Title: The Ladies of the Secret Circus
Author: Constance Sayers
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Year of Release: 2022
Release Date: 8th February 2022
Rating🌟🌟🌟
Synopsis
The surest way to get a ticket to Le Cirque Secret is to wish for it . . .
Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder – a world where women weave illusions, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family’s circus, it’s the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything.
Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, but when her fiancé disappears on their wedding day every plan, she has for the future comes crashing down. Desperate, Lara’s search for answers unexpectedly lead to her great-grandmother’s journals.
Swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love, secrets about Lara’s family history come to light and reveal a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious fate . . .
Review
2004, Kerrigan Falls, Virginia Lara Barnes is preparing for the happiest day of her life, in a couple of hours she will be marrying her childhood sweetheart Todd Sutton. The big day finally dawns on the small town and Lara couldn’t be more excited, but Lara’s excitement soon turns to worry then to anger and disappointment when Todd doesn’t show, but instead is considered missing and a search for the young man and answers commences. Lara’s search turns up some journals that once belonged to her Great Grandmother Cecile Cabot after reading them Laura discovers she has even more questions than answers. Answers that will have an effect Lara Barnes life forever, but is it better to uncover the past or should she make a new life for herself focussing on the future?
1925, Paris, France Cecile Cabot knows no life away from Le Cirque the world outside is foreign to her but unbeknownst she’s about to have the outside world collide with hers. A passionate love affair between Cecile and a young painter begins but this happiness could be stained in darkness costing her dearly, especially if her twin sister Esme wants to cause trouble. Will Cecile be able to escape the circus, or will the big top have bigger plans for her?
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers wasn’t on my radar but as soon as I read the title, I was eager to discover a circus for women, I eyed the glorious red cover and I knew I wanted to investigate this book further.
The moment I started reading The Ladies of the Secret Circus I found it was hard to put down, the plotline is in continuous motion, if it had started out a lot slower I doubt I would’ve finished it, whilst it is more of an advantage in this book it does add somewhat of a disadvantage the time jump in the first half really threw this reader way off the track for longer than I would’ve liked.
In the beginning chapters this reader got the sense that the author spent a lot of time planning this story before putting pen to paper; I was happy with the descriptive writing, I was able to draw up a clear picture of Kerrigan Falls and the townsfolk in my mind and this is one of the main reason’s I am drawn back to Historical Fiction time and time again.
I read this book quite quickly but there are some things I feel could improve this novel, the further I got into the book it felt like there was perhaps too many characters to keep track of, their detailed backgrounds although interesting it felt at times to be intertwined making it a bit hard for this reader to gain a clear understanding who was whom and the role they played within the book.
I found Lara to be a strong female protagonist she was also someone by the time the book reached the conflict and resolution chapters I found myself hoping the best for Laura, I also found myself gaining a soft spot for Cecile, whilst I found Audrey likeable, I found her the hardest character to enjoy until the conclusion.
Laura’s family tree and the detail that was involved in revealing the unique plot twist was something I didn’t see coming which I liked but also found it could be quite confusing too, I believe this slowed my reading down considerably as I had to re-read some parts to connect the dots, this is the reason behind my rating.
I’ll admit when I saw the book and the cover, the story I had in my head was nowhere near the story on the pages, it was such a unique concept I was mind blown watching it reveal itself, a circus that is secret was very intriguing for this reviewer.
There was part of the plot I was able to guess but this didn’t dampen my experience when reading this book, I was a little pleased I was able to put something together in a book where so much is happening at such a fast pace.
I enjoyed the sub plot of the paintings in the book as well as the role that someone I believed to be a minor character in the beginning ends up playing in the conclusion of the book, and the romance element wasn’t at all overbearing.
Sibling rivalry, family secrets, young love, love separated by death are the main tropes they are utilised well within the pages of this book.
The ending of this book really surprised me I also found that I was a little saddened by the end of this book; however, I find myself still thinking about it and am hopeful this book could even get a sequel soon. I recommend this book to a mature reader if you enjoy Historical Fiction, Magical Realism keep your eye out for The Ladies of The Secret Circus.