THE CIRCUS TRAIN by Amita Parikh

 

MY THOUGHTS

What a beautifully told story. This is a must read. Add it to your list. It covers quite a bit of history that you may not have known about. I didn't. It's so worth reading. 

This story starts out with you meeting Theo Papadopoulos. Horace is a circus train owner and when he meets Theo he wants him to come work for his circus. Theo is an illusionist. He and his wife agree to join the train after she gives birth to their child. Things don't work out to great though. Theo's wife dies soon after she gives birth to Lena, their baby girl. 

Months later Theo and Lena become part of World of Wonders circus train with certain understandings. Lena contracted Polio as a baby and will need full care. A doctor and a governess. Horace had a great doctor on board and agreed to pay for a governess and full time care for Lena. Lena was in a wheelchair. She could not walk or run. Could not do any of the things the other children could. But she was smart. She was very smart. She loved learning and spent a lot of time with the doctor. She loved watching him work and seemed to absorb the things she saw. The mixing of ingredients for sick people. The books the doctor had. She spent time in the library also. 

You'll meet Alexandre also. He was found by Lena and they became fast friends. The story takes off about them and you'll fall in love with their characters. Then WW2 breaks out and some things change. Alexandre is terrified of being found out. He has secrets that he won't share with anyone. Yes he is Jewish but he has an even deeper secret. Theo befriends him too and they are like a family. Theo has a few secrets of his own and thus the story goes. When Theo decides to take his family away where they will be safe Horace finds out and things take a bad turn. Alexandre and Horace are separated from Lena. Theo tells her that he will find her no matter where she is.

Many years go by and lots of changes are made. Both from the war and from the circus train. You'll learn a bit about Horace and how he came to make this circus. What made him the way he is. I felt so sorry for him while reading his story. I felt a lot of feelings while reading this book. It's a very touching and honestly a beautifully written book. This author did a magnificent job of pulling me in and the descriptions she uses are perfection. The way things play out is truly great. You will get answers to all your questions. Why did Horace do things he did. What secrets do Theo and Alexandre have. Will Lena ever find peace and happiness. Will she find the love she most desperately deserves. And the all important question: Will Lena ever walk? 

There are lots of ups and downs in this book. A lot going one. Told in three parts and over several decades you will hear what happened to each of the main characters. Where they went and what they did. How they survived if they did. This book will keep you turning the pages until the very ending and you'll feel happy that you read it. And do not skip past the Author's note. It contains a lot of information that you should enjoy. The research that was put into this book is great. Though this is a fiction book it's steeped in a lot of history. Actual history. 

This was a hard review to write because you can't give anything away or you ruin it for others. I am telling you that it's so worth reading and it is. It's one that you certainly do not want to miss. Have tissues handy though as you will need them.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmitaParikh and #PenguinGroupPutnam for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book. I just hope I did it justice.

5 huge stars and a very high recommendation. Read it. Savor it. Enjoy it.

SYNOPSIS 

International Bestseller and #1 LibraryReads Pick for December 2022

Water for Elephants meets The Night Circus in this World War II debut about a magnificent travelling circus, a star-crossed romance, and one girl’s coming-of-age during the darkest of times.

“A powerful reminder that to live is not just to survive, but to be seen and known for ourselves.” —Pam Jenoff, author of The Orphan’s Tale

When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?

1938. 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—who uses a wheelchair after a childhood bout with polio—yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, her mind stronger than the limitations placed on her by society. Then her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past.

As World War II escalates around them, their friendship blossoms into something deeper while Alexandre trains as the illusionist’s apprentice. But when Theo and Alexandre are arrested and made to perform in a town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena is separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself.