will enjoy. The first, Homeless Bird, was extraordinary. This is the second book I have read by Gloria Whelan. They wrote books and painted pictures, and if they ever stopped talking, which I was sure they would never do, they planned to change the world.” I still think Listening for Lions is worth reading just for the first two thirds, though! If some of my friends read this book, I'd really like to hear your opinions. I would have given this book a 4 or even 5, but it fizzled in the end. I guess that provided closure for the author, but the way she wrote it (tell rather than show) left me disappointed.
This wonderful story actually becomes tedious because of a lengthy summary of predictable events until Rachel gets back to Africa. But why did her editor let the final third slide? After the climax, the last section of the book is a very long denoument. She tries so hard to do what is right! I also agree with a comment by my friend Kristine that she appreciated the book's references to Dickens because this tale itself is also quite "dickensian."Īll this praise applies to the first two thirds of the book. The book is taut with suspense, the heroine engaging and morally sensitive, and her dilemma is real for a child. I love the way she uses imagery to tie landscape and characters together-wonderful. I kept thinking "this is a book I wish I could write!" Whelan's prose is lovely and her imagery is precise and perfect. It received the National Book Award, and I can see why.
I absolutely loved the first two thirds of this book.
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