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Lioness
The extraordinary untold story of Sue Brierley, mother of Saroo, the boy known as LION.
Saroo Brierley’s journey home to a small village in India with the help of Google Earth became an internationally bestselling book and inspired the major motion picture LION. But the story of how his adoptive mother, Sue, came into his life half a world away in Tasmania is every bit as riveting.
In this uplifting and deeply personal book Sue reveals for the first time her own traumatic childhood. The daughter of a violent alcoholic whose business gambles left her family destitute, she grew up in geographic and emotional isolation. When Sue married and broke free of her father she was determined to also sever the cycle of despair, and made the selfless decision not to have a biological child. Instead, inspired by a vision she’d had as a young girl, she chose to adopt two children in need – Saroo and Mantosh. Little did she imagine that twenty-five years later she would be portrayed on screen by another Australian mother who chose to adopt – Nicole Kidman.
Moving and inspiring, Lioness explores the myth of motherhood, how families are formed in many ways, and how love and perseverance can bring us together.
Saroo Brierley’s journey home to a small village in India with the help of Google Earth became an internationally bestselling book and inspired the major motion picture LION. But the story of how his adoptive mother, Sue, came into his life half a world away in Tasmania is every bit as riveting.
In this uplifting and deeply personal book Sue reveals for the first time her own traumatic childhood. The daughter of a violent alcoholic whose business gambles left her family destitute, she grew up in geographic and emotional isolation. When Sue married and broke free of her father she was determined to also sever the cycle of despair, and made the selfless decision not to have a biological child. Instead, inspired by a vision she’d had as a young girl, she chose to adopt two children in need – Saroo and Mantosh. Little did she imagine that twenty-five years later she would be portrayed on screen by another Australian mother who chose to adopt – Nicole Kidman.
Moving and inspiring, Lioness explores the myth of motherhood, how families are formed in many ways, and how love and perseverance can bring us together.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 3, 2020
45 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
September 30, 2022
I chose this before reading Saroo Brierley’s ‘A Long Way Home’ because I knew something about his story after watching the movie ‘Lion’ and was interested in learning more about these people, the Brierleys, who chose adoption over birth-children for intelligent world-view and compassionate reasons.
This memoir delivered.
Recently, a lovely Goodreads friend commented that she enjoyed reading the personal aspects that accompanied many of my reviews.
I don’t believe I can write them any other way, therefore I’m doing it again:
I feel an affiliation here. I live in the same area as the Brierleys and my children attended the same school (Howrah Primary School) when Saroo and their second child, Mantosh, started there. I remember seeing them periodically in their school uniforms.
Many shots in ‘Lion’ were very familiar - particularly on the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington.
These factors made the read all the more meaningful.
Like the Brierleys, the coincidence of Saroo ending up at Howrah Train Station in Calcutta (now Kolkata), lost, alone and scared, and then ending up in Howrah Tasmania, was not lost on me.
Sue Brierley is candid about the dichotomy between delight and frustrations she and her devoted husband experienced in the inter-country adoption processes, particularly for their second son. This is achieved through her direct, often unadorned writing style.
I liked this.
Her experiences raising the two were not always rosy and she named up her own failures, along with those of the ‘system’.
The details of her own less than ideal upbringing also added emphasis to her determination as as a caring parent.
What a brave writer!
Sue Brierley’s big heart and empathy for those less fortunate shines through in this commendable memoir.
This memoir delivered.
Recently, a lovely Goodreads friend commented that she enjoyed reading the personal aspects that accompanied many of my reviews.
I don’t believe I can write them any other way, therefore I’m doing it again:
I feel an affiliation here. I live in the same area as the Brierleys and my children attended the same school (Howrah Primary School) when Saroo and their second child, Mantosh, started there. I remember seeing them periodically in their school uniforms.
Many shots in ‘Lion’ were very familiar - particularly on the summit of kunanyi/Mt Wellington.
These factors made the read all the more meaningful.
