Series: The Taming of Lions (Book 1)
Paperback: 318 pages
Publisher: Three L’s Publishing; I edition ( June 18th 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692097570
ISBN-13: 9780692097571
“I was once a lion tamer…Or was it that I herded sheep?”-is the burning question etched in Charlie Gates’ mind. For a man who forgets things so easily, he seems to have an even easier time recalling memories of a life that wasn’t exactly his-or was it? Struggling to piece together the uncertainty of his past, he stumbles across a young man named Edward who is struggling with an uncertainty of his own-his future. Blurring the lines between fact and fiction, Charlie soon discovers that the life he always wanted was in some way the life he always had; and that sometimes the fictional parts of who we are, have a tendency of bringing out the truth in ourselves.
What I thought: Wow. Just wow. I don’t read contemporary that often (when I do, it’s in the romantic comedic vein of Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding), but I was intrigued by the premise of The Notebook meets Water for Elephants, I knew I had to give it a try. I was not disappointed. The Taming of Lions is a quieter story that will remain with you long after you’ve finished the book. I have so much respect for authors who can pull off symbolism in their novels without literally beating their readers in the face with it and Danie does just that (her way of bringing up her themes in the novel were on a level I don’t think I could ever reach). Her characters are so well fleshed out, I felt like I was reading a memoir about real people and not a work of fiction. This is a book I don’t think I can recommend enough!
The Quote: I was once a lion tamer…Or was it that I herded sheep?
Why I chose it: This was actually tough. Danie has several amazing quotes (2nd place went to: “Too many things are carelessly throw about in this world and love should never be one of them.”), but I decided to go with the one that started it all. Pulling off a memorable first quote is fucking hard and Danie nailed it! It’s a line with so many layers and symbols that creep up again and again in this novel and its one of the reasons I loved it so much!
About the Author:
mltishner.com 