The Circus Train

Books | Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II

4.3

(89)

Amita Parikh

At the World of Wonders, Europe's most magnificent travelling circus, every moment is full of magic, and nothing is as it seems--especially for the people who put on the show Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself. A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-wrenching and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?

Historical Fiction

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More Details:

Author

Amita Parikh

Pages

416

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2022-12-06

ISBN

0593539982 9780593539989

Community ReviewsSee all

"A decent story here. Lots of elements including historical WWII, adventure, motivation, fantasy, magic, friendship, romance, deceit. I learned more about Polio than I would have expected and potential improvement/ recovery. "

Joe H

"I liked this book. The characters were well developed and the pacing of the book was good to keep the story moving. The author wasn’t afraid to move forward months at a time quickly when needed. I did, however, struggle figuring out the layout of the train by the descriptions. It may sound minor, but the train was important for so much of the book. Overall a good read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

Katie Harrison

"Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. I loved the writing at first, but as things started to pick up, it went downhill. The characters weren't particularly loveable in my eyes, and the plot twists weren't very surprising. I also really hated how the characters in the book attributed Lenas' success to Alexandre. It felt incredibly demeaning. "