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anouk90's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
geovanachi's review against another edition
4.0
The ending was rushed… i was waiting for the man to be revealed to be his old friend who’s coming back to revenge but it turns out he was nothing? So why he let him leave like this? Who will pay the debt????
Anyway it was a good read.. horrifying but good nevertheless.
Anyway it was a good read.. horrifying but good nevertheless.
kleonard's review against another edition
4.0
The newest big entry into circus lit, Circus of Wonders delves into the social model of disability, the Victorian obsession with "freaks" and difference, and the relationship between the body and class in the period. Nell's father sells her to a traveling circus, and while she rails against being betrayed, she soon finds a place, albeit an uneasy one, amid the other performers in the show. Made the star attraction after just a few weeks, Nell catapults the circus to fame as it sets up shop in London. But rivalries and jealousy and guilt and pride will bring down the entire enterprise, leaving Nell to consider how she really feels about her differences and abilities, and what she wants from life. This would be a good book club read, focusing on disability and bodily difference,
amberbamberness's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and depressing. A reminder that happy endings aren’t real. Nothing lasts forever.
snugglestream's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
h4ppyp1ne4pple's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
elodiethefangirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Kidnapping
thelibraryofklee's review against another edition
"All her life, she has held herself like a bud, so small and tight and voiceless. She has not realised the potential that lies within her, the possibility that she might unfurl, arms thrown wide, and take up space in the world."
It is 1866, and Nell, a girl with vitiligo, is torn from her village when her father sells her to a circus owned by Jasper. Jasper dreams big, while his brother Toby, exists in his shadows. Nell is provided the opportunity to embrace her differences, but at what cost?
Oh 19th century, you are so cruel. This is a dark, emotive read about the intricacies of human nature set in the world of the circus. Humans could be bought and sold, made to perform for awestruck audiences. The world building is divine - we start in a small village of Nell's birth, and then transported to the heart of London, with flashbacks to the Crimean War. Macneal has done an amazing job of giving just the right amount of detail to capture the environment and atmosphere. Nell is a beautifully tragic character - a girl confined to the corners of the room in her village life, taunted and unaccepted. Despite the nature of her journey into the circus, it provides her with an opportunity to be someone new. The brothers, Jasper and Toby, share a complex fraternal bond. The characterisation is fraught with complex connections and heartbreaking bonds throughout - there is no black and white, only the ethical grey soup we are required to ponder. This is really a wonderful piece of historical fiction.
What I like about historical fiction is the additional paths I am led on. Particularly heartbreaking is the nod to Charles Byrne, the Irish giant, who at his death asked to be interred in the ocean, but remains to this day on display in a museum. This book brings to the forefront the complex ethics of humanity, and how those ethics are still being argued in modern day society.
"She feels a power then, a whisking deep within her, as if she might be capable of anything. As if this girl in the photograph could soar across that tent with its shivering lamps and feel the burn of a hundred eyes on her, and she would not care at all."
It is 1866, and Nell, a girl with vitiligo, is torn from her village when her father sells her to a circus owned by Jasper. Jasper dreams big, while his brother Toby, exists in his shadows. Nell is provided the opportunity to embrace her differences, but at what cost?
Oh 19th century, you are so cruel. This is a dark, emotive read about the intricacies of human nature set in the world of the circus. Humans could be bought and sold, made to perform for awestruck audiences. The world building is divine - we start in a small village of Nell's birth, and then transported to the heart of London, with flashbacks to the Crimean War. Macneal has done an amazing job of giving just the right amount of detail to capture the environment and atmosphere. Nell is a beautifully tragic character - a girl confined to the corners of the room in her village life, taunted and unaccepted. Despite the nature of her journey into the circus, it provides her with an opportunity to be someone new. The brothers, Jasper and Toby, share a complex fraternal bond. The characterisation is fraught with complex connections and heartbreaking bonds throughout - there is no black and white, only the ethical grey soup we are required to ponder. This is really a wonderful piece of historical fiction.
What I like about historical fiction is the additional paths I am led on. Particularly heartbreaking is the nod to Charles Byrne, the Irish giant, who at his death asked to be interred in the ocean, but remains to this day on display in a museum. This book brings to the forefront the complex ethics of humanity, and how those ethics are still being argued in modern day society.
"She feels a power then, a whisking deep within her, as if she might be capable of anything. As if this girl in the photograph could soar across that tent with its shivering lamps and feel the burn of a hundred eyes on her, and she would not care at all."