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tricky's review
4.0
This is a corker of a novel and captures the difficulties for women involved in a travelling family circus troupe.
The head of the family Dan Haxby is a showman through and through and nothing is more important than putting on the show. When we first meet the family times are tough but they are making a living and doing what they love. Gina Haxby is a hard worker out of the ring, making sure animals are fed, costumes are ready and then she performs the most difficult of tricks on the back of a horse in the ring. She is vivacious and is able to see the soul of a person not their physical appearance. Rocca the show's clown dwarf becomes fast friends with Gina. It is he who can see her intelligence and that she is more than just a performer. He also confides to her the reason why he performs and allows the people to laugh at him. These early moments become so poignant at the end of the novel as Gina suffers a terrible accident that prevents her from riding and performing in the circus. Yet she is a survivor and how she achieves that is what makes this novel exceptional.
Prichard is a fabulous writer, her descriptions capture the essence of people and scenery. You really do feel that you are part of the circus. There are clues placed into the story that hint at what may happen to the characters. I was swept into this novel and read it in a day. The characters are so beautifully created. The women, Gina, her mother Lotty, sisters Maxine and Lil are some of the best female characters I have come across. They are fallible, brave, resourceful, loyal to the family.
There are a couple of sections that become long lists of towns that slow the pace down. That is a minor quibble for a story that gives voice to Australian female characters.
This is just a great read.
The head of the family Dan Haxby is a showman through and through and nothing is more important than putting on the show. When we first meet the family times are tough but they are making a living and doing what they love. Gina Haxby is a hard worker out of the ring, making sure animals are fed, costumes are ready and then she performs the most difficult of tricks on the back of a horse in the ring. She is vivacious and is able to see the soul of a person not their physical appearance. Rocca the show's clown dwarf becomes fast friends with Gina. It is he who can see her intelligence and that she is more than just a performer. He also confides to her the reason why he performs and allows the people to laugh at him. These early moments become so poignant at the end of the novel as Gina suffers a terrible accident that prevents her from riding and performing in the circus. Yet she is a survivor and how she achieves that is what makes this novel exceptional.
Prichard is a fabulous writer, her descriptions capture the essence of people and scenery. You really do feel that you are part of the circus. There are clues placed into the story that hint at what may happen to the characters. I was swept into this novel and read it in a day. The characters are so beautifully created. The women, Gina, her mother Lotty, sisters Maxine and Lil are some of the best female characters I have come across. They are fallible, brave, resourceful, loyal to the family.
There are a couple of sections that become long lists of towns that slow the pace down. That is a minor quibble for a story that gives voice to Australian female characters.
This is just a great read.
tien's review
3.0
An impulse buy based on:
1. eye-catching cover: PINK!
2. I love anything CIRCUS related
3. Sale bin
4. Aussie classics
Did it live up to expectations? Yes and No... it's a very realistic tale of circus life from the point of view of a woman. I love the glamourous face of a circus. Ever since I read [a:Enid Blyton|10657|Enid Blyton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298204474p2/10657.jpg]'s Circus series, I've always been enamoured (and a bit jealous) of the adventures of circus folks. This novel, however, does not spare you the drudgery and hard work of that life. And in that way, it's a realistic story but it also made the novel hard to bear as sometimes the author would list of what needs doing etc. I found this last bit a little boring.
Gina Haxby has just bloomed into womanhood with the admiration of the crowd when she fell and broke her back. She will never again ride her beautiful horses nor perform any acrobatic feats. While her back is hunched, she's lucky to still be alive and able to walk though it didn't feel like that to her. She then found a reason to live; to protect her weak baby brother from her father's expectations. Once again, tragedy struck and she decided not to stay with the circus but took her mother and new baby sister away.
She could not stay away forever, however, as fate brought them all back together. This time, however, she is a woman of strength and can stand on her own. Her little sister is also a strong character of her own and together, they will bring the circus back to its brightest.
I didn't pay that much attention to the blurb at the back of the book before I started reading so I really was surprised when the first tragedy struck (oops!). I was really heartbroken for Gina as she's such a lovable character but of course, steel needs tempering and that's what's happened. It wasn't an easy road for Gina but she's traversed it with help from her loved ones and flourished despite all that life dealt her.
I've read one other of this author's work, [b:Coonardo|1961207|Coonardoo|Katharine Susannah Prichard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1194455074s/1961207.jpg|1964276], and it was such a hard book to read (nature of topic). Haxby's Circus was also a bit of a struggle as it was such a hard life that I barely felt the excitement of the circus. Plus the way she did lists became annoying and dreary after the first couple of times. Still, I did like the characters and the descriptions of life in Australia in those days.
1. eye-catching cover: PINK!
2. I love anything CIRCUS related
3. Sale bin
4. Aussie classics
Did it live up to expectations? Yes and No... it's a very realistic tale of circus life from the point of view of a woman. I love the glamourous face of a circus. Ever since I read [a:Enid Blyton|10657|Enid Blyton|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1298204474p2/10657.jpg]'s Circus series, I've always been enamoured (and a bit jealous) of the adventures of circus folks. This novel, however, does not spare you the drudgery and hard work of that life. And in that way, it's a realistic story but it also made the novel hard to bear as sometimes the author would list of what needs doing etc. I found this last bit a little boring.
Gina Haxby has just bloomed into womanhood with the admiration of the crowd when she fell and broke her back. She will never again ride her beautiful horses nor perform any acrobatic feats. While her back is hunched, she's lucky to still be alive and able to walk though it didn't feel like that to her. She then found a reason to live; to protect her weak baby brother from her father's expectations. Once again, tragedy struck and she decided not to stay with the circus but took her mother and new baby sister away.
She could not stay away forever, however, as fate brought them all back together. This time, however, she is a woman of strength and can stand on her own. Her little sister is also a strong character of her own and together, they will bring the circus back to its brightest.
I didn't pay that much attention to the blurb at the back of the book before I started reading so I really was surprised when the first tragedy struck (oops!). I was really heartbroken for Gina as she's such a lovable character but of course, steel needs tempering and that's what's happened. It wasn't an easy road for Gina but she's traversed it with help from her loved ones and flourished despite all that life dealt her.
I've read one other of this author's work, [b:Coonardo|1961207|Coonardoo|Katharine Susannah Prichard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1194455074s/1961207.jpg|1964276], and it was such a hard book to read (nature of topic). Haxby's Circus was also a bit of a struggle as it was such a hard life that I barely felt the excitement of the circus. Plus the way she did lists became annoying and dreary after the first couple of times. Still, I did like the characters and the descriptions of life in Australia in those days.
aquamarine's review
4.0
Loved it. A great Australian novel. One of the things I love so much about KSP is how much research she does - she lived and travelled with Wirth's Circus for months, I believe, as preparation for writing this book and it shows; so much loving, beautiful detail along with the gripping story. A friend of a friend remarked the other day that writing fiction doesn't require research - a stunningly daft opinion given that it came from a short story writer. Maybe short stories are easier in that respect than novels; novels require truckloads of research - doesn't matter whether they're contemporary, historical or SF and KSP knew this very well, as well as how to write her book in such a flowing way that unless you know, you never think about the research, you're just swept along. Gorgeous.
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