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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Three stars seems both generous and harsh at the same time. I hate it when a book presents itself with such an interesting premise...a young, disabled girl being raised on a circus train during WWII...and squanders it. It feels like this book should be recategorized as YA, but that still wouldn't fully account for the poor character development, lack of depth, and lackluster writing. To sum it up, the love stories were juvenile and the "secrets" were lame.
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
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
Couldn't put this one down. Beautifully told story of a young girl in war torn Europe in the 40s determined to become more than anyone thought possible for her. And learning that true love waits for anyone willing to go the long haul.
I was very disappointed with this and decided to stop much prematurely, but reviews I read at that point reassured me that there was no sense going on. Nothing like the Night Circus! Reads more like a YA novel, with strange details that make the whole thing feel very fake
I thought this was a pretty good book. It’s an interesting time, especially for a disabled girl. Learning about her struggles and life in a circus was even more interesting.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
This book was a bit unbalanced for me. The latter third was much stronger than the first two thirds.
While setting the majority of the novel within a traveling circus is a more interesting angle to the traditional WWII novel, I admit I was a bit trepidatious since WWII novels are not my favorite. So many have been written over the years (with a woman walking away on the cover…) that they all start to feel the same. In fact, the middle third of the novel followed many of the more familiar, well-trod tropes. So I struggled to remain engaged and push through that middle section.
The first third was little too much telling and not enough showing. I find this is common in historical novels, especially ones that cover a large timespan in an attempt to situate the bears of the story against the historical backdrop. But I was pretty on the fence as to how much I’d like the book overall.
I enjoyed the final third the most. Though there’s also a super random chapter toward the end set in India. Super random. It honestly felt like the beginning of a different novel—one that could be extremely interesting to read. But I don’t think it was necessary for the story this book was telling.
This book was a bit unbalanced for me. The latter third was much stronger than the first two thirds.
While setting the majority of the novel within a traveling circus is a more interesting angle to the traditional WWII novel, I admit I was a bit trepidatious since WWII novels are not my favorite. So many have been written over the years (with a woman walking away on the cover…) that they all start to feel the same. In fact, the middle third of the novel followed many of the more familiar, well-trod tropes. So I struggled to remain engaged and push through that middle section.
The first third was little too much telling and not enough showing. I find this is common in historical novels, especially ones that cover a large timespan in an attempt to situate the bears of the story against the historical backdrop. But I was pretty on the fence as to how much I’d like the book overall.
I enjoyed the final third the most. Though there’s also a super random chapter toward the end set in India. Super random. It honestly felt like the beginning of a different novel—one that could be extremely interesting to read. But I don’t think it was necessary for the story this book was telling.
THE CIRCUS TRAIN by Amita Parikh takes its readers on a journey through the world of circus, science, and magic, against the backdrop of World War II. Lena, the protagonist, struggles to find her place in a world that places limits on her due to her disability. Despite her father's overprotection, Lena is determined to pursue her passion for science and medicine. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she befriends Alexandre, an orphan with secrets of his own, and becomes separated from her family and everything she knows when Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis.
The book beautifully weaves together elements of friendship, love, betrayal, and hope, as Lena must confront her doubts and believe in herself in the face of adversity. Parikh's writing is awesome, and her characters are interesting, making the reader feel invested in their journey. The Circus Train is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.
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I never do this…this was a big ol DNF!!! I was so bored. I got half way through and felt like it was never ever ever going to end and by that point I had lost interest in knowing the ending. The writing was merely ok and the research on the time period was pretty poor. I returned it to the library unfinished… I’m sorry to the book…I tried!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No