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liberty_the_baron's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.75
katerister's review against another edition
3.0
LOVED the movie growing up, but this book felt like I was reading a very matter-of-fact diary that wasn’t meant to be published. While I did enjoy the actual story, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. I also felt the book ended abruptly and without resolution.
smthuriot's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
See my full review here:
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com/2023/04/22/born-free-a-lioness-of-two-worlds/
https://sarahoverbooked.wordpress.com/2023/04/22/born-free-a-lioness-of-two-worlds/
mazza57's review against another edition
2.0
I may be among the minority but I really did not like this book for a couple of reasons. Firstly I feel that the interventions that the Adamsons made were never in the best interests of Elsa and certainly not of her cubs. Having decided to return Elsa to the wild they failed to let her do this, constantly returning and giving food even after Elsa mated and had cubs they continued to intervene and this meant that the cubs never really had a chance to live to their nature.
Secondly the book felt so repetitive. All their actions were the same day after day. Far frombeing heart warming or emotionally challenging I was largely bored or annoyed by the narrative
Secondly the book felt so repetitive. All their actions were the same day after day. Far frombeing heart warming or emotionally challenging I was largely bored or annoyed by the narrative
booksandchicks's review against another edition
3.0
Nonfiction about the infamous Elsa lion! Joy Adamson's husband was a game warden in Kenya and was forced to kill a male and female lion. What he didn't realize was the female had 3 cubs. They would never survive in the wild alone, so they took these cubs into their home. Two of them were sent off to a zoo after a couple months, but they kept Elsa.
It was beautiful to see the love Elsa had for Joy and the people that cared for her. She treated them like her pride. They put a lot of work into keeping her active and healthy. She slept next to Joy's husband and often with a paw touching him. She knew how to be gentle with these fragile humans as she became full grown at 300 pounds. The time came to see if she could survive in the wild alone!
They took great care previously in never having her hunt or kill her own food, for safety to them and other people around. Now, all of the sudden, she needs to learn to do that. Her instincts would take over and she would catch an animal and then look to the people to see what to do as she was holding them down. So they would shoot the animal and she would eat. Over time, they started leaving her alone for a night in the wild. When they finally came back she would be so loving and even sad she had been ditched! Often she had cuts and scratches from other lions that didn't accept her. They needed her to find a mate!
This was such an enjoyable read! I went to Kenya this summer and our guide recommended this book and it was so fun to learn more about lions and their personalities. Now to watch the movie that they made of Elsa before she was fully immersed into the wild!
It was beautiful to see the love Elsa had for Joy and the people that cared for her. She treated them like her pride. They put a lot of work into keeping her active and healthy. She slept next to Joy's husband and often with a paw touching him. She knew how to be gentle with these fragile humans as she became full grown at 300 pounds. The time came to see if she could survive in the wild alone!
They took great care previously in never having her hunt or kill her own food, for safety to them and other people around. Now, all of the sudden, she needs to learn to do that. Her instincts would take over and she would catch an animal and then look to the people to see what to do as she was holding them down. So they would shoot the animal and she would eat. Over time, they started leaving her alone for a night in the wild. When they finally came back she would be so loving and even sad she had been ditched! Often she had cuts and scratches from other lions that didn't accept her. They needed her to find a mate!
This was such an enjoyable read! I went to Kenya this summer and our guide recommended this book and it was so fun to learn more about lions and their personalities. Now to watch the movie that they made of Elsa before she was fully immersed into the wild!
vivian_munich's review against another edition
4.0
I've always been in awe of lions - such magnificent and dignified creatures that represent to me the epitome of freedom. I heard the story of Elsa from an African wildlife podcast and came to know the Adamsons' conservation effort in Africa. This book documents their experience with the lioness Elsa and later her cubs. It reads like a diary and contains many fascinating details of their interactions with the lions. I can imagine it must have been groundbreaking at the time of publication (1960). It was very moving to see the deep bond Elsa and Joy/George have developed, and sad to see Elsa' premature death.
I do feel there might have been too much human intervention from the Adamsons' side, but it was equally understandable considering how much time and effort they had spent to help Elsa and her cubs - it would be hard to just turn away. And the best nature conservation practices certainly have evolved over time, what is considered inappropriate today might be acceptable back then. It is also a pity that both Adamsons suffered a violent death eventually in Africa where they spent decades of their lives. In each generation we need people like them, who love nature more than the artificial human world and are willing to devote their lives to this purpose.
I felt dismayed that we never found out what happened to the cubs in the end. Did they survive? Did they go on to have a happy life in Serengeti? I can only wish so, but we'll never know. Such is the beauty and cruelty of nature and freedom, that one must accept both or neither.
I do feel there might have been too much human intervention from the Adamsons' side, but it was equally understandable considering how much time and effort they had spent to help Elsa and her cubs - it would be hard to just turn away. And the best nature conservation practices certainly have evolved over time, what is considered inappropriate today might be acceptable back then. It is also a pity that both Adamsons suffered a violent death eventually in Africa where they spent decades of their lives. In each generation we need people like them, who love nature more than the artificial human world and are willing to devote their lives to this purpose.
I felt dismayed that we never found out what happened to the cubs in the end. Did they survive? Did they go on to have a happy life in Serengeti? I can only wish so, but we'll never know. Such is the beauty and cruelty of nature and freedom, that one must accept both or neither.