Book Review: The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

 


The Circus Train - Amita Parikh - 5 Stars - Wow, what a surprising read and breathtaking read!

I was completely immersed from the first chapter of this book. FINALLY a BOTM pick I enjoyed! I have had a tough reading week with so many DNFs and then picking this one up has been wonderful!

Lena is a young girl who is the daughter of a circus illusionist, Theo. She is so smart and loves the world of science and medicine. Her father is very overprotective though and limits her activities because she is disabled as she had polio as an infant and is unable to walk. Things take a big turn when they rescue Alexandre, a jewish orphan with many secrets. Alexandre and Lena start to form a friendship and a small romance over the years they are together and he trains under her father to be an Illusionist's apprentice. Problems start to erupt though when World War II begins....secrets are revealed, people are separated, doubts must be confronted and you have no idea what's going to happen next!

This story really captivates you from the beginning and I loved the growth of the characters that spanned from the late 1930s to mid 1950s. This is a historical fiction story but has a circus twist. We didn't see a lot of the circus but it was a moving theme throughout the story as they were traveling throughout the book from shows. If you like historical fiction stories, a strong female lead who perseveres, disability representation, a small side romance plot, strong family vibes and circus elements, this is for you! 

As for trigger warnings, I didn't really see much as far as content issues. There was no language that I remember and no excessive violence other then mentions of parents dying or other war time deaths/scenes but they were not graphic.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5687713908
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NOThqF
YouTube Review Video: https://youtu.be/72VyCcYGEx4

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