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A review by paigedc
The Circus Train by Amita Parikh
4.0
Billed as a mix between The Night Circus (one of my very favorite books!) and Water For Elephants (another decent story), I was highly intrigued by this Book of the Month selection. More historical fiction than magical mysticism, it gives you characters to love and an angle of WWII we don’t often hear about.
Lena and her father Theo have lived on the circus train since she was a baby. Since her mother died in childbirth and left her crippled by polio, Lena is dependent on Theo and his talents of illusion to provide for them. Though they travel the world and she wants for almost nothing, her existence is a lonely one. One day, they discover a stowaway on the train, the enigmatic Alexandre, and Theo agrees to take him in and apprentice him in the art of illusion. Lena’s and Alexandre’s friendship blossoms while the war in Europe rages. When the unthinkable happens and their family is torn apart, Lena must look for a courage she never knew she possessed. And Theo and Alexandre learn of a life of Jews and marginalized people during the war that is miles away from anything they experienced on the circus train. Their roads back to each other may be long, but it is full of heart.
This is a beautiful story, if not a little stilted at times. I loved Lena’s tenacity and the historical research that went into creating this world. The three main characters were all flawed but redeemable, and it was a story I felt compelled to keep reading each day. A win in my book!
Lena and her father Theo have lived on the circus train since she was a baby. Since her mother died in childbirth and left her crippled by polio, Lena is dependent on Theo and his talents of illusion to provide for them. Though they travel the world and she wants for almost nothing, her existence is a lonely one. One day, they discover a stowaway on the train, the enigmatic Alexandre, and Theo agrees to take him in and apprentice him in the art of illusion. Lena’s and Alexandre’s friendship blossoms while the war in Europe rages. When the unthinkable happens and their family is torn apart, Lena must look for a courage she never knew she possessed. And Theo and Alexandre learn of a life of Jews and marginalized people during the war that is miles away from anything they experienced on the circus train. Their roads back to each other may be long, but it is full of heart.
This is a beautiful story, if not a little stilted at times. I loved Lena’s tenacity and the historical research that went into creating this world. The three main characters were all flawed but redeemable, and it was a story I felt compelled to keep reading each day. A win in my book!