Amita Parikh - The Circus Train

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?

Comment: I became interested in this story for its interesting premise and due to the recommendation of a reader in the site where I saw it mentioned. Since the blurb appealed enough, I've decided to give it a try.

When this story begins, Lena Papadopoulos is a young child, who has suffered the effects of polio, but her physical limitations don't stop her from being curious about everything around her she can study. Besides, living with her father Theo at a circus that travels from place to place allows her to have, and the others part of the circus too, amazing experiences. While her life is simple and rich, she still feels eager for more, especially education which is her way of escaping.

Things change when the circus "rescues" Alexandre, a young Jew boy, whom the circus' owner wanted to leave but whose artistic abilities make him a  promising assistant to illusionist Theo. He is also close to Lena's age and they become friends. However, problems are escalating in Europe and some people, like the Jews, are being targeted... is there hope for them or is the danger lurking closer then they think?

The idea of being part of a glamorous circus show is quite captivating. I'm especially considering the more elaborated shows we can see in productions such as by Cirque du Soleil, although there's something to be said about the ingenious work of small nomad circus we often see traveling all over the countries. I have fond memories of attending the circus as a child, when they would stay at my village for a day or two and how special it was. Nowadays, it no longer has the same appeal, sadly, but it's still different enough to grab young generations.

In this book I was hoping to have scenes in which the characters would engage in circus activities and there are enough references to it and allusions to the work and preparation and even some of the acts, but it's clearly not the big focus of the story. I would say that the circus is an important element but not the most important. Of course, the relationship the main characters have with the whole circus environment is the main factor behind some of their decisions.

This book is divided into three main sections: while the main cast is at the circus, then a smaller section when the Second World War in Europe is ongoing, and a third one after the war. In each section we follow mainly Lena's thoughts and life, but a few chapters, let's say, focused on Alexandre or one or two other characters, for clarification reasons. The writing style isn't distinctive from many other books about there, but I will say that it felt the author planned the first section, mostly about Lena's childhood, very well, and the other parts not so greatly.

The first section delivered pretty much everything I could want from this story. Setting, characterization, apparent secret motivations for this or that, uniqueness... it was quite a pleasure to read and even when some things were a little less vibrant, I still found interest to keep reading and seeing what would happen next. Since Lena is a child and adolescent in the 1930s, of course part of the background atmosphere already hints at what is happening in the countries the circus visits and how things are dealt with if they want access and so on.

Still, the WWII theme isn't the main focus, no, so don't expect lots of details or scenes where we observe the usual horror associated with this. Clearly, the author's intention was not to write a story about these issues, it almost feels as if it's just a coincidence. I also say this because the second part, after a terrible situation escalates and causes Lena to be separated from her father and from Alexandre, is quite quick and, in my opinion, adds nothing to the overall scheme of things.At this point, the circus isn't a priority in the story either. Therefore, I got the feeling the author only planned things for the first part and the other two were like afterthoughts.

The third part supposedly solves the loose threads, explains some things including the secrets hinted at, and the characters are all older - if I remember correctly this section is already set in the late 1940s or early 1950s... I can't recall. Again, some plot choices here felt very rushed, only there to justify this or that and I really felt a let down the longer I read. The book started so strongly, in such an appealing way... and the end was rushed and without proper emotional development. To me, the story should have been only about what happened at the circus, perhaps develop that more and remove the two other sections.

Oh well, it was still worth a read, but the end result was not as powerful as it could, to me.

Grade: 6/10