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Cirkus Humberto
Autor knihy Eduard Bass (1888-1946) nás ve svém díle zavádí do světa cirkusů a varieté. Slavný román byl zfilmován a uveden v televizi jako populární seriál s našimi předními herci. Tato rozsáhlá románová kronika líčící osudy několika cirkusových dynastií vyšla poprvé v r. 1941. Ústřední postavou je Václav Karas z pošumavské vesnice, který spolu se svým otcem, zedníkem hledajícím práci v cizině, zakotví v Hamburku u cirkusu Humberto. Tatík Karas pracuje v partě stavěčů a hraje v cirkusové kapele, zatímco syn, jemuž všichni říkají Vašku, se celý den pohybuje mezi zvěří a v manéži. Nebojí se žádné práce a námahy, osvojí si záhy dovednosti několika cirkusových profesí a stane se úspěšným krasojezdcem, artistou a krotitelem. Jeho kariéra pokračuje sňatkem s dcerou ředitele cirkusu, Helenou Berwitzovou. S cirkusem jako jeho šéf prožije dobu slávy i úpadku. Po velké hospodářské krizi, kdy je nucen chátrající cirkus prodat, se stane ředitelem pražského varieté, které za 15 let přivede mezi nejlepší podniky tohoto druhu v Evropě. Mrzí ho nezájem syna Petra Antonína o cirkusovou práci, plné zadostiučinění a naplnění svého životního osudu však nalézá v talentu a začínající kariéře své vnučky, která nastoupila úspěšnou dráhu tanečnice, v čemž ji děda všestranně podporuje...
444 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1941
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August 27, 2023
First published in Czech in 1941 (as far as I can tell), and in translation in English in 1951, Umberto’s Circus is, as its name indicates, a book centred on a circus, the titular Umberto’s Circus which from humble beginnings has grown into a magnificent and opulent show, and on a family of two, Czech mason Antonin Karas and his little son Vasek who find not only work but a home in it.
The book opens with Karas returning to Hamburg after some time back in his village of Horní Snezná, expecting as usual to be engaged in construction work as a mason as he has been accustomed to doing for the past many years, for after the great fire of Hamburg, there has been constant work to rebuild the city. This time though, Karas who arrived some time after his band staying home as his wife had been ill (and in fact died), finds there is no work to be got and is dejected and at a loss for what he can do. But at one of his usual haunts, the bar, The Sailor’s Bride run by Hein Moesecke, his luck changes when he is introduced to a fellow Czech, Kerholec who immediately gets him a place where he works—Umberto’s Circus. Here he is to help lay tents, play in the band, look after horses and pretty much anything else, since as a Czech he can do everything. Now a widower, Karas has his little son Vasek with him, and the boy and he soon move in to Umberto’s Circus. Karas soon settles into the work, while Vasek is thrilled to bits instantly taking to the circus and the exciting (and busy) life there joining in with various little chores and making himself indispensable before long. As he befriends various circus folk, he also starts to train in a range of skills, from riding to acrobatics and looking after the big cats (well, at least the cubs) and soon has his own act.
Alongside, we follow the life of the circus itself, being told of how Umberto, part of a family of acrobats met his wife, Luisa Bolier, whose family had their own little travelling show with a menagerie and they together set up what became Umberto’s Circus. The circus grows slowly and surely as more people and animals are added but it truly starts to prosper when taken over by Umberto’s grandson Peter Berwitz. Peter marries a young lady from an aristocratic family, Anna who is not only a talented rider but also a wonder with animals. The circus begins to travel wider going into the East and then across Europe while settling each winter in Hamburg. We meet the various members and performers—some permanent fixtures, others employed on contract who come and go.
And so, we follow the journey of Umberto’s circus, from performances to the hours of tedious practice that go into each act, the journeys between different places (and the technicalities like licences and such that must be handled), its various patrons from aristocrats who are attracted to it for the equestrian performances to kings and sultans and ordinary folk while alongside we see how the Karas father and son adjust to and make the most of their lives there.
