Scan barcode
daramillz's review against another edition
4.0
I love Angela Carter - my favorite remains "The Magic Toyshop," but I liked this one also.
kate66's review against another edition
4.0
Not quite what I was expecting from what is usually acknowledged as Angela Carter's best work or perhaps it is simply the most famous. This was strange but not quite strange enough for me. Still, it's an amazing undertaking to tell Fevvers' story.
The story is told by Fevvers and her adoptive mother, Lizzie via the medium of an American journalist called Walser who is not entirely sure whether to believe the legends that have grown up around the winged aerialist. Are the wings really real he wants to know.
So with some jiggery pokery the story is told of not just Fevvers but also several other circus members, none of whom are there because they had a calling rather that it is the last chance saloon.
The story itself takes us from London across Europe to the frozen wastes of Siberia where the denouement occurs after several disasters.
I listened to the audio recording by Adjoa Andoh who did the stage version I'm reliably informed. She certainly brought Fevvers and Lizzie to life. In fact the only bit that was irritating to my ears was the circus owner - Colonel Carney who had a voice you could cut yourself on and went right through me. I suspect it was meant to.
In general I enjoyed this strange flight of fancy. Its certainly worth the read or listen. Andoh is superb on the audio.
The story is told by Fevvers and her adoptive mother, Lizzie via the medium of an American journalist called Walser who is not entirely sure whether to believe the legends that have grown up around the winged aerialist. Are the wings really real he wants to know.
So with some jiggery pokery the story is told of not just Fevvers but also several other circus members, none of whom are there because they had a calling rather that it is the last chance saloon.
The story itself takes us from London across Europe to the frozen wastes of Siberia where the denouement occurs after several disasters.
I listened to the audio recording by Adjoa Andoh who did the stage version I'm reliably informed. She certainly brought Fevvers and Lizzie to life. In fact the only bit that was irritating to my ears was the circus owner - Colonel Carney who had a voice you could cut yourself on and went right through me. I suspect it was meant to.
In general I enjoyed this strange flight of fancy. Its certainly worth the read or listen. Andoh is superb on the audio.
akapteyn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
4.0
Raucous and rowdy -- hard to tell fact from fiction. Really clever, funny writing from Angela Carter.
pinkeyeofsauron's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cameronfrye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
julianadef's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
idabejder's review against another edition
3.0
Min bogklubs tanker om bogen:
Angela Carters “Nights at the Circus” var en overvældende og lang fornøjelse for mange af os, men i aften mødtes vi endelig og forsøgte at tale os igennem dette fabelagtige, magiske monster af en bog!
Angela Carters “Nights at the Circus” var en overvældende og lang fornøjelse for mange af os, men i aften mødtes vi endelig og forsøgte at tale os igennem dette fabelagtige, magiske monster af en bog!
papvinogpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Angela Carters “Nights at the Circus” var en overvældende og lang fornøjelse for mange af os, men i aften mødtes vi endelig og forsøgte at tale os igennem dette fabelagtige, magiske monster af en bog! 🎪🎡🎠
Vi talte om den mærkelige tredelte struktur, om hvor svær en fortælling, det er at gengive, og om hvorfor vi generelt havde svært ved at blive færdige med bogen. Vi dykkede ned i Carters gakkede bipersonsgalleri, der inkluderer den clairvoyante gris Sybil, de tragiske dansende klovne og cirkusprinsessen, der danser med store kattedyr. Vi talte om ægteskabslig prostitution og horehuset som kvindehjem, om den første nøgne flyvetur og vingernes elskov med vinden. Vi talte om fortryllelser, tidsforstyrrelser og historiefortælling, om dumme shamaner og smukke kærlighedsbreve skrevet med menstruationsblod. Vi talte meget om det at se og forstå sig selv gennem andres øjne.
Og mest af alt talte vi om Fevvers, halvt kvinde, halvt svane, og fuldstændigt fabelagtige midtpunkt i en ret uhåndgribelig fortælling (vin og popcorn gjorde den dog lidt nemmere at få greb om 🍷🍿)
PAP AWARDS 2020: Bedste kvindehjem, 3. pladsen som Bedste bog
Vi talte om den mærkelige tredelte struktur, om hvor svær en fortælling, det er at gengive, og om hvorfor vi generelt havde svært ved at blive færdige med bogen. Vi dykkede ned i Carters gakkede bipersonsgalleri, der inkluderer den clairvoyante gris Sybil, de tragiske dansende klovne og cirkusprinsessen, der danser med store kattedyr. Vi talte om ægteskabslig prostitution og horehuset som kvindehjem, om den første nøgne flyvetur og vingernes elskov med vinden. Vi talte om fortryllelser, tidsforstyrrelser og historiefortælling, om dumme shamaner og smukke kærlighedsbreve skrevet med menstruationsblod. Vi talte meget om det at se og forstå sig selv gennem andres øjne.
Og mest af alt talte vi om Fevvers, halvt kvinde, halvt svane, og fuldstændigt fabelagtige midtpunkt i en ret uhåndgribelig fortælling (vin og popcorn gjorde den dog lidt nemmere at få greb om 🍷🍿)
PAP AWARDS 2020: Bedste kvindehjem, 3. pladsen som Bedste bog