by Elizabeth Macneal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"All of history is just fiction."A well researched novel about the circus during the time of P. T. Barnum, although he doesn’t feature in the novel. Elizabeth MacNeal brings us into the realm of those who do do not look ‘normative’, and it’s truly a display of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The characters are all well flawed and feel quite human. The practicalities of the personalities, choices made, and hopes and desires of each person reflect upon the circus quite well. From the lowly mouse to the large elephant; and from a birthmark speckled girl in a small village to the startling charism of the Ringmaster; we see the classism that exists inside the small community of a circus. Our lead characters are quite different from one another; and yet all of them wish to be so much more than they are. Dreamers who will strive for more and often, inevitably, fall short.
My favourite part of Circus of Wonder is the ending. It’s so rare to come across an ending that is both happy, yet sad; both realistic, and idlidic; and ultimately feels appropriate, even if no one really wins or looses.
If you enjoyed The Night Circus this might be for you. But be forewarned, there is no magic here. Just dangerous stunts, and conditioning, along with some genetic deformities. This is a story about life, making choices, and then living with those choices. No matter how it turns out there is one thing for sure; we can write our own history and make it as fictional as we want whilst brood
”Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.”
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1 comment:
I like the premise, might pick this one up :)
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