Umberto’s Circus is a lovely read about a form of entertainment that isn’t as common any more (and one that I think I won’t be able to bear since even when animals aren’t being treated badly, I find performing ones a little heartbreaking to watch), the various people who make it up, the work it takes, and the relationships they form with each other and with the animals they work with. We witness the practice sessions, the creation of new acts, the selection of costumes and the order of the programme—all together culminating in the show full of splendour that is put on every afternoon—yes, this being set in the mid to late 1800s meant that there were no evening performances. While gaslight has started to be used, there was still much apprehension (and with good reason) to use it in a space with so many people and animals. But even daylight performances are glorious indeed.
This is of course also a story full of colour, coming not only from its very setting in a circus with various daring performances but also from its travels—especially to the East where Peter Berwitz beholds tricks and skills beyond his imagination and which he is keen to weave into his own show. Various aristocrats and rulers along the way become his admirers and cultivate his acquaintance also conferring on him different titles and honours. The journey is wonderful and fruitful but also trying and arduous, throwing many challenges in their way, but enriches their show too, making it like no other. The opulence may attract but won’t hold an audience unless there is skill and we get a good sense of the level of work that goes in to achieve this, irrespective of talent.
Peter Berwitz is an interesting proprietor, ambitious of course, and one who has no qualms claiming any circus member’s idea as his own (while alongside rewarding them with money or other things they might want), but also in his own way good hearted and fair. We meet a range of other characters from Captain Gambier the big cat tamer, to Malina an old man who’s been in the circus the longest, to the Romeo family—Berbers who are acrobats and join the circus to Arr Sherrir the elephant man with his elephant Bingo (he is supposed to be a Hindu from India though his name is not Hindu) to Hans who trains the equestrian performers (and horses) and Frau von Hammerschmidt, Peter’s cousin who acts as cashier. Meanwhile while Vasek loves the circus and sees it as his life, Antonin Karas is always in doubt believing that circus life is something beneath him, that will be looked down upon by those in his village, and that he somehow has to ‘rescue’ Vasek from. Little does he know though!
Being a circus there are animals of course, and while we don’t see them very closely, we do get to see a lot of them learning of how the different creatures take to a life of performing (something that reminded me of Enid Blyton). There are loses of course, but not too many and most natural because of age or weakness (bar one, which isn’t terribly hard to bear and one can skip over easily too). It was especially good to see that with Anna’s arrival in the circus, Peter realises
truly she had accomplished more with her simple love than Grandpa Umberto and his late father ever did with their whips and pitch forks.
sensitivity I wouldn’t have expected to see in a book written about the 1860s and itself written in first half of the 1900s. And truly, there isn’t any threatening of the animals or using force or fear with them (though they have whips and sometimes a somewhat coercive attitude is taken with the big cats at times). A cute part of the performance is the goat Bluebeard and his troop cast in the pantomimes they stage as peasants fleeing a foreign army!
Another aspect to bear in mind (likely a consequence of the time it’s written) is the non PC attitudes and observations that do come in (a lot of it regarding the Berber family and how they are seen or treated). Nothing that takes over the book but it’s there and best to know when going in. On the other side, there’s also plenty of national pride and sentiment among the Czechs in the circus.
The book plays out in three broad parts, the first two more or less continuous though with trips back in time tracing the story of the circus or those of some of its colourful characters. The third part, however, takes a leap forward to when Vasek is all grown up. While the sentiment it ends with in terms of the circus itself needing to be kept alive was a nice one, the choice suddenly cast on Vasek (considering others before him didn’t need to make that compromise) seemed a bit unfair.
Overall, this is a nice, enjoyable book, nothing out of the ordinary but good to read.
