The Prince Who Walked with Lions

by Elizabeth Laird

A sweeping epic about a prince torn from his mountain home. Based on a true story.

The British Army is circling the stronghold of the King of Abyssinia. Under orders from Queen Victoria, its mission is to rescue the British Envoy, held prisoner.

Watching with terror and awe is the king's young son, Alamayu. He knows that his father is as brave as a lion, but how on earth can he and his warriors stand against the well-equipped foreigners? As battle rages, everything that Alamayu fears comes to pass. The fighting is cruel and efficient. By the time it is over, Alamayu is left without parents, throne or friends.

In a misguided attempt to care for him, the British take Alamayu to England. There he is befriended by the queen herself and enrolled in Rugby College to become a 'proper' English gentleman. What the English see as an honour is, to this lonely Ethiopian prince, a horror.

This is Alamayu's story, seen through his eyes: the battle, the journey to England and the trauma of an English public school as he comes to terms with the hand that fate has dealt him and tries to build a new life.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Young Adult

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Laird was born in New Zealand in 1943, the fourth of five children. Her father was a ship's surgeon; both he and Laird's mother were Scottish. In 1945, Laird and her family returned to Britain and she grew up in South London, where she was educated at Croydon High School.
When she was eighteen, Laird started teaching at a school in Malaysia. She decided to continue her adventurous life, even though she was bitten by a poisonous snake and went down with typhoid.

After attending the university in Bristol, Laird began teaching English in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She and a friend would hire mules and go into remote areas in the holidays.

After a while at Edinburgh University, Laird worked in India for a summer. During travel, she met her future husband, David McDowall, who she said was very kind to her when she was airsick on a plane. The couple were married in 1975 and have two sons, Angus and William.

Laird has also visited Iraq and Lebanon. She claims to dislike snakes, porridge and being cold but enjoys very dark chocolate, Mozart, reading and playing the violin in the Iraq Symphony Orchestra.

She currently lives in Richmond, London with her husband.

Reviews

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never felt like the voice of Prince Alamayu was particularly convincing which, coupled with the rather slow pace, was why I didn't enjoy this book.

I thank it for teaching me about a part of history I knew nothing about beforehand, but really all else was disappointing. The narrator, the lack of plot, the format of the book: none of it really took me with it.

I can't say I'm convinced it will be well-received by children either, whom it is primarily aimed at. Historically accurate as far as I can tell, but for a piece of historical fiction, it is quite boring and meagre.

[Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally published at Fluttering Butterflies

The Prince Who Walked With Lions by Elizabeth Laird isn't anything at all like I expected it to be. Regardless of that, I still really enjoyed it and found the story to be both interesting and sad. Having only read a small blurb about the story before I began reading, I guess I thought the book would be told more in the present from our main character's point of view as he struggles with bullies in his school.

But Alamayu is based on a real person and in this story, Elizabeth Laird recounts a fictional account of what occurred when the British conquer the Abyssinians by defeating Prince Alamayu's courageous father who had taken some British soldiers hostage.

This story, though very interesting in parts, is quite sad throughout. Poor Prince Alamayu witnesses firsthand the horrific deaths of his family and friends. Afterwards, he is taken by the British back to England. At the start of The Prince Who Walked With Lions, Alamayu is in the infirmary, telling this story in flashbacks. It is this early part of his story, which details the exoticness of his life in what is now Ethiopia the most fascinating. I wanted to know more about the life that Alamayu led before the British came into the picture.

Slowly though, Prince Alamayu begins to forget his Abyssinian heritage as he comes to England, is befriended by Queen Victoria and is educated to be a proper English gentleman. His struggles to fit in with the other students though, is quite emotional and I could really relate to Alamayu's difficulties being caught between two cultures and trying to be true to himself.

This is an interesting historical read, but I think it would have made more of an emotional impact if more of the story was told in Alamayu's present.

[Yamna · Rating 2 out of 5]

O God.
Dear God.
Why, why, WHY would someone think this is a good idea for a book??

