The Lion Seeker has a very good storyline and is an intricate weave of history, character development and cultural differences in South Africa as World War II looms on the horizon of one Jewish family. Certainly an excellent work for a first-time novelist, the book is a rich blend of Shindler's List, The Godfather, and Sophie's Choice.
Occasionally difficult vernacular at time slows the reading flow at times, but it also adds to the development of place and time for this serious novel. The main character is not always likable - but none of them are, really.
Halfway through the book, the description of and meaning behind Lion's Rock was so well written, I thought it would have been worth the read if it had ended there. While remaining important, and revisited later, things were actually just getting started at that point.
And it was certainly worth the time invested to finish the book.

I could not put this book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it from the first page to the ending. I loved how the author weaved very difficult time periods of history together, to unveil truths and half-truths that shaped not only the protagonist and her family and her children, but generations of families. From early South Africa, to WWII, Israel (before and after WWII) to Lithuania before and after WWII. Most importantly, hope and love prevails for the protagonist's family, despite their many travails and traumas. I would read this book again, just to make sure I didn't miss a little detail, for the history it gives is educational, as well as the hope that it springs, even in the most wretched of us. A great novel, my favorite since joining BookBrowse.

As an American reader of South African writing, I wanted more. More detail, depth, and description. At times, the book knocked it out of the park and met these expectations and other times fell short.