Central Brown Baggers met at noon April 17th to discuss “Lie Down With Lions” by Ken Follett.  This title was a bit of an outlier from the books typically read by this group, but the group selected this title by a fairly adjudicated vote at the annual selection meeting in Dec. 2023. 

Plot summary–An American woman interpreter trains as a nurse so she can go to Afghanistan and is torn between two lovers, who are also rival spies. 

Many of our group were familiar with Follett through reading his historical epics like Pillars of the Earth or his more recent “Century Trilogy”. Our readers didn’t care for the characters and found certain aspects of the plot unbelievable. 

One of our readers characterized this selection as “Not that great a spy novel; or romance novel either”.  The same reader appreciated the lead female character, Jane, getting to shoot the bad guy!

A few readers appreciated the descriptive setting and distinct time period. Taking place primarily in Afghanistan during the Soviet/Afghan war in the waning years of the Cold War, “Lie Down with Lions“ provided some historical and geopolitical education through a fictional plot.

While we might not have given this title high reviews, we had fun and a few laughs discussing it!