3.75 stars rounded up
The book opens with Karas returning to Hamburg after some time back in his village of Horní Snezná, expecting as usual to be engaged in construction work as a mason as he has been accustomed to doing for the past many years, for after the great fire of Hamburg, there has been constant work to rebuild the city. This time though, Karas who arrived some time after his band staying home as his wife had been ill (and in fact died), finds there is no work to be got and is dejected and at a loss for what he can do. But at one of his usual haunts, the bar, The Sailor’s Bride run by Hein Moesecke, his luck changes when he is introduced to a fellow Czech, Kerholec who immediately gets him a place where he works—Umberto’s Circus. Here he is to help lay tents, play in the band, look after horses and pretty much anything else, since as a Czech he can do everything. Now a widower, Karas has his little son Vasek with him, and the boy and he soon move in to Umberto’s Circus. Karas soon settles into the work, while Vasek is thrilled to bits instantly taking to the circus and the exciting (and busy) life there joining in with various little chores and making himself indispensable before long. As he befriends various circus folk, he also starts to train in a range of skills, from riding to acrobatics and looking after the big cats (well, at least the cubs) and soon has his own act.
Alongside, we follow the life of the circus itself, being told of how Umberto, part of a family of acrobats met his wife, Luisa Bolier, whose family had their own little travelling show with a menagerie and they together set up what became Umberto’s Circus. The circus grows slowly and surely as more people and animals are added but it truly starts to prosper when taken over by Umberto’s grandson Peter Berwitz. Peter marries a young lady from an aristocratic family, Anna who is not only a talented rider but also a wonder with animals. The circus begins to travel wider going into the East and then across Europe while settling each winter in Hamburg. We meet the various members and performers—some permanent fixtures, others employed on contract who come and go.
And so, we follow the journey of Umberto’s circus, from performances to the hours of tedious practice that go into each act, the journeys between different places (and the technicalities like licences and such that must be handled), its various patrons from aristocrats who are attracted to it for the equestrian performances to kings and sultans and ordinary folk while alongside we see how the Karas father and son adjust to and make the most of their lives there.
Umberto’s Circus is a lovely read about a form of entertainment that isn’t as common any more (and one that I think I won’t be able to bear since even when animals aren’t being treated badly, I find performing ones a little heartbreaking to watch), the various people who make it up, the work it takes, and the relationships they form with each other and with the animals they work with. We witness the practice sessions, the creation of new acts, the selection of costumes and the order of the programme—all together culminating in the show full of splendour that is put on every afternoon—yes, this being set in the mid to late 1800s meant that there were no evening performances. While gaslight has started to be used, there was still much apprehension (and with good reason) to use it in a space with so many people and animals. But even daylight performances are glorious indeed.
This is of course also a story full of colour, coming not only from its very setting in a circus with various daring performances but also from its travels—especially to the East where Peter Berwitz beholds tricks and skills beyond his imagination and which he is keen to weave into his own show. Various aristocrats and rulers along the way become his admirers and cultivate his acquaintance also conferring on him different titles and honours. The journey is wonderful and fruitful but also trying and arduous, throwing many challenges in their way, but enriches their show too, making it like no other. The opulence may attract but won’t hold an audience unless there is skill and we get a good sense of the level of work that goes in to achieve this, irrespective of talent.
Peter Berwitz is an interesting proprietor, ambitious of course, and one who has no qualms claiming any circus member’s idea as his own (while alongside rewarding them with money or other things they might want), but also in his own way good hearted and fair. We meet a range of other characters from Captain Gambier the big cat tamer, to Malina an old man who’s been in the circus the longest, to the Romeo family—Berbers who are acrobats and join the circus to Arr Sherrir the elephant man with his elephant Bingo (he is supposed to be a Hindu from India though his name is not Hindu) to Hans who trains the equestrian performers (and horses) and Frau von Hammerschmidt, Peter’s cousin who acts as cashier. Meanwhile while Vasek loves the circus and sees it as his life, Antonin Karas is always in doubt believing that circus life is something beneath him, that will be looked down upon by those in his village, and that he somehow has to ‘rescue’ Vasek from. Little does he know though!
Being a circus there are animals of course, and while we don’t see them very closely, we do get to see a lot of them learning of how the different creatures take to a life of performing (something that reminded me of Enid Blyton). There are loses of course, but not too many and most natural because of age or weakness (bar one, which isn’t terribly hard to bear and one can skip over easily too). It was especially good to see that with Anna’s arrival in the circus, Peter realises
truly she had accomplished more with her simple love than Grandpa Umberto and his late father ever did with their whips and pitch forks.
sensitivity I wouldn’t have expected to see in a book written about the 1860s and itself written in first half of the 1900s. And truly, there isn’t any threatening of the animals or using force or fear with them (though they have whips and sometimes a somewhat coercive attitude is taken with the big cats at times). A cute part of the performance is the goat Bluebeard and his troop cast in the pantomimes they stage as peasants fleeing a foreign army!