Like the Brierleys, the coincidence of Saroo ending up at Howrah Train Station in Calcutta (now Kolkata), lost, alone and scared, and then ending up in Howrah Tasmania, was not lost on me.
Sue Brierley is candid about the dichotomy between delight and frustrations she and her devoted husband experienced in the inter-country adoption processes, particularly for their second son. This is achieved through her direct, often unadorned writing style.
I liked this.
Her experiences raising the two were not always rosy and she named up her own failures, along with those of the ‘system’.
The details of her own less than ideal upbringing also added emphasis to her determination as as a caring parent.
What a brave writer!
Sue Brierley’s big heart and empathy for those less fortunate shines through in this commendable memoir.
June 30, 2021
I loved Lion by Saroo Brierley and Lioness was just as great but this time told from Sue Brierley’s perspective. I found it quite fascinating reading about her background - from her troubled childhood to her marriage and the adoption of Saroo and Mantosh.
January 4, 2021
An absorbing story of a lady who's suffering as a child at the hands of her mentally ill and abusive father lead her to seeing adopting her own children as a way for her to reduce the suffering of innocent people by drawing them into her own immediate loving family.
It seems selfless, but the joy she gained by adopting her sons has ultimately proven very personally rewarding for her and her husband.
She notes the struggles with adoption, particularly overseas adoption and how it can vary within Australia from State to State. Telling both her son's stories from her own viewpoint.
Her son's Saroo's story is an exceptional one, in that he was able to find his original family after becoming lost far from home as a child and then finding his way back as an adult using google earth.
Saroo wrote his own memoir of the experience and it was made into a film staring Nicole Kidman, who is an adoptive mother herself.
After listening to this as an audiobook, I was left feeling that the world is a better place for having Sue Brierley and people like her in it.
It seems selfless, but the joy she gained by adopting her sons has ultimately proven very personally rewarding for her and her husband.
She notes the struggles with adoption, particularly overseas adoption and how it can vary within Australia from State to State. Telling both her son's stories from her own viewpoint.
Her son's Saroo's story is an exceptional one, in that he was able to find his original family after becoming lost far from home as a child and then finding his way back as an adult using google earth.
Saroo wrote his own memoir of the experience and it was made into a film staring Nicole Kidman, who is an adoptive mother herself.
After listening to this as an audiobook, I was left feeling that the world is a better place for having Sue Brierley and people like her in it.
May 8, 2021
An amazing story from the mother of Saroo, the little lost Indian boy from the film 'Lion' and the book 'A Long Way Home', who Sue and John Brierley end up adopting. Her own childhood was incredibly traumatic, and in part fuelled the idea to adopt children rather than have them biologically. At one stage there was a gap in the story of about 14 years which I would have liked to hear about, as their other son Mantosh was struggling and rebelling; he had such a terrible time adjusting after his own childhood horrors. When the story resumes all those years later he's come back to the family fold, which was a relief to hear. I don't know if 'enjoyable' is the right way to describe this book, but it was a compelling read. Gifted to me by a friend.
November 22, 2020
A memoir about adoption and what it means to be a part of a family. Sue Brierley's resilience and tenacity enabled her to escape the life she endured in a very working-class immigrant household. These experiences led her to be the best person she could and provide a better life for two boys whose early years were also marred by tragedy.
December 13, 2025
Wonderful book written by the adoptive mother of Saroo, the child depicted in Lion. So interesting to see Saroo's journey from India to adoption in Australia told from a different perspective. Having just read Lion for a second time, it was inspiring to read all the events told from Sue Brierley's perspective. I loved it.
