Books with author Joseph Kessel

Against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro, on a great game preserve in Kenya, the warden, once a great hunter, his ten-year-old daughter Patricia, Oriunga, a primitive Masai warrior, and King, the gorgeous lion the small girl loves and knows so well -- these are the characters in a vibrant, swift, and suspenseful novel in which love and hate and savagery clash inevitably and then explode. It is the story of a young girl's power over a majestic beast. Possessing a special understanding for the wildlife that roams securely in the huge man-made preserve where she has grown up, Patricia loves above all living creatures King, the lion she has raised from a cub. Then an arrogant, proud warrior enters this sanctuary, and man and lion instantly recognize each other as predestined enemies. The fateful encounter between the two is precipitated by Patricia's need to test her power, just as the warrior must test his manhood. And the astonishing climax brings the instincts of the jungle and the response of civilization into sudden and shattering action. The Lion is a great and beautiful adventure story that will also enchant you by its vivid picture of animal life in a vast game preserve. And it abounds in searching and unforgettable insights into human fears, courage, and love.

Patricia lived with her parents on a vast game preserve in Kenya and her only friends were the animals. She knew them and loved them all, but it was King for whom she kept her greatest love. King, the noblest of beast, the mighty lion she has raised from a cub, wild and free. King the proud, the fearless, who would bring Patricia into a dangerous drama that had to be played out between the human and the animal world...a drama that would leave her a child no more.