Another aspect to bear in mind (likely a consequence of the time it’s written) is the non PC attitudes and observations that do come in (a lot of it regarding the Berber family and how they are seen or treated). Nothing that takes over the book but it’s there and best to know when going in. On the other side, there’s also plenty of national pride and sentiment among the Czechs in the circus.
The book plays out in three broad parts, the first two more or less continuous though with trips back in time tracing the story of the circus or those of some of its colourful characters. The third part, however, takes a leap forward to when Vasek is all grown up. While the sentiment it ends with in terms of the circus itself needing to be kept alive was a nice one, the choice suddenly cast on Vasek (considering others before him didn’t need to make that compromise) seemed a bit unfair.
Overall, this is a nice, enjoyable book, nothing out of the ordinary but good to read.
3.75 stars rounded up
June 25, 2025
Seriál Cirkus Humberto si z dětství pamatuju spíš jenom mlhavě a útržkovitě, takže když jsem si ho vybrala na Audiotéce, nevěděla jsem moc, do čeho jdu. Je vlastně s podivem, že jsem to vydržela doposlouchat do konce. Cirkusácké rostředí a oslavování týrání divokých zvířat šlo sice spíš na nervy, ale u knihy mě držel Bassův čapkovsky rozevlátý styl. Takhle krásně a frajersky už dneska u nás nikdo češtinu používat neumí a už jen kvůli ní stojí za to si Cirkus Humberto přečíst. Nebo poslechnout, když na to přijde.
September 1, 2011
The English translation of a Czech novel, Umberto's Circus was highly enjoyable. Each part of the book had different style choices, making it for a complex yet light read.
Antonin Karas is a mason who has difficulty finding work when the market in central Europe slumps in the mid 1800s. To add to his troubles, his wife passes away, leaving him with his young son, Vasek. Desperate to find a way to feed his son, he ends up meeting another Czech in Hamburg. He offers Anton a job as a sstaker in a circus that is about to depart for its warm weather tour. Anton agrees, ashamed that his dead wife and family would not approve of such a job. While Anton grapples with his conscience while slowly learning to love the nomadic life in the circus, his son Vasek falls in love completely with the circus. Umberto's Circus is one of the oldest and most revered circuses in Europe at the height of their popularity. Vasek throws himself into every part of the circus, proving himself an invaluable member of it.
Some chapters throw itself completely into the backstory of the circus or of a newly introduced charater, while others move the story along in third person omniscent, while others yet turn into a epistolary. While there were some parts of the story that seemed to drag a bit, the diversity of the storytelling makes it so it never gets old.
To read this, you have to keep in mind that this is a story that was translated in 1951 from a story written in the 1930s, about the 1800s. There is a good amount of shocking racism, shocking as there is no type of reproach for that kind of behavior. It is also very ethnocentric, where all the Czech characters are ultimately good people and stick together.
It was a pleasant read and I'm happy I found this book in a used book store.
Antonin Karas is a mason who has difficulty finding work when the market in central Europe slumps in the mid 1800s. To add to his troubles, his wife passes away, leaving him with his young son, Vasek. Desperate to find a way to feed his son, he ends up meeting another Czech in Hamburg. He offers Anton a job as a sstaker in a circus that is about to depart for its warm weather tour. Anton agrees, ashamed that his dead wife and family would not approve of such a job. While Anton grapples with his conscience while slowly learning to love the nomadic life in the circus, his son Vasek falls in love completely with the circus. Umberto's Circus is one of the oldest and most revered circuses in Europe at the height of their popularity. Vasek throws himself into every part of the circus, proving himself an invaluable member of it.
Some chapters throw itself completely into the backstory of the circus or of a newly introduced charater, while others move the story along in third person omniscent, while others yet turn into a epistolary. While there were some parts of the story that seemed to drag a bit, the diversity of the storytelling makes it so it never gets old.