July 10, 2025
After reading and loving the book Lion by Saroo Brierley it was a no-brainer to read his adoptive mother’s perspective of his life as a lost child in India and his journey to adoption in Australia. But there is more in this book than Sue’s version of Saroo’s life. There is also Sue’s own childhood history of neglect and abuse from her father which is a harrowing and appalling read. Once she meets her future husband, John Brierley she fortunately becomes free from her parents’ poverty and begins a normal adult life. Sue had long had a sense that she should adopt rather than bear her own children so she and John began the adoption process, which took 16 years to finally come to fruition when they welcomed Saroo into their lives and later another son, Mantosh. She describes both the joy and difficulties of parenting children from traumatic backgrounds, especially in Mantosh’s case as his family had disowned him. Sue tells the story of Saroo tracking down his family using Google Earth and then the subsequent visits to India to reunite and in her case, meet her son’s first mother. This is an inspiring story of determination, resilience, love and pain and the connections of family whether by blood or otherwise. I highly recommend also reading Saroo’s book Lion and watching the movie, as the whole story is powerful, uplifting and unforgettable.
December 3, 2020
Wow
This was such an interesting and inspiring read.
The story of Saroo Brierely and how he used Google Earth to find his birth mother is well known and in this book we learn of his adoptive mothers childhood and how she came to adopt Saroo and his brother Mantosh.
Sue's story is a truly inspiring one. This book is one of those stories that show you that family is not always defined by blood and how the love and support of good people can get you through tough times. Reading about how Sue's traumatic childhood shaped her into the mother she would eventually become was really fascinating to read.
I also found it truly inspiring how Sue and her husband John decided not to have their own children and decided to adopt children from poorer countries, giving them a chance at a better life. The journey they went through to adopt Saroo and Mantosh was very interesting to learn about and how the adoption process can be very trying for those people who are genuine about giving less fortunate kids a chance at a better life.
This is definitely one of my most inspiring reads of 2020
This was such an interesting and inspiring read.
The story of Saroo Brierely and how he used Google Earth to find his birth mother is well known and in this book we learn of his adoptive mothers childhood and how she came to adopt Saroo and his brother Mantosh.
Sue's story is a truly inspiring one. This book is one of those stories that show you that family is not always defined by blood and how the love and support of good people can get you through tough times. Reading about how Sue's traumatic childhood shaped her into the mother she would eventually become was really fascinating to read.
I also found it truly inspiring how Sue and her husband John decided not to have their own children and decided to adopt children from poorer countries, giving them a chance at a better life. The journey they went through to adopt Saroo and Mantosh was very interesting to learn about and how the adoption process can be very trying for those people who are genuine about giving less fortunate kids a chance at a better life.
This is definitely one of my most inspiring reads of 2020
May 19, 2021
Bookend to Lion
Out of hardship and lack of proper family warmth as a child this celebration by Sue Brierley of the life forged with her husband John and the blessings of their two adopted sons out of India is testament to the power of love and of persistence - from which comes miracles. This is book with heart and one also full of compassion and thanksgiving.
Out of hardship and lack of proper family warmth as a child this celebration by Sue Brierley of the life forged with her husband John and the blessings of their two adopted sons out of India is testament to the power of love and of persistence - from which comes miracles. This is book with heart and one also full of compassion and thanksgiving.
November 22, 2021
Such a beautiful story, I highly recommend reading this.
February 3, 2021
The story of Sue Brierley, the mother of Saroo, who got lost in India at the age of 5 and ended up on the streets of Calcutta, before being adopted by the Brierleys in Tasmania. The book 'A Long Way Home' and later the movie 'Lion' tell the story of how years later Saroo finds his village on Google Earth and is reunited with his first family. Lioness is Sue's memoir of her childhood, being raised in a broken migrant family in North West Tasmania, her marriage to John at age 17 and the choice to break the cycle of family abuse and adopt instead of having biological children. It was fascinating seeing the community I grew up in painted in a new light - as a child I had some understanding of the presence of migrant families in our neighbourhood but no idea of their struggles and issues like domestic abuse that resulted from families torn apart and displaced following the second world war.
June 27, 2025
I read A Long Way Home years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so it was really nice to see another perspective of the same story being told from the eyes of his mother. I found fascinating the story of her troubled and abusive childhood, as well as her perspectives on parenting and the belief that not everyone deserves to be a parent and insights into the workings of the adoption system in Australia and abroad.
