Friday 21 September 2018



The Lion Tamer who Lost- Louise Beech--Contemporary Fiction
A stunning read of a book- a very different love story. Of lions and relationships of the past
, the future and the present . Ben is in Zimbabwe with the Liberty  lion project.
Whilst there he has time to think about his life- and Andrew. Chapters alternate
between Ben abroad and at home so we learn about his relationship with Andrew
as well of his past life and his relationship with his father, having lost his mother
to cancer many years before. We know that something went wrong between
Ben and Andrew but not what until later on.  This is a descriptive read- which
I enjoyed- without being too over the top.
The descriptions of the lions and how they are being looked after is magical for any
animal lover. Ben has a secret, one that made his Uncle commit suicide and one his
Father will never speak about- so he doesn’t know about Ben. Andrew is a writer of
children’s book- his current one being “The lion tamer who lost” and there are
quotes at the beginning of each chapter. One quote sums it up “ “but love goes with us-
it is light and has easy-to-grip handles and needs no passport”. I think I shall always
remember that. A story very well and beautifully told.
An emotional read.
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The Lion Tamer Who Lost LOUISE BEECH B-format paperback original ISBN 13: 978-1-912374-29-8 EPUB: 978-1-912374-30-4 SEPTEMBER 2018 £8.99 • A devastatingly beautiful love story with a dark and tragic heart • Travels from Zimbabwe to England, and back into the past • Exquisitely explores LGBTQ themes • Louise Beech’s fiction has been compared to the early works of Maggie O’Farrell (Irish Times) and Gail Honeyman (Red and Prima) • Multi-platform, buzz-building marketing & publicity campaign 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 it 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? Louise Beech is an exceptional literary talent, whose debut novel How To Be Brave was a Guardian Readers’ Choice for 2015. The sequel, The Mountain in My Shoe was shortlisted for Not the Booker Prize. Her third book, Maria in the Moon, was widely reviewed and critically acclaimed. Her short fiction has won the Glass Woman Prize, the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose, and the Aesthetica Creative Works competition, as well as shortlisting for the Bridport Prize twice. Louise lives with her husband and children on the outskirts of Hull, and loves her job as a Front of House Usher at Hull Truck Theatre, where her first play was performed in 2012. For more information about The Lion Tamer Who Lost or to arrange an interview with Louise Beech, please contact Karen Sullivan: Karen@orendabooks.co.uk, 07702 628 230 or Sophie Goodfellow: SophieG@fmcm.co.uk, 07719 007146




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