Listening for Lions

Listening for Lions, by Gloria Whelan was a great book! I only finished reading it. It held me for hours. This book is about Rachel Sheridan, whose parents work in Africa as missionary doctor and teacher. Rachel has grown up in Africa, and loves every bit of it. The people, the animals, the land, the sky, the weather. After her parents die from the sudden influenza that strikes Tumaini, where she lives, she has to stay with the Pritchards, her English neighbors who also lost their daughter. Soon, Rachel is caught up in their deceitful, greedy scheme and is being shipped to England to possibly save an old man...by lying and posing as someone she isn't. Though she's in England, trying to tell the truth and yet not succeeding, her heart is still back in Africa with the people of Tumaini. From the maybe third chapter to the end of part two, this book was absolutely fabulous and gripping. Although I thought the ending wasn't as strong as it might've been, I think it was satisfying enough. Told from first person in a most curiously simple and powerful voice, this is a great book! :D I love the figurative language she uses, and how she uses them to show her feelings. Yes, you should get this book. :) I love the cover art, too.

The year is 1919. While Rachel Sheridan's missionary parents spent their childhood cooped up in a musty old orphanage in England, thirteen-year-old Rachel has never known anything other than the wide open wild plains of Africa. A place where leopards and lions roam through the bush, hunting prey, and the sun sets and rises behind colorful mountains each and every day. The beauty of Africa, however, begins to fade when influenza kills her beloved parents, leaving the Kikuyu people void of a doctor to care for them, or a teacher to help them learn. As if that weren't tragic enough, the death of her parents leaves Rachel vulnerable, quickly falling prey to the evil schemes of her wicked, albeit rich, neighbors, the Pritchards. Before Rachel can figure out exactly what is happening, the Pritchards have shipped her off to England posing as their recently deceased daughter, Valerie. Caught up in their criminal scheme, Rachel is left to trick Grandfather Pritchard into leaving his estate to the two greedy parents. While Rachel misses the wild grasslands of the African plains, she learns to love Grandfather Pritchard, and can't stand the fact that she must deceive him in one of the worst possible ways. However, fearing threats of imprisonment from the Pritchards, Rachel continues on with the charade, lying in wait, like the patient lion, for the perfect time when she can spring her secret upon Grandfather, hopefully without killing the sick man altogether. Now, Rachel is set to capture the perfect moment when she can take control of her own existence once more, and find her way back to the home she has always loved. A home that will remain in her heart until the day she can return, and rebuild what her parents attempted to create. As a historical fiction reader, I have encountered Gloria Whelan's books many times over the years, however, I have never actually read one. This all changed when I came across LISTENING FOR LIONS. As I am currently extremely interested in Africa, I was ecstatic to discover this gem. Rachel is a character whom I will never forget. Her caring nature is beautiful, and the fact that she dreams of rebuilding an empire that her parents had begun to create is admirable. Her part playing the pawn in a greedy couples scheme truly touches the reader, and makes them feel for the young orphan who wants nothing more than to save the less-fortunate people around her, and make a name for herself in the medical/missionary world. The interactions between various characters Whelan has created are inspiring, and truly bring the main players to life. From Rachel's conversations with sickly Grandfather Pritchard, to her love for the Kikuyu man Kanoro who cared for her and her parents for years; all the way to the viciously delightful exchanges she shares with the evil Pritchards. Each character plays a major role in shaping the young Rachel from orphan to a dedicated, determined student. This may have been my first book by Gloria Whelan, but I ca

Listening for Lions is an excellent read, reminisce of classics like Jane Eyre, a Little Princess and the Secret Garden this a great gift for a young girl.

LISTENING FOR LIONS, the latest novel by National Book Award winner Gloria Whelan, is the story of Rachel Sheridan, the daughter of English missionaries working with the Kikuyu people in the East African village of Tumaini. Although Rachel is raised in humble surroundings --- a mud brick house with a roof that leaks --- she is happy, helping her father in the hospital and visiting the local people in their shambas. When the influenza epidemic of 1919 reaches Tumaini, however, Rachel's whole life changes. Not only do the Africans flee the village out of fear of the illness, but her own parents are struck down by the disease. Left without family, Rachel thinks her only option is to approach the mission board in Mombasa, although she knows they will send her to a dismal orphanage in England. Her snooty British neighbors have other ideas. Their only daughter Valerie, scheduled for a visit to England with her estranged --- and wealthy --- grandfather, also died in the flu epidemic. Valerie's parents want Rachel to take her place. "It is only the expectation of Valerie's visit that has kept the dear old man alive," her mother claims. Rachel is astute enough to realize that there may be an underlying motive, but she's also frightened at the prospect of being trapped in the orphanage. With misgivings and a trembling heart, Rachel agrees to do as her neighbors ask, and sets off for England. LISTENING FOR LIONS is written in a spare, elegant prose that will engage adults and children alike. What could have been a trite undercover identity plot is revealed in such depth and nuance that it never becomes melodramatic or overwhelming. However, Whelan's strength here is her characters, particularly Rachel. Although in some places Rachel seems almost too good to be true, her own self-doubt and recognition of her own weaknesses make her very believable. Whelan's slow, subtle and delightful development of the relationship between Rachel and Valerie's grandfather is masterful. While Rachel grows and changes in England in some unexpected and surprising ways, she never loses the core of that missionary child growing up in the African countryside. Another thing that Whelan does extremely well is to create a sympathetic yet realistic Western character in a colonial environment. The world has changed tremendously since 1919, and behavior and attitudes that were normal at that time are often morally repugnant to us today. Most authors of historical novels deal with this by giving their main characters 21st century sensibilities, particularly on sensitive topics like women's issues and racial equality. While understandable, it has the effect of making the characters seem unreal. Whelan avoids this trap. Growing up under such unusual circumstances, Rachel's views on controversial topics seem natural, not just something tacked on to make the character more sympathetic. LISTENING FOR LIONS is a fantastic book, filled with characters who will remain with you long after yo