To read this, you have to keep in mind that this is a story that was translated in 1951 from a story written in the 1930s, about the 1800s. There is a good amount of shocking racism, shocking as there is no type of reproach for that kind of behavior. It is also very ethnocentric, where all the Czech characters are ultimately good people and stick together.
It was a pleasant read and I'm happy I found this book in a used book store.
August 19, 2021
Reálně by si kniha asi zasloužila spíše 4*, ale četla se mi tak příjemně a skoro až pohádkově, že ji ohodnotím lépe.
Zdá se mi, že na cirkusové umění se kouká často skrze prsty, kniha nám však ukazuje, jak dedikovaní mohou být lidé, kteří cirkusu obětují klidně celý život. Kniha v sobě nese spoustu závažných témat, když sleduje celé čtyři generace. Místo cirkusu si dosaďte v podstatě jakoukoli jinou "rodinnou" firmu a hlavní myšlenky budou fungovat podobně.
Líbilo se mi, jak kniha pracuje s postavami, které mají vždy vlastní charakter, i kdyby měl snad někdy sklouzávat k pouze jediné definující vlastnosti, danou postavu čtenář vždycky bezpečně pozná, když se objeví. Nechybí zde vývoj postav, konflikty a jejich logické řešení. I Cirkus Humberto prochází přirozeným vývojem, aby se nakonec přetransformoval tak či onak. Jazyk je už jen takovou třešinkou na dortu, ať už se jedná o cirkusáckou hantýrku složenou ze všech světových jazyků nebo barvitý popis cirkusového prostředí.
V knize a jejích postavách se může najít každý. Najdeme zde zklamání i radost, ale hlavně sebeobětování věci, které člověk bezmezně věří.
Pro mě zatím asi největší překvapení za ty poslední roky, kdy jsem hledala knihy ke čtenářské výzvě a jsem ráda, že jsem se k Cirkusu Humberto dostala.
Zdá se mi, že na cirkusové umění se kouká často skrze prsty, kniha nám však ukazuje, jak dedikovaní mohou být lidé, kteří cirkusu obětují klidně celý život. Kniha v sobě nese spoustu závažných témat, když sleduje celé čtyři generace. Místo cirkusu si dosaďte v podstatě jakoukoli jinou "rodinnou" firmu a hlavní myšlenky budou fungovat podobně.
Líbilo se mi, jak kniha pracuje s postavami, které mají vždy vlastní charakter, i kdyby měl snad někdy sklouzávat k pouze jediné definující vlastnosti, danou postavu čtenář vždycky bezpečně pozná, když se objeví. Nechybí zde vývoj postav, konflikty a jejich logické řešení. I Cirkus Humberto prochází přirozeným vývojem, aby se nakonec přetransformoval tak či onak. Jazyk je už jen takovou třešinkou na dortu, ať už se jedná o cirkusáckou hantýrku složenou ze všech světových jazyků nebo barvitý popis cirkusového prostředí.
V knize a jejích postavách se může najít každý. Najdeme zde zklamání i radost, ale hlavně sebeobětování věci, které člověk bezmezně věří.
Pro mě zatím asi největší překvapení za ty poslední roky, kdy jsem hledala knihy ke čtenářské výzvě a jsem ráda, že jsem se k Cirkusu Humberto dostala.
November 2, 2019
Od detstva milujem seriál Cirkus Humberto s plejádou skvelých hercov a podmanivou hudbou Karla Svobody, a prišiel čas prečítať si knižnú predlohu. Fantastické. Dojemné. Úžasné. Jednoducho nádherné dielo.
January 28, 2020
Je možné, že jsem tu knížku pro sebe objevila a četla až teď?? Je to jedno velké čtenářské potěšení!!
August 9, 2023
Není snadné číst tuhle knížku a nevybavovat si krásný seriál České televize. Proti obrazovce hýří předloha nádherou cirkusáckých výrazů z jazyků celé širé Evropy. Epický děj dominuje v obou zpracováních.