First of all, let me just clarify that the blurb and the title ITSELF is VERY misleading. You would think it's about a prince who was brave and tamed lions or something from the title and the blurb would have you think he overcomes bullying from some boys at a boarding school. BUT it is neither
Second of all, if you see a book being sold at an exorbitantly low price, believe that it probably deserves to be sold at that price
Third of all, I have never read of royalty figures that I hate this much before

Story:
Prince Alamayu likes to whine. His dad is not there all the time. He cries about that. The fact that his mother is ADMITTING she has had an abusive relationship with his father makes him hate HER for not liking his dear father. Alamayu's naive POV makes it very dubious that his mother underwent rape but it is heavily implied from the way she cried about her past life, was married at 13 to his father, barely sees his father AND refuses to talk to him. But the fact that this could have happened just makes my blood boil. Alamayu admits his father has kept hundreds prisoners just to get an ego boost. Yet he praises his father. Oh and to make it worse, he whines A LOT.
The story is based on Abyssinia's war with the British and how Alamayu's father foolishly thought he could win the fight yet lost after losing thousands to British army. The fact that this was shown in the most boring fashion possible makes me wonder if it was even worth mentioning in the book.
And most of the novel is NOT about Alamayu's stay at a boarding school. It's about the war, how he travelled with his mother after his father's death with the British, how he fell sick and barely 2 or 3 pages about some boarding school kid making fun of his color. The fact that this topic of racism is so sensitive yet it is dealt with so callously does not show the author in a very bright light. Nor is it clear why the book's title or blurb have barely anything to do with the actual story. I guess it seemed like a good way to publicize the book but come on? Couldn't it have been better to pick a different way to tell Alamayu's story?
It doesn't help that throughout the book, Alamayu is one of the following:
- Rude to his servants
- Praising his war-addicted, egotistical, tyrant of a father
- Lying sick in a hospital bed, suffering from delusions
- Hating on either his mother or his adopted uncle (Big something, I have completely forgotten the name) or his new parents or his fellow students
- Weirdly recounting his visits to Queen Victoria, his "friend" (BTW Who on earth befriends a child? I mean you could have called Alamayu the queen's acquaintance or something but friend just sounds extremely weird)

So when you get over the overbearing qualities of Alamayu, you realize there really is no point to the story because his mother dies, leaving him in the hands of some creepy giant who abandons him in UK, he gets adopted by dreadfully boring people, he gets dis-adopted (I don't care that it's not a word) by said people and he dies of the same disease that killed his mother, never to return to Abyssinia, and never to, and here's my favorite part EVER WALK WITH THE FREAKING LIONS HE ACTUALLY NEVER DID WALK WITH IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE

Overall impression:
Horribly boring, drab and non-sensical story that probably does not do justice to either the real Prince or his people of Abyssinia. Not only would I not recommend it, I also would never be reading from this author again
There's 5 hours of my life I wish I could get back
*sigh*

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was tragic. It was slow and read more like an autobiography, and could have used more suspense and artistic language at the end, but it resonated with me. The characters weren't well developed and I thought this book maybe painted some negative characters in a better light than they deserved (i.e King Tewodros II, Capt. Tristam Charles Speedy (there's some evidence that Alemayehu's mother didn't want him to raise her child and that Alemayehu was mistreated in Speedy's care, but this book portrays him in a 'hero' role. Didn't like that.)

I resonated with Prince Alemayehu SO MUCH. An orphan, a prince, separated from his family and his parents only to live in a country full of strangers. Despite Queen Victoria's efforts, he was ultimately failed by the British government. At the end, I was crying.

He's currently buried in Windsor Castle, with the inscription : 'I was a stranger and ye took me in.' (Little historical revisionism on the part of the British!)

Ultimately, if you take any message from this novel, it's that you should support the campaign to repatriate Prince Alemayehu's body back to Ethiopia. The U.K returned the hair of the emperor, but NOT his son. The historical novels we read should inform us about the past and their repercussions that persist in the present. Prince Alemayehu should be returned to his people. Sign the petition at change.org.

[Hannah of the Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really sad book telling the story of a prince who lost his family and his home when the British invaded his homeland of Abyssinia and then he was taken to England. Though he was treated "well" he struggles to find his place, and gradually loses all ties to his own culture and identity. The author tries to put a redemptive spin on the story in the last paragraph or so, but really it's a tragedy. This book is written for ages 9-12 and could lead to thought provoking discussions on colonialism, racism, the theft of African cultural artifacts, Ethiopian history, enculturation, cross cultural encounters and multicultural identity. It's not the highest quality novel ever but it was very worth the read.

[Shweta Keswani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prince who walked with lions is based on an original story from the 1800 and the prince Alamayu goes through a lot as a young child. No spoilers!!!! It is for more advanced readers because the story is very in depth but it has a great message and I recommend this book from 11 and above. A must read and it is very slow and it must be read with full concentration or else you will not be able to understand anything.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting true story. I now wonder if his items are still in the v and a museum. Was a sad story of a prince growing up in the wrong country due to his father's behaviour and the English army.

