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ultimatekate's review against another edition
4.0
Admittedly, I was distracted while reading this book. In fact, during the course of reading it, I read "The Collector," "Equus," "Grendel" and Harry Potter. Maybe if I had concentrated solely on this book, I would have liked it more.
Anyway, it's about a man named Jacob who runs off and joins the circus, and it's set in the 1920's. The novel tells two stories: Jacob as a young man when he joins the circus and Jacob as an old man when he's reliving his circus days. Like my favorite kinds of novels, both stories eventually meet up (much like an episode of "Lost"). As someone who is scared of circuses (and the inherent clowns), I found the novel well-written and engaging. It also made me flash back to a READ magazine article we read in sixth grade about one of the biggest circus catastrophes ever: a fire at Ringling Brothers. The characters in the novel hint that the stampede that becomes the climax of the novel rivals the fire at Ringling Brothers. Honestly, I don't understand the draw of circuses, but it was interesting to read about them as an insider, so to speak.
Anyway, it's about a man named Jacob who runs off and joins the circus, and it's set in the 1920's. The novel tells two stories: Jacob as a young man when he joins the circus and Jacob as an old man when he's reliving his circus days. Like my favorite kinds of novels, both stories eventually meet up (much like an episode of "Lost"). As someone who is scared of circuses (and the inherent clowns), I found the novel well-written and engaging. It also made me flash back to a READ magazine article we read in sixth grade about one of the biggest circus catastrophes ever: a fire at Ringling Brothers. The characters in the novel hint that the stampede that becomes the climax of the novel rivals the fire at Ringling Brothers. Honestly, I don't understand the draw of circuses, but it was interesting to read about them as an insider, so to speak.
greevianguy's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet, interesting novel. It was a little to vulgar for me at parts, and the scenes that were overly vulgar were out of place in my opinion. Still, I enjoyed it.
emcrebbs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
melidanae's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
mattiemouse514's review against another edition
5.0
A captivating read, full of hauntingly good storytelling.
chelseylawrence's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books that I read in 2006. It was one of those books that I passed onto my mom and she enjoyed it as well.
alidy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
4.0
I know I'm behind on this one. Picked it up at a book sale a few years back and never got around to it. After a few long reads I was looking for what I thought would be a crappy beach read. I actually ended up really loving this one!! Great story. I'm realizing I'm a fool for and sorry that involves an elderly person looking back on life. Also yay for the last book of 2017!
I think I'm gonna go for 30 books in 2018!
I think I'm gonna go for 30 books in 2018!
gizandmurph's review against another edition
4.0
It took so long to get into but, it was worth it in the end.