You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
The Circus Train by Amita Parkh
A small group from the @calgareadsbookclub decided to read this one when it wasn’t chosen for the circus themed month! I am so glad the audio came in from libby for me as I was staring long to prioritize the book, but I am so glad I read it.
This is a story about found family, with adventure, WWII events and of course a circus. It drew me in right away and I was really loving the characters and the depth of their relationships and journeys.
I enjoyed the first half significantly more than the second half. Unfortunately by the end I was losing interest and some of the interactions were starting to feel cheesy.
Still overall I’m really glad I finally got to it as it was a memorable story that I did connect to at the beginning! I’m excited to discuss and chat about this one.
A small group from the @calgareadsbookclub decided to read this one when it wasn’t chosen for the circus themed month! I am so glad the audio came in from libby for me as I was staring long to prioritize the book, but I am so glad I read it.
This is a story about found family, with adventure, WWII events and of course a circus. It drew me in right away and I was really loving the characters and the depth of their relationships and journeys.
I enjoyed the first half significantly more than the second half. Unfortunately by the end I was losing interest and some of the interactions were starting to feel cheesy.
Still overall I’m really glad I finally got to it as it was a memorable story that I did connect to at the beginning! I’m excited to discuss and chat about this one.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
emotional
hopeful
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
I feel like the first half of the book was more character focused and about halfway through the plot really started. And I liked that because I had time to really get to know the characters before everything went down and it made me feel more for them later.
It was also really nice seeing a disabled mc. There was a big focus on healing and trying to find a way for Lena to walk again and I do think it should be mentioned that for a lot of disabled people curing their disability is not the goal. So while keeping that in mind there is of course another side as well and I think both narratives deserve to and should be told.
It was also really nice seeing a disabled mc. There was a big focus on healing and trying to find a way for Lena to walk again and I do think it should be mentioned that for a lot of disabled people curing their disability is not the goal. So while keeping that in mind there is of course another side as well and I think both narratives deserve to and should be told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Antisemitism
Moderate: Bullying, Death, War
I thought this book was just… fine. The story was interesting enough that I decided to stick with it to the end, but it wasn’t until about halfway through when I realized why I just wasn’t loving it - the writing. This book, to me, read like a YA book in disguise. And I LOVE YA books, so it’s not that they’re just not for me, it’s that the writing level of this book is, in my opinion, too simplistic to tell this moving story. It all felt kind of basic, and I wanted just…. More. So over all, 3 stars.
the World of Wonders, Europe's most magnificent travelling circus, every moment is full of magic, and nothing is as it seems--especially for the people who put on the show. This is story of Lena Papadopoulos who has never found her place within the circus, even after being daughter of the extraordinary illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. As her father and friend caught up in the camp and surviving that was impossible. Circumstances Forced her to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in herself.
A heart-wrenching and spectacular 3-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how Lena find the courage to keep moving forward. She found and lose her family, truth of her real identity, truth of Alexandre past. World war ordeal and pressure and disablity and regain of body sense. And love that one yearn whole life is finally they get
A heart-wrenching and spectacular 3-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how Lena find the courage to keep moving forward. She found and lose her family, truth of her real identity, truth of Alexandre past. World war ordeal and pressure and disablity and regain of body sense. And love that one yearn whole life is finally they get
I loved everything about this book. The magic, the relationships, the challenges faced by those with disabilities, the plight of the Jewish community in WW2 Europe…all of this is explored and more. I felt the whole range of emotions with this novel, and look forward to Amita Parikh’s next novel.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-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:
Yes
The best thing about Amita Parikh's "The Circus Train" is that it's a fast read, but even that couldn't propel me beyond page 217. This is one of the most cringe-y, shallow, and tone-deaf novels that I have read in a while. Well, since I read Colleen Hoover. This is a story about Lena, wheel-chair bound, who is raised by Theo, her widower, illusionist father (with secrets) on a circus train that travels throughout Europe in the late 1930's. One day Alexandre, an orphaned Jewish boy (with secrets) who has all the hallmarks of becoming an illusionist himself, is found in the dining car. They decide to keep him and train him as a magician. Love blossoms between Lena and Alexandre, as she dearly wants a friend and he, too, is friendless. Together, they and the rest of the troupe continue to travel around Europe performing while THERE IS A WAR ON. Through acts of betrayal, Lena's father and Alexandre are arrested by the Nazis and sent to Theresienstadt, a town built for Jews to demonstrate to the world Nazi benevolence-- a smokescreen to show that they aren't "that bad". I don't know what happens after. My guess is that Alexandre escapes, finds Lena, whose "indomitable spirit" and "iron will" has made her an accomplished young woman, and they live happily ever after. My eyes had been progressively rolling throughout the book, but the part that made them roll to where they couldn't roll anymore was when the circus manager decides that he will take his circus to Asia, "to the land of spices and tropical birds and beaches". No mention of the fact that the World War is happening there, too, to equally devastating effects.
There has been a surge of WWII and Holocaust-themed books lately, and this movement has a real gimmicky ick-factor propelled by "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas". By page 217 of this 376 page book, only one Jewish character is introduced, Alexandre, and he has Aryan features and generally escapes notice. When he and Theo are sent to Theresienstadt, they are more intrigued than horrified by their surroundings. It's like this moment in history is treated as a plot device. Also, everyone on the train is cushioned from the war; they still have opulent meals and costumes while everyone else is starving, doing without, and losing their livelihoods. No one comes to real harm. For a good portion of the war they travel through and perform in Nazi-occupied territory, profiting from those regions-- under the guise of bringing people a brief moment of happiness, but in reality, profiting from other people's suffering. And, in effect, that is what the authors of these types of books do, too. They provide a superficial, sanitized, and sentimentalized version of history that will not upset their readers' sensibilities too much.
There has been a surge of WWII and Holocaust-themed books lately, and this movement has a real gimmicky ick-factor propelled by "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas". By page 217 of this 376 page book, only one Jewish character is introduced, Alexandre, and he has Aryan features and generally escapes notice. When he and Theo are sent to Theresienstadt, they are more intrigued than horrified by their surroundings. It's like this moment in history is treated as a plot device. Also, everyone on the train is cushioned from the war; they still have opulent meals and costumes while everyone else is starving, doing without, and losing their livelihoods. No one comes to real harm. For a good portion of the war they travel through and perform in Nazi-occupied territory, profiting from those regions-- under the guise of bringing people a brief moment of happiness, but in reality, profiting from other people's suffering. And, in effect, that is what the authors of these types of books do, too. They provide a superficial, sanitized, and sentimentalized version of history that will not upset their readers' sensibilities too much.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-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