[Lexia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this is a very good book written from Prince Alamayu's point of view. Showing us all the hardships he went through and to just die in the end at such a young age.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Rating 3.5 stars

I’m almost ashamed to say that before reading this I had never even heard of Elizabeth Laird but an examination of her back catalogue has revealed a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of children’s literature – much to add to the never-ending wishlist both for my children and I. She has certainly had a full and varied life, working and travelling in many different parts of the world – a multicultural cornucopia which she has drawn upon to produce a range of intelligently written novels for young people.

Based on a true story, our narrator is the young Prince Alamayu, son of Emperor Theodore of Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). He tells his story as he lies on his sickbed during his time as a student at Rugby, via a series of flashbacks to his early childhood. What follows is a detailed, interesting tale of an exotic lifestyle brought to a sudden end by the death of his father at the hands of Queen Victoria’s troops in 1868. Torn from his native country, he is brought up and educated as a typical English gentleman but he finds it hard to fit in with his peers.

This is an engaging, poignant tale of a proud young royal striving to adapt to extreme changes in circumstances. Laird captures the turmoil of a young boy caught between two worlds, slowly forgetting his Ethiopian heritage yet not quite achieving the status of a perfect young gentleman despite his associations with Queen Victoria herself. Reading this has encouraged me to find out more about this particular part of history – what a bonus if it could incite the same curiosity in younger readers. Off now to check out Elizabeth’s previous novels – Kiss The Dust and A Little Piece of Ground are particularly catching my eye.

[Emily Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed ‘The Prince Who walked With Lions’ because it shows the Victorian world from the point of view of an Abyssinian tribal prince – Alamayu. Laird does this by describing ordinary things that we take for granted, such as trains, in an intriguing and intimidating way.
From the start I feel sorry for Prince Alamayu because of his unpredictable father and then later on because he is left alone in the confusing world of the British army camps as he travels to England.
I really liked the style the book was written in because there was a mix of past and present tense.
I thought it was a shame that Prince Alamayu died before he could return to his home country - Abyssinia as he was planning to. I would have liked him to return because it would have been interesting to see if he felt the same way about Abyssinia after he had experienced Victorian England.

I rate this book 8/10

[Maria Longley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical novel based on true events. Prince Alamayu was brought to England after his father the Emperor of Abyssinia was defeated by the British and his mother died. The book charts this monumental shift in life style and countries for the young prince and we learn a whole lot along the way too. Queen Victoria knew and liked him and they lived near each other on the Isle of Wight for a while, and he went to Rugby... What a strange life for a young Ethiopian! The novel was so absorbing that it feels odd to think I could go to the V&A and look at some of the objects that were brought back from this British campaign (or at least request to see them...) and mentioned in the book. It's a well researched book and still very readable. If rather sad on the whole.

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Prince who walked with lions was an interesting read.

I like Elizabeth Laird's style of historical fiction in that is always based on a huge amount of research of the events that book is about. The facts behind the story are solid and therefore the book is informative without being dull as the story-telling is spot on.

I really enjoyed this book - it mixes between present tense diary format with flashback scenes following the abyssinian prince and looking back over his life. I found getting inside his head really interesting and learning about the history of a country I knew very little about really engaging.

An interesting and informative read.

[Holly Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book.
It felt more like an autobiography than a novel, due to its authenticity and factual historical nature.
It took me halfway through the book before I felt connected enough to become emotionally attached to Prince Alamayu, as he grew up a bit and became more mature, as he had to cope with such new surroundings.
It made me feel rather solemn to finish the book and read the 'Afterword' of what befell him in the end.

[Helen Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sad story based on the true tale of a young Abyssinian (old Ethiopia) prince whose family were killed by the Victorian British army. The young boy, Alamayu, was brought to England, met Queen Victoria, and then was sent to Rugby boarding school where he had to survive racism and bullies.

An interesting life to read about, but desperately sad overall.

[Cynthianatalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it very much! I must admit I teared up a bit towards the end, not many books have that effect on me. Elizabeth Laird has a great way of giving life to Prince Alamayu's story. Will look forward to more of her works from now on!

[Stephen King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleverly written semi - true bio of a 19th century Abyssinian boy prince who us taken to England when his fathers empire is overrun. The scenes at Rugby school seem to have been well researched, as well. For me, though, the story line needed a little more suspense to ale it memorable.

[Samantha (A Dream of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Clay]

Scottish Children's Book Awards Shortlist