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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Review originally posted on my blog
Circus’s are a recent trend in literature and it’s easy to see why. They captivate the imagination and allow you to step into another world, all while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. But there’s also a dark side of circus life. Those same “freaks” who are on display have no other way to make a living and have been shunned by society. The nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult to raise a family or have a normal life. Barnaby explores these themes in Wonder Show.
If you’re looking for an uplifting tale of the circus, don’t look here.Eerily reminiscent of a Grimm’s fairy tale in its conception of childhood, Barnaby’s story focuses on Portia Remini a young girl who runs away from a group home to join the circus. But it isn’t just any circus – Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show is full of freaks and curiosities ranging from the Fat Woman to the Albino Family. What follows is a jaunt through 1939 America that will leave you curious for more.
If you’re looking for a book that explores history in a new way, check out Wonder Show. It’s perfect for teens who want novels without dystopian themes or vampires/werewolves/mermaids. Barnaby handles themes of loneliness, friendship, and loss with care.
Circus’s are a recent trend in literature and it’s easy to see why. They captivate the imagination and allow you to step into another world, all while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. But there’s also a dark side of circus life. Those same “freaks” who are on display have no other way to make a living and have been shunned by society. The nomadic lifestyle makes it difficult to raise a family or have a normal life. Barnaby explores these themes in Wonder Show.
If you’re looking for an uplifting tale of the circus, don’t look here.Eerily reminiscent of a Grimm’s fairy tale in its conception of childhood, Barnaby’s story focuses on Portia Remini a young girl who runs away from a group home to join the circus. But it isn’t just any circus – Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show is full of freaks and curiosities ranging from the Fat Woman to the Albino Family. What follows is a jaunt through 1939 America that will leave you curious for more.
If you’re looking for a book that explores history in a new way, check out Wonder Show. It’s perfect for teens who want novels without dystopian themes or vampires/werewolves/mermaids. Barnaby handles themes of loneliness, friendship, and loss with care.
Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. I loved this book.
Take all the best parts of The Night Circus, and the realistic setting of Water for Elephants and you have the beginnings of Wonder Show. And then Hannah Barnaby goes a step further.
I improperly disparaged last year's Morris winner/honors in an earlier review, saying that I was gun shy on this year's nominees because I was so disappointed by last year's. In reality, I only read one of last year's. This year, I can't wait to read the rest. Seraphina was wonderful and Wonder Show just knocked my socks off.
Barnaby's decision to give each character a short chapter here and there to tell his or her perspective kept the book going for me. It made each character a bit deeper and more sympathetic where they might not have otherwise been (e.g. Joseph).
The best sign, I think, that Barnaby had completely drawn me in, was that I was absolutely shocked when the men showed up to take Portia back. I truly had forgotten that she was still on the run, and just assumed that she had escaped scott free. Distressed as I was, it was worth it for the stand off between Mister and the Wonder Show folks.
I think this may have been my favorite book of the early challenge.
Take all the best parts of The Night Circus, and the realistic setting of Water for Elephants and you have the beginnings of Wonder Show. And then Hannah Barnaby goes a step further.
I improperly disparaged last year's Morris winner/honors in an earlier review, saying that I was gun shy on this year's nominees because I was so disappointed by last year's. In reality, I only read one of last year's. This year, I can't wait to read the rest. Seraphina was wonderful and Wonder Show just knocked my socks off.
Barnaby's decision to give each character a short chapter here and there to tell his or her perspective kept the book going for me. It made each character a bit deeper and more sympathetic where they might not have otherwise been (e.g. Joseph).
I think this may have been my favorite book of the early challenge.
A well written novel that was ultimately disappointing. Although the story starts at a good pace and with much promise, it doesn't really move in the middle. Something tragic happens before the main character runs away to join the sideshow, but this is not explored much, and whenever there is an attempt it seems superficial. The motives of many of the characters are completely unknown to the reader, and the attempts at explaining them (for example, for Mister) bring much confusion rather than clarification. The big question is answered, but it doesn't bring the satisfaction it should. If I were Portia, I would not believe the file and the things written in the file by Mister, for example, but she does, just like that. The reader is told the truth about Portia's parents, but that seems like cheating, and still, I could not help but feel that there were ulterior motives at play (on the part of Portia's aunt). Maybe I was wishing for a deeper, better plot.
