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What Members Thought
While I didn't necessarily care for the graphic scenes of abuse towards the animals, expecially the elephant, I imagine that Gruen's depiction of life in the circus in the early 20th century was accurate and it made for an interesting read.
The decision to make the narrator the show's veteranarian, who initially befriends the working men, but lives on the circus train's horse car with one of the clowns allows readers to fully understand each person's role in the circus because he interacts with s ...more
The decision to make the narrator the show's veteranarian, who initially befriends the working men, but lives on the circus train's horse car with one of the clowns allows readers to fully understand each person's role in the circus because he interacts with s ...more
I've heard so many wonderful things about this book in the past 2 years that I'm glad I finally read it. I didn't find it nearly as good as my friends did but I did enjoy it. An elderly man in a home reminisces about his early years working at a circus. The characters are well flushed out and the ending is touching but I just never got fully absorbed in the book.
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This book was recommended by several people, so I've had it on my "to read" list for ages. It was worth the wait! I'm glad I didn't read it at the height of its popularity, as I might have had a different view of the book. The story goes between the past and the present, told through the eyes of Jacob. Jacob stumbles into the life of a circus worker after accidentally jumping onto a circus train. The reader learns about circus life and the author pulls together a number of real events to tell th
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I stayed up way too late to finish this book. I don't know why this book captured my attention so. I'm not a fan of the circus, and this book did little to change my mind. But I really liked the story, its structure... The writing was so vivid. I wonder when it'll be made into a movie.
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I liked the characters and the writing style. The story was interesting. The sex scenes were totally inappropriate and nasty and the ending wasn't totally believable. Proabaly would give it a 3 1/2 because of the writing style.
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I started this book in the morning and then stayed up half the night to finish. I just had to find out what happened next. The descriptions were amazing. The time frame was established without belaboring. The only thing I didn't like was the stereotype of Walter's character as the mistreated intellectual. Yes, the plot is a little predictable, but getting there is definitely interesting. It's a book I would read again.
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I watched this movie before reading the book. It isn't very often that I say this but I liked the movie more than the book. The book was good but it was different than the movie. Mostly, with the addition of a character that wasn't in the movie--Uncle Al. A lot of the parts that were Uncle Al in the book were August in the movie. It is sad how animals were and maybe still are treated that are part of the circus.
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This is am amazing book. You'll learn about circus life during the depression, but more about aging gracefully, kindness and redemption. Great book!
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I LOVED this book. What an amazingly well told story. So, so, so glad I finally decided to read this.
