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What Members Thought
It's the story of a traveling circus, which is narrated in flashbacks by the 90 or 93 year old Jankowski who had joined it when recently orphaned and without a penny to his name.
It was an entertaining read. But it turned out to be yet another one of those books which gets rave reviews but doesn't usually live up to expectations, at least mine. The love story that was woven into it was quite mediocre. There's the hero and of course his lady and who of course needs saving from the villain. The el ...more
It was an entertaining read. But it turned out to be yet another one of those books which gets rave reviews but doesn't usually live up to expectations, at least mine. The love story that was woven into it was quite mediocre. There's the hero and of course his lady and who of course needs saving from the villain. The el ...more
Beautifully written story about circus trains in the early 1930s. Somewhat vulgar, though, and a little gruesome. Great narrative and also about to be made into a movie.
I expected a lot more from this book. With all the hype around it, I thought it would be amazing. It was just ok. I did like the story, but I think that there could have (and should have) been more contact between Marlena and Jacob, so it was a little hard to swallow that they were SO in love. It was a good, quick read, but not fantastic.
I really enjoyed this book. The story was engaging, particularly reading about the life of the train-circus during the Great Depression. I also thought the author did a great job with the description of the main character as an old man in a nursing home -poignant, funny and read very true. The plot was fast-paced, making this a very quick read as well. Great summer book!
If you ever wanted to run away with the circus, this is the book for you. The narrator is honest and loveable. You join him for his ups and downs. Plus there's a clever elephant...how can you go wrong?
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I really enjoyed this audio book
Feb 15, 2010
Sara
added it
Oct 03, 2010
Brenda
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really liked it
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Shelves:
historical-fiction
