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cornsyrup's review against another edition
dark
3.0
Liked the start and thought the ending was a lot of fun. My main complaint is that I wish we could've had a couple good shows to really get a feel for the danger of the circus and so we can really see the threat of Gonko etc. As is, I felt that there was no time between Jamie arriving at the circus and then the plans to leave, so it didn't pack as much of a punch.
simonporter007's review against another edition
4.0
Very dark. Not sure I'll be going to the circus any time soon!
dhschultz29's review against another edition
3.0
If you like creepy clowns you'll probably dig it. Some interesting ideas that didn't quite come together as well as I would have hoped.
billymac1962's review against another edition
4.0
This was quite good.
Anytime I place a book on my to-read list, I make a concentrated effort to avoid knowing any details about the plot. With this one, I was expecting a grim, horrific ride into hell. Well, it wasn't quite that, but surprisingly there were a couple of genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
This was mostly around the beginning of the story, and even though I had gone into this in the hopes of some October scares, it turned out I wanted more laughs as the story went on. Elliott has a great sense of humour.
I don't want to divulge any plot developments, because you're best going into this one blind. Elliott did a great job of describing the Pilo Family Circus, and I could perfectly visualize it. A lot of writers can bog you down with descriptions to the point where it's near impossible to step back and see the whole picture, but here he uses a perfect balance of descriptive prose, dialogue, and plot movement.
If I had any beef about this novel, it would be that I would have liked to explore the histories of Gonko, Goshy, Doopy, Winston, heck, everybody in the circus!
A solid 4 stars and recommended.
Anytime I place a book on my to-read list, I make a concentrated effort to avoid knowing any details about the plot. With this one, I was expecting a grim, horrific ride into hell. Well, it wasn't quite that, but surprisingly there were a couple of genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
This was mostly around the beginning of the story, and even though I had gone into this in the hopes of some October scares, it turned out I wanted more laughs as the story went on. Elliott has a great sense of humour.
I don't want to divulge any plot developments, because you're best going into this one blind. Elliott did a great job of describing the Pilo Family Circus, and I could perfectly visualize it. A lot of writers can bog you down with descriptions to the point where it's near impossible to step back and see the whole picture, but here he uses a perfect balance of descriptive prose, dialogue, and plot movement.
If I had any beef about this novel, it would be that I would have liked to explore the histories of Gonko, Goshy, Doopy, Winston, heck, everybody in the circus!
A solid 4 stars and recommended.
missbookiverse's review against another edition
3.0
This is officially the weirdest book I've ever read.
I think I really want to like it because the cover is gorgeous and the general idea is a good one but somehow it was just... mostly disgusting. It contains a lot of violence and things that wouldn't look nice in a movie.
Apparently it won a bunch of Australian prizes which I think is kind of weird because the writing style was alright but no way outstanding.
What I thought was interesting is that the author suffers from schizophrenia. It's a topic in the book, too and I think it's very brave to write about something that is so close to you but then again... if the author actually knows what it's like he didn't transport it into the story incredibly well.
I think I really want to like it because the cover is gorgeous and the general idea is a good one but somehow it was just... mostly disgusting. It contains a lot of violence and things that wouldn't look nice in a movie.
Apparently it won a bunch of Australian prizes which I think is kind of weird because the writing style was alright but no way outstanding.
What I thought was interesting is that the author suffers from schizophrenia. It's a topic in the book, too and I think it's very brave to write about something that is so close to you but then again... if the author actually knows what it's like he didn't transport it into the story incredibly well.
kayepea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
raven_beauty's review against another edition
4.0
͓W͓͓A͓͓R͓͓N͓͓I͓͓N͓͓G͓! ͓T͓͓H͓͓I͓͓S͓ ͓B͓͓O͓͓O͓͓K͓ ͓H͓͓A͓͓S͓ ͓D͓͓A͓͓R͓͓K͓ ͓T͓͓R͓͓I͓͓G͓͓G͓͓E͓͓R͓͓S͓ ͓T͓͓H͓͓A͓͓T͓ ͓S͓͓H͓͓O͓͓U͓͓L͓͓D͓ ͓B͓͓E͓ ͓R͓͓E͓͓A͓͓D͓ ͓W͓͓I͓͓T͓͓H͓ ͓C͓͓A͓͓U͓͓T͓͓I͓͓O͓͓N͓! ͓B͓͓E͓ ͓A͓͓N͓ ͓A͓͓D͓͓U͓͓L͓͓T͓ ͓A͓͓B͓͓O͓͓U͓͓T͓ ͓I͓͓T͓ ͓B͓͓E͓͓F͓͓O͓͓R͓͓E͓ ͓T͓͓R͓͓Y͓͓I͓͓N͓͓G͓ ͓T͓͓H͓͓I͓͓S͓ ͓O͓͓U͓͓T͓!
The Pilo Family Circus:
Rating: 4⏫4.5
mynamesjess's review against another edition
2.0
Wow...just, wow.
Despite all the weird happenings, and TRUST me there are quite a few, this incredibly mind-boggling book makes sense.
I absolutely loved the idea of the novel when I was first told about it and I still do! Now that I have finished it, this very same idea is way cooler!
This novel has had a LOT of backlash. But, if I am to be honest, I don't understand why.
Each character had their own background and foreground story that was easy to follow and unique to the individual.
In short, I was mightily impressed with this novel! More so than I thought I would be given the subject! I suppose, being that it is an Australian novel, I am a wee bit biased. However, this does not stop me from recommending this book to anyone and everyone interested in a twisted other world full of death, gore, distruction, hell and so much more!
Despite all the weird happenings, and TRUST me there are quite a few, this incredibly mind-boggling book makes sense.
I absolutely loved the idea of the novel when I was first told about it and I still do! Now that I have finished it, this very same idea is way cooler!
This novel has had a LOT of backlash. But, if I am to be honest, I don't understand why.
Each character had their own background and foreground story that was easy to follow and unique to the individual.
In short, I was mightily impressed with this novel! More so than I thought I would be given the subject! I suppose, being that it is an Australian novel, I am a wee bit biased. However, this does not stop me from recommending this book to anyone and everyone interested in a twisted other world full of death, gore, distruction, hell and so much more!
smurfolis's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't fully impressed with this book but the ending 6 or 7 chapters had me captivated. It was all a bit weird and had quite a bit of gore but the characters were will conceived and detailed. I felt like it was a movie in my mind.
Goshy and Winston were 2 of my favorites as well as Doopy.
I am a bit biased because I love the circus so much, I always feel like I should have been born into the circus instead of my not so flashy life.
Goshy and Winston were 2 of my favorites as well as Doopy.
I am a bit biased because I love the circus so much, I always feel like I should have been born into the circus instead of my not so flashy life.