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The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa Audiobook
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(3.02) - 900 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
From the author of the phenomenally successful, New York Times bestselling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency mystery series, comes this spellbinding collection of African folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana.
When a woman becomes the target of ridicule from her husband’s new wife, the jilted woman befriends a talking guinea fowl, who helps her get revenge. In another tale, a young woman who lives in a cave falls victim to the wicked scheming of a dangerous cannibal. And when a woman suspects her husband is actually a lion, she asks her brother for help in driving the cunning beast away from her and her two sons—who may also be lions!
The more than 30 stories in this wonderful anthology have a uniquely African flair, but still manage to tap into ideas—love, jealousy, ambition—that are universally human. And since folktales are part of an oral history, hearing them spoken aloud by a cast of wonderfully talented, completely authentic narrators is pure magic.
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"Like Mma Ramotswe I will put this book close to hand and "read it when there is nothing much to be done"... A charming collection of extremely short tales: 33 IN 171 pages. A number of the shortest are less than 4 pages long, and I found it an ideal book to read whilst waiting for odd minutes in the car, for a programme to start or just to break a tedious job. It will stay on my shelf for visitors. Even the tired overnight visitors will find a story to tickle their fancy here!"
— Gill (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“The personalities of Africa's animals—the wiliness of the hare, the gullibility of the lion, the laziness of the baboon—take shape as the book proceeds. And there are clear moral lessons here, useful for parents everywhere.”
— New York Times -
“In these folktales, Smith (who was born in Zimbabwe and now teaches law at Edinburgh University) acts as a veritable bridge between cultures.”
— Washington Post -
“These are pithy, engaging tales, as habit-forming as peanuts.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“A fine production and a good listen for anyone interested in folktales. It's also perfect family listening.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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Finalist for the 2006 Audie Award for Best Narration of Short Stories/Collections
The Girl Who Married a Lion Listener Reviews
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" I am a dedicated fan of anything Alexander McCall Smith writes. He re-tells African folk tales in this book. They are about a time when animals could talk and interact with each other and with people. Sometimes they have a moral, sometimes they are just entertaining, and sometimes they are instructive as to human/animal nature. They made me smile, they made me think. I think I will read them to my grandson when he is a little older and see what he gets from them. "
— Kozie, 2/13/2014 -
" A fun and easy read that made me think while I was laughing. The stories are short, but have abrupt and sometimes tragic endings that I would not recommend for small children. (I had planned on reading these fables to my 9 and 6 year-olds.) great for middle school age and up:) "
— Johnnelle, 2/7/2014 -
" This is the non-illustrated version of The Baboons Who Went This Way and That. "
— Ticklish, 2/3/2014 -
" This book consists of fables edited by Alexander McCall Smith. I enjoyed them, but think they are meant to be read to children maybe one or two a night. "
— Pam, 2/1/2014 -
" It is interesting to read these folk tales from another culture. In most of them good actions prevail, and wrong is punished. As in many of Aesop's fables, the animals in many of these stories can talk. I enjoyed the short stories, but I still enjoy the Mma Ramotswe mysteries better. "
— Duckpondwithoutducks, 1/22/2014 -
" An interesting collection of African folktales from the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. "
— Bridget, 1/22/2014 -
" I do love Alexander McCall Smith and everything he does, but this book has some of the dumbest stories I've ever read. "
— Matthew, 1/19/2014 -
" Its refreshing and beautiful stories from Africa "
— Fatima, 1/3/2014 -
" I read this to my class every year because we study Africa and folk tales. When I first begin to read it, the students act too cool for such things. However, it is just twisted enough to keep 7th graders very interested. They always beg for more. I always make them wait for another day. "
— Mary, 12/15/2013 -
" "We can offer a discounted iPhone upgrade at 2 yr commitment pricing + $250 along with a new 2 year contract +$18 upgrade fee" "
— Paul, 12/10/2013 -
" This book has some interesting tales but alot of them involve people dieing. "
— Caroline, 12/7/2013
About Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, 44 Scotland Street novels, Corduroy Mansions series, the Perfect Passion Company novels, and more. He has also written stand-alone novels, books for children, and nonfiction works. In 2004 he was named the British Book Awards Author of the Year and Booksellers Association Author of the Year. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served with many national and international organizations concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and taught law at the University of Botswana.
About the Narrators
Davina Porter has been enthralling listeners for over twenty-five years with her ability to mine the psychological depths of the characters she reads and bring them convincingly to life. In 2006, she won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Female Narration and in 2004 for Best Inspirational Literature Narration. She has been honored as an AudioFile Golden Voice and has won nineteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. As an actress, she has appeared on stage at the Vineyard Playhouse and the Square One Theater, among others.
Lisette Lecat began her career in her native South Africa, where she had stage roles and did extensive radio and voice-over work both commercially and for the South African Broadcasting Corporation. Living in Spain, England, and the United States, she did a wide range of voice-over work in three languages. She has won fourteen AudioFile Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for best female solo narration.
Nyambi Nyambi is an American character actor, best known for his role as Samuel in CBS’s Mike and Molly.
Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.
Téa Obreht was born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia in 1985 and has lived in the United States since the age of twelve. Her writing has been published in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Harper’s, and the Guardian, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She has been named by the New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty. She lives in New York.