Fizzy says:
Great book. REALLY cool. It follows the story of one man for one summer, as he runs away to the circus. Accidentally.
Gruen definitely did her research, and gets deep into the gritty life of traveling circuses around the 1930's. The hierarchy that separated bosses, performers, and workers is very clear, and Jacob, the narrator, doesn't fit into any of those categories, which leads to an interesting and fast paced novel. I read it in about a day and a half. SUPER good. Recommend it to anyone.
Emily says:
Beautiful and deep, but interspersed with the fascinating circus lore is unspeakable cruelty, human to human, and especially, human to animal. Balanced, sometimes, by unbelievable grace. |
