A collage of fascinating characters and beautiful language, this book is one of those that you'll wonder at as you read, and look forward to rereading. What seems in the beginning simply a collection of characters and situations comes together quickly into a surprising and beautiful story of loves, regrets, and slanted idealism. Ondaatje's prose is magnificent and poetic, and I can't recommend it highly enough. This is a book to read alone when you have the time to appreciate it, and a book that will suck you in and become your world for some hours if you allow it to take you away. Halfway through this book, I knew I'd be rereading it, and that hasn't changed. This is a wonder of a book: graceful, solid, heartening. Recommended. ( )

In the Skin of a Lion is, in my world, pretty much the definition of a perfect book.

It is the story of Patrick Lewis, a young man working in Toronto in the 20s and 30s. It is also the story of Toronto itself - the growth of the city, the immigrants who built it, and the business men who took the credit. It is a story of love, loss, and love again, and of revenge. Most of all, it is a story about life, and what it is that makes life worth living.

I read Ondaatje's The English Patient last summer, and loved every second of it. It is definitely Ondaatje's most well-received book, and the one that is most widely read. This, in my humble opinion, is unfortunate. Yes, I love The English Patient, but In the Skin of a Lion is better.

Ondaatje's style is definitely non-linear. Here is a book that jumps through time, and slowly unveils several storylines. The result is a complete picture, but it is told through fragments. The work falls squarely on the shoulders of the reader. It is our job to piece the puzzle together, and to make what we can. Ondaatje's work reminds me of an Impressionist painting - up close, we see what looks like random brush-strokes; step back, and the picture is clear. An individual chapter or instance in this book won't give us the answers, won't make everything clear; in the end, however, the entirity of this story just might shed some light on the confusion.

Practically speaking, if you enjoyed The English Patient, you will probably enjoy In the Skin of a Lion - and enjoy learning more about certain characters who inhabit both books. If you didn't love The English Patient, I would urge you to try In the Skin of a Lion. It is a beautiful book, one that goes straight to the top of my memorable reads for the year. Ondaatje deserves more recognition then he gets - he is, in my mind, nothing short of a brilliant author - one of Canada's best. ( )

Too many books. Will get back to it if time. ( )

Ondaatje is an accomplished writer of beautiful prose and this one is my favorite (RUNNING IN THE FAMILY, the memoir of his family in Sri Lanka, comes in a close second). I couldn't get through THE ENGLISH PATIENT (I did see the movie though), and ANIL'S GHOST was beautiful but a bit meandering for me. Still, do yourself a reading favor and pick up any Ondaatje title. ( )

one of the best from a fine fine writer - set in Toronto 100 years ago (or so); many of the landmarks still stand ( )

I think the general consensus is that this book deserves a number of reads. I usually like to rate books after I read them, but I can't with this one. There is much going on beneath the surface and Ondaatje's image patterns require much thought to sort out. A bit frustrating at times, to be honest.The story is really interesting and the book is good from start to finish, surface to depth. One thing about Ondaatje's writing is that it is bursting with life at every word. The story feels almost too short for all the liveliness. But, that is part of the magic suggestiveness. The book also quotes Conrad, so I have an affection for it.

"In the Skin of a Lion" is thick with memorable scenes. The plot advances from one evocative boiling point or epiphany to the next, threading together a small crew of intense and sympathetic individuals. The stoic, unschooled and hard-working protagonists allow a fresh perspective on early 20th century industrialization, which Ondaatje manages without ever becoming preachy or obsessed.The life circumstances that Ondaatje includes impart an almost mythic quality to the beginnings and endings of various romances . . . the intensity and strangeness of the relationships reminded me at times of Djuna Barnes' "Nightwood," while the earthiness and sensibility of the prose in general was more reminiscent of Steinbeck or Anderson.

There are times when the poetic quality of the narrative spills over into the dialogue, creating utterances that seem rather unlikely to have been as spur of the moment as the context suggests: "Remorse: A strange word. It suggests a turning around on yourself" or "I feel she's loaned to me. We're veiled in flesh." But there are wonderfully light details thrown into the movement of things that more than compensate for a few awkward moments: "How can she who had torn his heart open at the waterworks with her art lie now like a human in his arms? Or stand catatonic in front of bananas on Eastern Avenue deciding which bunch to buy?" or "In each set of trees was a live monkey, never able to reach the diners because of a frail chain. The animals had to dodge the champagne corks aimed at them--if you hit a monkey you were brought a free bottle. Sales of champagne soared and only now and then was there a shriek followed by a cheer."

I will reread this book and I will now have to read some of this man's other books--meaning that my aversion to reading anything by a man that I associated with the Academy Awards and Ralph Fiennes has been completely undone by "In the Skin of a Lion." ( )

Would that everyone could turn a phrase as beautifully as Ondaatje. This book is totally consuming. It draws you in and has a way of putting you right there. Excellent use of your time. ( )

Say Ondaatje and everyone thinks of The English Patient. This predates it, though some of the characters are the same. An extraordinarily well-crafted tale of survival and adaptation in a very strange land (Canada). Scenes written to be engraved on a reader's memory. Stealing warmth from a cow's gums, for instance. ( )

This book was so good I didn't want it to end and when it did I went back and read it again. Fantastic. ( )

Awesome ( )

I love this book! I hope the ladies in my book club do too because it's what I picked for the summer read! ( )

I read this after Anil's ghost and English patient, both great books too. I like this one best, perhaps because I lived for two years in Toronto and the dreamlike quality in the writing mingled with my nostalgia for the city. ( )

Once in a blue moon the exquisite pleasure of fine writing overwhelms the senses. Savour it! ( )