January 10, 2021
A superb follow up and a great insight into Saroo and his continuing journey as a young boy growing up in Australia. Sue Brierley also encountered such a troubled childhood it’s amazing to see how she has grown into such a beautiful caring mother despite so many obstacles in front. Thank you for this enchanting book .
July 28, 2021
After seeing the movie Lion and subsequently reading the book by Saroo Brierley, when I discovered Sue Brierley had written a book I instantly borrowed it from my local Library. I wasn't disappointed!
What I like most about the book is that although you know it is Sue Brierley, it could have been another Tassie woman who grew up in a family that had many troubles and trying to escape this, while having a deep conviction to make someone's life better through adoption. And while it is great to hear a more detailed perspective from the mother of Saroo (who I would have loved to know more of in the film), I love that this is first and foremost a woman's story of her journey that led to having two sons through adoption.
It was interesting and heartbreaking the struggle that she has gone through personally in her life, but inspiring what she has overcome. I found throughout the book she often said she loved her sons (and I believe this to be true) - her actions speak louder than the word 'love' could be I feel. I felt it was very honest and open journey of motherhood that Sue Brierley described as a mother who adopted her sons, and they who in turn "adopted" her and her husband John. I found it a very compelling and heartfelt read with all the ups and downs that Sue and her family experienced. Give it a try - if not because you loved 'Lion', or Nicole Kidman as Sue in the film, but because it is a very moving and heart-filled story of a Mum and her love for her sons.
What I like most about the book is that although you know it is Sue Brierley, it could have been another Tassie woman who grew up in a family that had many troubles and trying to escape this, while having a deep conviction to make someone's life better through adoption. And while it is great to hear a more detailed perspective from the mother of Saroo (who I would have loved to know more of in the film), I love that this is first and foremost a woman's story of her journey that led to having two sons through adoption.
It was interesting and heartbreaking the struggle that she has gone through personally in her life, but inspiring what she has overcome. I found throughout the book she often said she loved her sons (and I believe this to be true) - her actions speak louder than the word 'love' could be I feel. I felt it was very honest and open journey of motherhood that Sue Brierley described as a mother who adopted her sons, and they who in turn "adopted" her and her husband John. I found it a very compelling and heartfelt read with all the ups and downs that Sue and her family experienced. Give it a try - if not because you loved 'Lion', or Nicole Kidman as Sue in the film, but because it is a very moving and heart-filled story of a Mum and her love for her sons.
February 3, 2021
Loved it,
March 1, 2022
The first half was pretty interesting but the second half has already been told in a much more compelling manner. Not worth the $32 I paid so DNF and return for refund
September 27, 2024
Very interesting and emotional story
April 7, 2021
I have seen the Lion movie so was great to read the story from the mother’s side of things and learn more about her background. Very emotional.
January 10, 2025
Saroo’s story has stayed with me since the first time I watched the movie. Reading his story from his mum Sue’s perspective was just as beautiful- what an amazing woman 💖
February 20, 2021
Australian adoptive parent memoir is an incredibly rare sub-genre of life writing literature and for this reason alone, Lioness is an important contribution to our nations small but growing collection.
Lioness is written in 3 sections and includes the details of the author's childhood years, married life and her parenting story and finally the fame that the movie Lion brought to her family.
Brierley's work is entirely typical of the memoir THEMES penned by adoptive parents since the 1930's. For example: Lioness validates the post WW2 consensus that adoption is a valid alternative to family formation, proclaims the equivalence of biological and adoptive kinship, documents a quest narrative which includes a long struggle to adopt which is hindered by a complex and problematic bureaucratic system in their search for a child and their right to a 'begotten' family.
Memoir is a powerful form of writing with which to reshape societies understanding of adoption, however Brierley's book has reinforced the dominate adoptive narrative; which has historically favored adoptive parents. The malignant myths that propped up Australia's forced adoption era for decades are used extensively by Brierley to narrate the adoptions of two Indian children, Saroo and Mantoush.