November 24, 2024
Petr Karas učil matiku na Akademickým gymnáziu haha (doufam ze to byl pradeda Rachy)
December 26, 2021
Tak jsem se konečně dobrala k závěru této rozsáhlé výpravné knihy, jejíž četba mi vzhledem k nutné pauze během prvního zcela vodařského semestru a času tráveného spíše s přítelem, kamarády a rodinou než četbou, zabrala poměrně dlouhou dobu. Nebylo to ale určitě způsobeno tím, že by kniha byla nudná. Musím konstatovat, že určitě stojí za přečtení, přestože jsem o tom na prvních desítkách stran dost pochybovala. Snad na každé straně byla zmínka typu: "Bodejť bys to neuměl, vždyť jsi Čech!", což už bylo tak po pátém výskytu dost otravné, a to přesto, že se považuji za vlastenku. Pro danou dobu je tento někdy až slepě naivní patriotismus sice pochopitelný, nic to ale nemění na faktu, že mě to nejdříve od četby odrazovalo. Také mě rozčiloval malý Vašek, ať už svou nabubřelostí, absencí soudnosti vůči svým schopnostem a místy i hrozným chováním k okolí. Postupem času už nejen že autora zřejmě omrzely neustále se opakující zvolání plná nekritického úžasu nad českým národem, zároveň však také dospíval zmíněný otravný hlavní protagonista. Tím si pomalu získával mé sympatie nejen on, ale i samotná kniha. Pak už mi čtení činilo čím dál tím větší radost a toužila jsem zjistit, co bude dál, děj mě dočista vtáhl. Místy byla sice kniha na můj vkus až příliš výpravná a obšírná, přesto však byla její četba pro mě velkým čtenářským zážitkem.
December 17, 2025
It started out interestingly enough and I liked the initial character and anticipated learning about the people he (I thought) would meet, befriend, and have experiences with in their work as circus workers.
Nope. He fell away and suddenly I was hip deep in general history of the circus origin and its expansion. Not interesting at all, but I hung in there, until the tiger was killed.
What could have been an amusing selection of interesting characters and their individual and collective stories wasn't.
Nope. He fell away and suddenly I was hip deep in general history of the circus origin and its expansion. Not interesting at all, but I hung in there, until the tiger was killed.
What could have been an amusing selection of interesting characters and their individual and collective stories wasn't.
November 18, 2020
Dávám 4/5 primárně kvůli tomu, že fakt zbožňuju cirkusy a život Vaška je můj dětskej sen. Pokud se na knihu budu dívat dnešní optikou člověka digitálního, tak se ale celej ten skvělej příběh dost táhnul. Možná ale právě díky tomu měl čtenář dost času si všimnout vývoje Vaška a toho, jak řádek po řádku dospíval. Chtěla bych mít trochu jeho dětskýho elánu a odhodlání, ale tak po přečtení knihy mám alespoň krásno v duši a zasněnej úsměv.
October 16, 2024
Cirkus Humberto (1941).
Cirkus, ako taký, neschvaľujem, a teda ani nemám rád. Ak som sa však už odhodlal k nečakanému kroku v podobe prečítania pavučinami obrastenej knihy z tmavého kúta pivnice, musel som sa najskôr preniesť cez predsudky lemované realitou a prehnanou drezúrou. Cirkus Humberto bol však iný. Bol vymyslený, a preto snáď aj akceptovateľný. Hoci sa témy odlišovali, literárne mi Cirkus Humberto pripomínal naše skvosty Červené víno alebo Tisícročnú včelu. Čiže za mňa super 👏👏.
Cirkus, ako taký, neschvaľujem, a teda ani nemám rád. Ak som sa však už odhodlal k nečakanému kroku v podobe prečítania pavučinami obrastenej knihy z tmavého kúta pivnice, musel som sa najskôr preniesť cez predsudky lemované realitou a prehnanou drezúrou. Cirkus Humberto bol však iný. Bol vymyslený, a preto snáď aj akceptovateľný. Hoci sa témy odlišovali, literárne mi Cirkus Humberto pripomínal naše skvosty Červené víno alebo Tisícročnú včelu. Čiže za mňa super 👏👏.
