Customer Reviews
This is a Masterpiece ! - By: Anthony Martel, 27 Jun 2008 
I finished the book in two days. And during the process, I almost forgot to eat, drink or even go to toilet. I have never ever done this in the last few years as far as I can remember, & I am a heavy reader. This year alone, I have bought 22 books so far on the Amazon alone. Among alll the books of literature I have read, this one & the Glass Castle, are two books I like most. If I have to compare this book with other popular books like The Kite Runner, or One Thousand Splendid Suns, or you name it, this is a masterpiece deserve alll 5 stars, while those I just mentioned are just garbage deserve only one star. I am telling you my true feeling. I am not a Polish as the writer is & I don't particularly like the circus. The only reason I like the book is because the writer is such a rare talent among alll popular writers. Sometimes, some writers got lucky on their books because certain things they wrote fit the taste of the social phenomenon, but this writer is loved because her sheer power in presenting vivid & enchanting tales that you seldom see in other writers. What more can I say? A Masterpiece!
Awesome, awesome, awesome - By: Julie Barnard, 10 Jun 2008 I also came upon this book by accident, & what a find. I absolutely loved the subject matter of the book as well as the style in which is was written.
It is a truly unique story, which is set in the 1940s upon a circus tour. The novel is filled with tales of actual events that occured in various circuses at around this time, which made the story credible & intriguing.
There is only one thing I can fault the author for, & that is that its supposed to be a thriller, however this point was not put across strongly enough.
A thoroughly enjoyable, highly recommended read!
It's a hard life on the road - By: Annabel Gaskell, 12 Apr 2008 Life in a travelling circus was hard, & when anything happened to upset the equilibrium it became brutal, as this well-researched novel details. The upsets to the equilibrium come one after the other here making this book a real page turner. Set against 'The show must go on' gloss of the ring, you have the circus class system of performers & working men - they shouldn't mix, but do once our hero & young vet Jacob jumps the train. It is told through the eyes of the old Jacob, who at 93 is spurred into action when the circus comes to town opposite his old people's home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book & reallly felt for the characters, particularly Walter the dwarf clown who befriends Jacob & Rosie the elephant, & enjoyed the central romance between Jacob & Marlena.
Highly recommended.
Roll Up Roll Up and Read this book - By: Charles Tryon, 21 Mar 2008 This is one of the most charming books I have read in a long time, it was recommended to me, & I finished it in one sitting. The lead character is believable to the point that it was a shame to say goodbye come the end.
Worth sticking with - By: Julia Flyte, 04 Jan 2008 
It took me a long, long time to get into this book. I kept picking it up, reading a few pages & then putting it down again. It wasn't terrible, but it didn't reallly grab me until well after the 100 page mark. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it & I'm glad I stuck with it.
The book jumps backwards & forwards in time from Jacob's life as a vet in a 1930s circus to his life today as a 93 year old in an old folk's home. Not much happens in the present day chapters & for a while I wondered what they were adding to the book, but the pay off at the end is very satisfying. While I don't know a lot about circuses in the depression era, my impression was that the book is well researched & certainly it brings that world very vividly to life. The book is peppered with sepia toned photographs from circuses of that era, which is a clever touch.
Overalll a good book & one that is worth sticking with. I was caught up in the central romance & I very much enjoyed the character that is the elephant, Rosie.