It has taken several weeks to bring myself to finish this adoptive parent memoir as it has been an incredibly difficult read. I found the authors belligerent viewpoint that adoption is a cure all for the worlds issues relating to overpopulation, environmental degradation, poverty, child neglect/abuse to be deeply disturbing. These issues are inherently complex, adoption alone is not the cure.
Lioness is a book written off the back of the success of her adoptive son's inspiring search-narrative to find his Mother in India. Saroo's incredible endeavor which took years of study using google earth is testament to the powerful bond adoptees have to their biological kin. His story stands alone and did not need his adoptive Mothers contribution.
Lioness is written in 3 sections and includes the details of the author's childhood years, married life and her parenting story and finally the fame that the movie Lion brought to her family.
Brierley's work is entirely typical of the memoir THEMES penned by adoptive parents since the 1930's. For example: Lioness validates the post WW2 consensus that adoption is a valid alternative to family formation, proclaims the equivalence of biological and adoptive kinship, documents a quest narrative which includes a long struggle to adopt which is hindered by a complex and problematic bureaucratic system in their search for a child and their right to a 'begotten' family.
Memoir is a powerful form of writing with which to reshape societies understanding of adoption, however Brierley's book has reinforced the dominate adoptive narrative; which has historically favored adoptive parents. The malignant myths that propped up Australia's forced adoption era for decades are used extensively by Brierley to narrate the adoptions of two Indian children, Saroo and Mantoush.
It has taken several weeks to bring myself to finish this adoptive parent memoir as it has been an incredibly difficult read. I found the authors belligerent viewpoint that adoption is a cure all for the worlds issues relating to overpopulation, environmental degradation, poverty, child neglect/abuse to be deeply disturbing. These issues are inherently complex, adoption alone is not the cure.
Lioness is a book written off the back of the success of her adoptive son's inspiring search-narrative to find his Mother in India. Saroo's incredible endeavor which took years of study using google earth is testament to the powerful bond adoptees have to their biological kin. His story stands alone and did not need his adoptive Mothers contribution.
April 30, 2023
I found Sue very annoying. She seems to agree with situations/policies/opinions when they suit her and complain about them when they don’t. She often compares her two children unfairly, she refers to her young son as acting “good” or “bad” based on how well she considered he managed his trauma and behaviours shortly after coming to Australia, and she often shames biological parents as being morally inferior. She also often talks about how she wanted to adopt because of overpopulation and to help the environment, yet she still eats meat… Very self absorbed and an unnecessary book as the story is written better by her son in his book. The final section whining about the film adaption (except for when it ended up in her being invited to the Oscars) was painful.
April 6, 2021
refreshingly open & honest, and a beautiful mother. Sue really has made a difference and done the absolute best she can for these boys. I would give it 5 stars except the social justice warrior preaching was a bit too much. I don't buy into adoption & big corps solving poverty.
December 29, 2020
A wonderful book, as fascinating and interesting as her son, Saroo's. Just from a different POV.
March 22, 2021
An interesting story but written in a very bland and pedestrian manner. Definitely not a page turner.
February 13, 2022
Did not finish 1hr into audiobook
August 4, 2022
I wanted to enjoy this book more and I don't doubt the sincerity and authenticity of the author's intentions. It was a shame though that every milestone seemed to end with a downer. I get the feeling that the author is desperate to feel validated as a mother which is why she wrote the book, but it borders on being obsessive and not in a healthy way. She's upset that she was made to "look dowdy" in the film, a fact that she has pointed out in interviews over and over again. To be honest, she looked fine! She also doesn't hide her resentment for the hardships she had to endure with her second son, Mantosh, who had a mental breakdown after the film was released (a fact she has omitted in the book). She almost has an entitled mentality that Mantosh was supposed to hers and was going to arrive on her doorstep, unblemished if it weren't for the interference of bureaucratic agencies. The fact is, no parent has full control on how their children are going to turn out, and it's sad that she assumed that Mantosh would fit right in to her Australian circle of family and friends just like Saroo. The thing is, families just don't work like that, siblings often (by nature) turn out to be totally different from each other, and Mantosh seems to be very, very introverted compared to his older brother, in part due to the horrendous trauma he suffered. It's naive of the author to think she could fix Mantosh by being some kind of Mother Teresa figure with endless, unconditional love, to fulfil some sort of lofty ambition of being a mother who saves vulnerable children from around the world. It's a devastating situation when a child doesn't love his mother back the way she feels she is entitled to, but what is also equally devastating is that Mantosh's mother it seemed wasn't quite ready to relinquish ownership of her child, due to very complicated and heartbreaking circumstances. I'd be interested to hear a follow up to this, as I don't think it's okay to just assume his mother didn't want him.
