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Lion  By  cover art

Lion

By: Saroo Brierley, Larry Buttrose
Narrated by: Vikas Adam
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Publisher's summary

At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.

Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.

Lion is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope.

©2016 Saroo Brierley (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Narrator Vikas Adam's clear diction and engaging Australian accent are easy to embrace right from the beginning.... The incredible true story of a lost child who travels from India to Australia is fascinating; assigning the elegant simplicity of good storytelling to Adam was a stroke of genius. His pacing is deliberate and calm, allowing listeners to absorb the story's details fully. There is no need to dress this story in a melodramatic voice - the story itself carries all the emotion we need. Rather, Adam steps back to give us space to feel it." ( AudioFile)

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What listeners say about Lion

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  • Overall
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Fantastic!

I loved this book. The story and narration were fantastic; I was touched by Saroo's courage, dedication and love for both his adopted family and his birth family.

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Nice storyline but boring

The. narrator had a plesasant voice but there was very little climactic emotion in the story itself. Can't wait to see how this translates to the big screen.

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2 people found this helpful

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most enjoyable

I was carried along on the journey from India to Australia. It was also educational as I know nothing about these countries.

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1 person found this helpful

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Remarkable story

Must buy story - good for all the family; humbling story. Lots to learn from.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

It was ok.

The story was interesting, but it was a little slow and the narration didn’t grip me. Sounded forced and dramatic at inappropriate times.

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  • Overall
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amazing, real life story

I appreciated this book book being narrated in Australian - Indian accents with some character indiividuation.

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Heart-wrenching story with a wonderful ending.

This book was brilliant! Loved listening to it. The thought of a five-year old (the current age of my son) alone and lost on the busy, bustling street in India in beyond comprehensible and that he survived and came back to find his mum after all those years is truly heart-warming. Made me teary. A book well-written and well narrated. A must read/listen for anyone.

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Truly Remarkable

The narration and development of this story was perfect! I never watched the movie Lion and I was nervous that this story was going to be too tragic for me to listen to as a mother of three young boys. This story was inspiring and I found it hard to stop listening to it.

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2 people found this helpful

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amazing and beautiful and wonderful

loved it - I couldn't stop listening. this is truly an amazing story beautifully told.

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1 person found this helpful

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What a story!

Amazing story, tough listening to it though... knowing it was real and non fiction. The audio book was very well done and so easy to follow.

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1 person found this helpful