But beyond the plot, character development is certainly lacking. It does, especially in the middle when Portia is with the sideshow, seem like a bunch of vignettes stuck together about a bunch of people. The ending is altogether surprising, not in a good way. We're told girls like Portia join the sideshow and then are either taken away or disappear all the time, yet we do not get to understand why she is so special to deserve their help. We're made to believe that nothing can move certain characters and nothing can change the course of the circuit, and when it happens, we are surprised not because it is great and wonderful due to some emotional necessity that was already built up and explained, but because it really seems unbelievable that they would do that for Portia. There isn't a deep and lasting bond between Portia and other members of the sideshow. There isn't any significant developments, profound heart-to-hearts, unraveling of lies and truths to make anyone feel like this girl really belongs with the show, that she is a friend, that she is important to them. In fact, more sideshow members seem indifferent toward her or even dislike her than the one guy who likes her, and a few who maybe remotely care for her.
I finished the novel just to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but overall, I don't recommend spending too much time on this one. It's a shame, because the language is beautiful and the idea is certainly interesting. Someone said it feels like a first draft, and I agree, in terms of plot and pace, it does seem like a first draft. Luckily, the writing is great, so it wasn't painful. Recommended for those who must read books with sideshow and circus elements, for there are some interesting historic fiction characters.
But beyond the plot, character development is certainly lacking. It does, especially in the middle when Portia is with the sideshow, seem like a bunch of vignettes stuck together about a bunch of people. The ending is altogether surprising, not in a good way. We're told girls like Portia join the sideshow and then are either taken away or disappear all the time, yet we do not get to understand why she is so special to deserve their help. We're made to believe that nothing can move certain characters and nothing can change the course of the circuit, and when it happens, we are surprised not because it is great and wonderful due to some emotional necessity that was already built up and explained, but because it really seems unbelievable that they would do that for Portia. There isn't a deep and lasting bond between Portia and other members of the sideshow. There isn't any significant developments, profound heart-to-hearts, unraveling of lies and truths to make anyone feel like this girl really belongs with the show, that she is a friend, that she is important to them. In fact, more sideshow members seem indifferent toward her or even dislike her than the one guy who likes her, and a few who maybe remotely care for her.
I finished the novel just to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but overall, I don't recommend spending too much time on this one. It's a shame, because the language is beautiful and the idea is certainly interesting. Someone said it feels like a first draft, and I agree, in terms of plot and pace, it does seem like a first draft. Luckily, the writing is great, so it wasn't painful. Recommended for those who must read books with sideshow and circus elements, for there are some interesting historic fiction characters.
Wow. Loved the writing, and the cover art. Portia's mother left long ago, and now her father has left her behind with her aunt who a few years later drops her off at a home for wayward girls. After some sinister discoveries at the home Portia sets off to find her father, and joins up with a traveling wondershow where she lives with the freakshow. That's about all I can describe to you - but it's a great story focusing mostly on character development.
I really wanted to like this, but I gave it until about page 100 before I put it down. I really like things that are set in kind of a circus or carnival, but I just couldn't get into this. It's short so I might try again one day but that isn't likely.
I really liked the main character in this book, Portia Remini. Abandoned by her family to a cruel orphanage, she runs off to join the carnival in search of her father. Much of the book is given over to description of the carnival freaks and the world they inhabit.
The book has strong appeal to a young adult audience, since many kids in the tween/teen years feel like misfits themselves and are eager to identify with the characters society has neglected, rejected or mocked.
I was more interested in the character of Portia, who clings to a desperate hope to get her through her days, and whose hope lasts just long enough to get her what she needs. She is a strong, resilient and playful character, not afraid to take a risk or to stir up a little trouble.
The book has strong appeal to a young adult audience, since many kids in the tween/teen years feel like misfits themselves and are eager to identify with the characters society has neglected, rejected or mocked.
I was more interested in the character of Portia, who clings to a desperate hope to get her through her days, and whose hope lasts just long enough to get her what she needs. She is a strong, resilient and playful character, not afraid to take a risk or to stir up a little trouble.
While I found this book enjoyable, it's not one that I'll likely revisit. It's slight and entertaining and diverting. The writing is nicely done and the plot chugs along at a good pace. The cover art is fun, too.
This was actually pretty good. I would have loved it if the story was more fleshed out, but I think it was great the way it is. I really liked this story.
Wonder Show had a great mix of things that I enjoy: a compelling female character, circus talk, girls helping each other out, a really creepy villain, and a decent helping of Gothic romance elements, like orphans and an arranged marriage, and a poisoning.
I like circus/freakshow stories in general, and this was more than that. [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388183358s/43641.jpg|3441236], for example, is all about the circus folk and performing and the dangers and wonders of that life. Wonder Show has elements of that, but what takes it over the top for me is that it is an eminently feminine coming-of-age story. You don't get as many of those, as masculine/"everyman" stories.
I like circus/freakshow stories in general, and this was more than that. [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388183358s/43641.jpg|3441236], for example, is all about the circus folk and performing and the dangers and wonders of that life. Wonder Show has elements of that, but what takes it over the top for me is that it is an eminently feminine coming-of-age story. You don't get as many of those, as masculine/"everyman" stories.