The Girl Who Rode the White Lion | Book Review

The Girl Who Rode the White Lion is a compelling historical fiction novel that brings the past vividly to life. Grounded in the horrors of Nazi Germany it spans post-war decades to deliver a powerful narrative of courage, resilience and survival. The story follows Sarah Frank, a young Jewish girl who, witnessing the horrific murder of her parents, finds refuge and loyalty within a travelling circus.

Taken in by lion trainer Adolf Frei and a makeshift family of performers, Sarah’s new world is both exciting and precarious.

The novel offers wonderfully descriptive insights into traditional circus life and performance. The plot shifts to a parallel narrative in 1957, where a zoo veterinarian performing a post-mortem on an elderly lion discovers a gold ring. This mystery propels him into an investigation that crosses the Atlantic, stretching from postwar New York through Europe and into 1957 Israel, as he uncovers long-buried secrets and searches for the girl herself.

The novel deeply explores the human consequences of persecution and the complex burdens of family loyalty. While the ring sub-plot is fictional, author Yishay Ishi Ron drew inspiration from real history, honouring the German circus families who risked their lives to hide Jewish people, as well as his own grandfather’s Holocaust survival.

While the author’s previous award-winning book, Dog (available in the Museum Shop), is currently being developed into a feature film, The Girl Who Rode the White Lion has not been picked up for a cinematic adaptation… yet!

The Girl Who Rode the White Lion – Yishay Ishi Ron | $34.99