That said I'm still giving the book 4 stars for its bravado and honesty, but I wouldn't call it inspiring. More like, "how to raise foreign kids the Aussie way".
That said I'm still giving the book 4 stars for its bravado and honesty, but I wouldn't call it inspiring. More like, "how to raise foreign kids the Aussie way".
January 3, 2021
What an inspiration this entire family is. Saroo for having survived his travails in India, Sue for having overcome the brutality of her father and the torment her mother endured, John for the support and understanding he gave to his family and Mantosh for being able to cope with the horrors foisted on him by bureaucratic bungling. As parents, Sue and John gave all the love they could to Saroo and Mantosh and in doing so provided them with security and hope. Fatima, the mother of Saroo also is a wonderful woman who is able to share her son with the woman who became his second mother. Truly inspirational
February 15, 2021
This is a story of joy, heartbreak, commitment, and unconditional love. Sue Brierley is the Australian mother of Saroo, who was adopted after being separated from his family in India when he was 5 years old. 25 years later, Saroo found his birthplace in India by researching grids and pictures on Google Earth. He was then reunited with his birth mother. ‘Lion’ was the story from Saroo’s perspective. ‘Lioness’ is the story told from Sue’s perspective. It tells of her trouble childhood and the reasons she wanted to adopt instead of having her own children of her own. It also tells of her complex journey of the adoptions of Saroo and Mantosh and how the adoptions and her own childhood influenced Sue and her family journey. It finishes with Sue travelling to India to meet Saroo’s birth mother with ‘60 minutes’ and to the US for the premier of ‘Lion’ and the Academy awards where the film had 6 Oscar nominations. Loved every word.
April 8, 2021
4.5 Stars
Having read Lion: A Long Way Home, I knew I needed to read this book! This was the perspective I needed. My heart broke as I read Sue's story of her younger years; how harsh they were for immigrant families struggling. It broke my heart to read about the church's attitude to domestic violence. It all just felt so wrong. Yet even with those hardships in her place, Sue takes us on a journey of hope.
Again, the truth of Australia's history of injustice towards migrants is clear. It almost feels like there is a relish in government-run departments' eyes when they can rip off migrants. It seems to go against the "fair go" propaganda that we tell ourselves. There were also many good points on the trails of intercountry adoption and how in many ways, adoptive parents are not given the same rites as natural parents.
All in all, I felt like I had many great learning moments and enjoying reading Sue’s perspective.
This fulfils April's prompt for #readingwithmuffy 2021 reading challenge.
Having read Lion: A Long Way Home, I knew I needed to read this book! This was the perspective I needed. My heart broke as I read Sue's story of her younger years; how harsh they were for immigrant families struggling. It broke my heart to read about the church's attitude to domestic violence. It all just felt so wrong. Yet even with those hardships in her place, Sue takes us on a journey of hope.
Again, the truth of Australia's history of injustice towards migrants is clear. It almost feels like there is a relish in government-run departments' eyes when they can rip off migrants. It seems to go against the "fair go" propaganda that we tell ourselves. There were also many good points on the trails of intercountry adoption and how in many ways, adoptive parents are not given the same rites as natural parents.
All in all, I felt like I had many great learning moments and enjoying reading Sue’s perspective.
This fulfils April's prompt for #readingwithmuffy 2021 reading challenge.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews