This book is set in the 1930’s during the Great Depression, and also in today’s time. The main character Jacob Jankowski is an old man who has great memories of a life on the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. As a young man, nearly a college graduate as a veterinarian, Jacob is faced with a great conflict and emotional disaster in his life. It is this disaster that puts Jacob on the train of the show with nowhere else to go.
The inner workings and conflicts of circus life are so well described that you can picture yourself there. It also touches on how the elderly are treated in a nursing home. It’s a book that really makes you think. Some things are very difficult to read but it does have a very surprising happy ending. I really liked this book and I look forward to seeing the movie.
Sara Gruen brings the Circus Culture of the mid 20th century to life through meticulous research, both the bright spot light and the grittier nature of transitory existence. Anyone who ever dreamed of running away to the big top or just dreamed of running away should read this book.
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