This is one of a handful of books I haven’t been able to put down easily. Finished in two sittings(!), it’s the tale of an old man, reflecting on his youth as a Cornell veterinary school dropout who joins the circus after learning he has no home or family to go back to. Carefully researched, Sarah Gruen takes the reader through a traveling circus from the depression era. Many of the subplots were taken from actual recorded events, adding to the realism of the book. The characters also represented each aspect of the circus; I became concerned for the stage dwarf as much as an old tent setter. The novel also switches from the past time in the circus to the present, where the protagonist reflects on his current state in the nursing home in an often comical fashion, giving a break to the main plot line and building suspense. Highly recommended for those interested in historical novels.
Sram MRX Comp Twister