A Lion Called Christian: The True Story Of The Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends And A Lion Download Free (EPUB, PDF)
In 2008 an extraordinary two-minute film clip appeared on YouTube and immediately became an international phenomenon. It captures the moving reunion of two young men and their pet lion Christian, after they had left him in Africa with Born Free’s George Adamson to introduce him into his rightful home in the wild.A Lion Called Christian tells the remarkable story of how Anthony “Ace” Bourke and John Rendall, visitors to London from Australia in 1969, bought the boisterous lion cub in the pet department of Harrods. For several months, the three of them shared a flat above a furniture shop on London’s King’s Road, where the charismatic and intelligent Christian quickly became a local celebrity, cruising the streets in the back of a Bentley, popping in for lunch at a local restaurant, even posing for a fashion advertisement. But the lion cub was growing up—fast—and soon even the walled church garden where he went for exercise wasn’t large enough for him. How could Ace and John avoid having to send Christian to a zoo for the rest of his life? A coincidental meeting with English actors Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers, stars of the hit film Born Free, led to Christian being flown to Kenya and placed under the expert care of “the father of lions” George Adamson. Incredibly, when Ace and John returned to Kenya to see Christian a year later, they received a loving welcome from their lion, who was by then fully integrated into Africa and a life with other lions. Originally published in 1971, and now fully revised and updated with more than 50 photographs of Christian from cuddly cub in London to magnificent lion in Africa, A Lion Called Christian is a touching and uplifting true story of an indelible human-animal bond. It is is destined to become one of the great classics of animal literature.
Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (March 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767932374
ISBN-13: 978-0767932370
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.6 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (135 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #309,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #264 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Mammals #306 in Books > Science & Math > Biological Sciences > Animals > Wildlife #312 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Pets & Animal Care > Essays
I'll write this from a slightly different perspective. Everyone who has seen and enjoyed the video (but didn't cry or weep or have some other strange reaction) is probably wondering: ok, but is the book any good?The answer is yes. It is well organized, fun, interesting and wonderfully written. Rendall and Rourke are also surprisingly self-aware. They admit numerous times that owning a lion was a dangerous, one-in-a-lifetime decision that they were lucky to escape positively.Their story is one that is so strangely fascinating that it's shocking to think it happened as recently as the 1970s. They were selling lions in department stores back then? It feels like a different world. This is probably why the book is so fun to read - it is a rare mix of exotic animals, nostalgia, British and Hollywood glamour and a love story.Again, for the skeptical or the curious, this book is worth reading and will be enjoyed. Just keep the anticipation to the minimum as A Lion Called Christian is a short read that you'll burn through quickly.It's better if you can appreciate that moment than be disappointed by its brevity.
I 1st saw this most touching video on UTube.com!I cried my eyes out!! I had to know how this most unusual lovestory came about!! I found this book extremely touching....howall living things on this planet have a connection!! John & Aceare true heroes!! Great & Most Touching Read!! Great Pics Too!!
I rarely write reviews. I'm not one that's good with words but this story is so wonderful I just had to give my input.If you've seen the videos on Youtube great, but the story has so much more to tell. A lot of information that has been out there hasn't been accurate. Read the book and get the truth. I have never been so consumed with a story as this. I too as another reviewer already said have searched everything I could find on the web about Christian. The book sums it all up for me. I just wished I could have known him..What an incredible story!!
It is good to have the "expanded" version of the wonderful YouTube video that I first saw last summer. The students all want to read this after seeing the video. It is every person's dream to have a wild animal friend.
Like many millions of others, I was enchanted by the video of the lion reunion and thrilled to see a book about the events leading up to the film. The book is well-organized and details the events in an honest and interesting way. The photographs were fun, the story quite charming, and the end a triumph. I am so happy to see the authors' care and love for their untraditional pet.I gave it only 3 stars because it is short, as their time together was. I was surprisingly much more interested in the details of the time in Africa than I was in their time in London. I was surprised by how mis-represented the story has been online. The authors set the record straight. It is a good book, a nice read but not a great one. Nothing wrong with that. The book is exactly what is described, a narrative of the two authors time with a growing lion. I admire them for their decisions when they were young and for their dedication to animals ever since. Nicely done.
"A Lion Called Christian is an absolutely marvelous book which tells the story of Anthony Bourke and John Rendall, and how they came to acquire a lion cub named Christian. While they bought him at Harrods seemingly on an expensive whim, (for two young men, the task of buying and maintaining a lion came at a hefty price tag...) I was very pleased to hear how well they treated him, and how they took measures to help him maintain good health and happiness. There was a definite love between this lion and his owners, and I am sure any person who enjoys a great story and loves animals would like this book. In it, it includes beautiful pictures throughout Christian's life, and also includes very comical stories about how Christian became a star in their neighborhood, and how people reacted to him.Five stars.
I will begin by saying I'm glad I got this book for $4 instead of $25, because I read it in an afternoon. It was an insanely quick read. That said, I really enjoyed the story. I understand they originally wrote the majority of this book in the 70s, but after the YouTube sensation, they edited this new version for re-release. I feel that this must have improved the value of the book, because so much happened after it seems the first book was already in print.The story was easy to follow, and I appreciated how candid the authors were about their experience. I especially appreciated their description and continuation of the rehabilitation site in Africa. Because the story was centered on Christian, it doesn't go into much description of many other rehabilitation centers or lion-keepers, etc. I feel this may have been a tactful way to lengthen and elaborate the story if they'd wanted to do so. The book is very much written from their own experience, and it seems very little research was done outside of this. This isn't necessarily a negative, it's just that I would have liked to have seen more. Instead, I've been supplementing the information in this book with a few hours on Wikipedia.If you haven't seen the YouTube video, you absolutely must. :)
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