August 18, 2021
Couldn't get past page 34. Started out good but then got into a ton of characters and I got tired of the circus talk fast. Didn't like a scene where they killed a tiger, hated they all lived in tiny cages. Overall though it was written well, in a style I like.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2020
Ever since my childhood I loved the TV series and now I finally got to read the book. It's even better than I expected, it's just such a lovely story ❤️
June 20, 2023
Krásné.
Oslí můstek -Největší z Pierotů
Oslí můstek -Největší z Pierotů
November 5, 2024
Já jsem z knihy nadšená. Sáhla jsem po ni protože znám seriál a chtěla jsem si rozšířit a více pochopit příběh. Pravdou je, že seriál dělá knize čest, ale příběh má jednoduše větší hloubku, když do hlav postav vidíte víc.
Prostě a jednoduše, krásný příběh, cirkusové prostředí, tragické osudy, láska, povinnost a ten konec. Konec mě dokonale dojal.
Prostě a jednoduše, krásný příběh, cirkusové prostředí, tragické osudy, láska, povinnost a ten konec. Konec mě dokonale dojal.
December 1, 2020
Another circus, another story. This one was quite different from The Night Circus. I would say even incomparable. The atmosphere was tilted more to the light and simple side but I liked that too. It has been a delightful read.
February 22, 2017
Pro mě opravdu krásná kniha. Ten jazyk, atmosféra a tempo vyprávění..jakobych se vrátila ke knihám, které jsem četla v raném mládí. Cirkusácké prostředí mě úplně pohltilo a prostě a jednoduše mě to bavilo. Je to opravdu velký rozdíl mezi touto knihou a současnými knihami, které teď nejvíce čtu.
A hlavně jsem ji zdědila po svém dědečkovi, takže možná ještě kapka nostalgie navíc.
A hlavně jsem ji zdědila po svém dědečkovi, takže možná ještě kapka nostalgie navíc.
December 5, 2013
"Stáj Humberto!" vykřikl sedmdesáti letý Vašku. "Stáj Humberto! Děti, to ještě jednu skleničku k jejímu zdaru... To je opravdu velkolepé, jak to jméno jde a žije a přetváří se znovu a znovu jako určené pro nesmrtelnost. Hotový Fénx! Zvěřinec, Cirkus, Varieté, Tanec a teď dokonce závodní stáj. Pořád něco, kde se nežije jen pro tu skývu denního chleba. Pořád něco, kde se chce výš! To je vlastně, co jsem v tom jméně ctil a miloval! Na zdraví děti! Svět je krásný, plameny nehasnou - Cirkus Humberto bude žít věčně!"
August 28, 2018
Even though I have never been to circus, this book made me feel like circus was my home.
I found myself lost in the pages about horses, about animals, about dancing, about jumping and about the great and loving circus family. The characters are now forever in my heart as the most amazing, loving and iconic fictional characters I've ever known. They made me laugh so hard and they also made me cry (yes, I'm crying while writing this). I've also seen the series when I was a little girl but now I see that the book was way better and the ending made my heart melt.
I found myself lost in the pages about horses, about animals, about dancing, about jumping and about the great and loving circus family. The characters are now forever in my heart as the most amazing, loving and iconic fictional characters I've ever known. They made me laugh so hard and they also made me cry (yes, I'm crying while writing this). I've also seen the series when I was a little girl but now I see that the book was way better and the ending made my heart melt.
August 13, 2018
Even though I was reluctant to read this book, I found myself lost in it. The book is a masterpiece. Vašek's life journey was amazing to follow, from a young child whose father is trying to find a job to an elderly man whose whole world is his granddaughter who inherited his love for circus.
It is a very relaxing read and I spent every free minute reading.
It is a very relaxing read and I spent every free minute reading.
January 3, 2026
Hezký a čtivý příběh ze světa cirkusu a lidských osudů. Má příjemnou atmosféru a dobře se čte. Patří k těm knihám, které v čtenáři zanechají pěkný dojem a nostalgické ohlédnutí k časům našich předků.
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