Set in Victorian England, Circus of Wonders tells the story of Nell, a girl born with unusual birthmarks which set her apart from the rest of her village. When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders comes to town and Nell is sold to the show by her father, her entire life is changed.

Circus of Wonders takes us behind the tent, bringing to life a cast of fascinating and beautifully written characters, including some wonderfully strong females - Stella, Peggy and Brunette.

The book is told from three perspectives: Nell, Jasper (a power and fame hungry circus showman) and his brother Toby (a Crimean war photographer torn between love and loyalty to his brother).

As a new reader of Elizabeth Macneal, I had heard good things about her other novel the Doll Factory and really looked forward to delving into the world of Jasper Jupiter’s show.

The author handles difficult topics so sensitively and makes you feel strong emotions for both the main and background characters (I adored Toby and was rooting for him to step out from Jasper’s shadow throughout). The flashbacks to the Crimean War and the experiences of the soldiers was also fascinating, adding further depth to the characters emotions and experiences.

Circus of Wonders is a story of love, loyalty, obsession, jealousy, heartbreak, hope, betrayal and family. A really wonderful read!

#Circus of Wonders
A new author for me, but Elizabeth Macneal has leapt into my list of favourites! Thinking this would be reminiscent of Water for Elephants, I was not nearly as excited as others. And yet, now I don't even know where to begin with my review, my heart spilleth over with emotion!

Nell, with her spotty complexion and deemed an oddity is sold by her father to Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders who promised to make her brilliant. "He knows, at the back of his mind, that it isn't the show that counts but the tale you spin."

I was particularly struck by the multitude of entries that she was sold by her father. The person that was supposed to protect her, sold her like a farm animal.

However, Nell's popularity and confidence soon soars, she feels free and powerful. Unbeknownst to her, she is now a prisoner, a mere puppet to Jasper.
"It stops fighting, and they replace the chain with string. But the elephant doesn't know how easily it could break free. "He has turned her life into his own, his pen distorting her truth. She feels like a pulled flower, its roots severed."

Nell speaks for all women who have been subjugated, unloved, mistreated. She had love from her brother and that was ripped from her. But she finds love with Toby and she finds love with Stella and she finds love with Pearl. All amidst the harsh climate of circus survival.

The powerful dance of love and jealousy between Toby and Jasper is poignant. Toby, lives in fear, always second guessing, never certain. And although his love for Nell is powerful, his allegiance and sense of duty to his brother proved that blood was thicker than water. But that did not stop Nell. Her strength grew and grew. She was a force for good, and she soared! There are so many strands to this book, I can't possibly capture them all or do it justice. But I tend to find fault with most literature and I give this novel 5/5. Thanks to #Netgalley for the must read copy!

I was totally drawn into this magical story from the very first page. It's 1866 and Nell lives in a little coastal village with her much loved brother and her drunken father. She works at the flower farm and lives for the sea. She knows she's shunned by the villagers due to her unusual birthmark.

Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders arrives in the village and she's curious to see the acts. She's spotted by Jasper who does a deal with her father and she becomes their Leopard Girl flying through the stars. As her fame grows Jasper is jealous of it. She finds kinship and love with his younger brother, sensitive Toby who is always in the background despite his childhood dreams of co-running a circus with his brother.

Jasper wants the show to get bigger too quickly and borrows money from a dodgy moneylender who will stop at nothing if he's not paid on time. As things go wrong Nell hopes she and Toby will stay strong...

With a bittersweet ending I'm still thinking of now.. I absolutely loved the story so much. Highly recommend!

I received a copy of this book thanks to #netgalley.

I adored Macneal's first novel and 'Circus of wonders' does not disappoint! It's another wonderfully atmospheric novel set during Victorian times. It follows the fortunes of two very different brothers who have dreamt of setting up their own circus since they were small boys.
Nell hides herself and her birthmarks away in her coastal home when she is kidnapped by Jasper Jupiter and hurled into the mesmerising world of the circus. There she is reborn as Nellie, the Queen of the moon and stars. She catches the eye and heart of Toby, Jasper's younger brother who has spent his life walking in his brothers shadow.
This is a simply stunning novel about power, regret and finding your place in the world. I could have stayed in the circus for ever! Macneal has a gift for bringing to life the characters and the era so you genuinely believe you are there. I just loved this novel and look forward to reading more by Macneal in the future.

This was a magical read. I loved the way it felt whimsical but also gritty and real, like a proper Brothers Grimm fairy tale. In reading this, you’re transported into the harsh reality of Victorian circuses and freak shows - The Greatest Showman this is not - and yet the book still retains a feeling of magic and wonder.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Not normally a sort of book I would pick but saying that I really enjoyed this, great storyline and great characters.

Amazingly atmospheric! I loved the world building and the complex characters.
The story is set around 2 brothers who have always dreamed of running a circus. It was so interesting reading their story from the different perspectives. I particularly liked Nell's character and the way she developed throughout the book.
The ending was perfect.
Thank you to Netgalley uk and Pan Macmillan for an arc of this ebook.

Thank you, NetGalley, for letting me read this.

The circus is one of the great metaphorical spaces - The Greatest Showman, The Night Circus, even all those Enid Blyton books - a space where people are trapped and yet free, freaks and yet beautiful, a place of endless possibilities and yet a space where things never change.

Macneal explores these dynamics beautifully. This is a book with big themes - how to be loved, how to be lovable, how to fulfil dreams, the power of women, guilt.

We follow Nell, plucked from a flower farm by Jasper Jupiter, circus owner, as she becomes a star, finds love and learns to accept her own strangeness and turn it into power. At the same time, we meet Toby, Jasper's brother, who believes himself to be unlovable. The relationship between these two lies at the heart of the book.

Macneal doesn't shy away from the pain of performing, or from difficult emotions, and she is good at exploring the complexities of being different - adored on stage, mocked off stage.

This is an excellent read.

PT Barnum meets Caraval - a stunning story set not long after the Crimea War

This story follows Nell as her father sells her to a travelling circus as their new spectacle - born with a rare skin phenomenon she’s thrust into the limelight with no clue how to deal with it or live her life through it

It’s a well researched historical fiction and leads you through different times and the struggles that we all might go through in our lifetime. If you loved The Doll Factory you’ll love this too

Its 1866 and Nell is an outsider in her small village, the birthmarks that cover her skin mark her out as different and look set to determine the lonely course of her life.

Then Nell is snatched away by Jasper Jupiter's travelling Circus of wonder. As she learns to perform, it seems the Victorian obsession with deformities as objects of entertainment may offer her a new life.

In London, Nell's fame grows and she finds friendship amongst the other performers. But circus life is harsh and precarious. Charismatic showman Jasper and his brother Toby are running from their own demons too. Has Nell swapped one cage for another? Or can she choose her own destiny?

Macneal's richly descriptive prose immerses the reader in the sights and sounds of Victorian life. As the story moves between the pleasure gardens of London and the battlefields of the Crimean War,  several themes reoccur: love, belonging, the fragility of fame, the power of storytelling and most importantly the power held by the one who gets to tell the story.

I really enjoyed the author's debut novel the Doll Factory, but I'm so pleased to say I loved this book even more. Finishing the final chapter left me with that moment of loss at suddenly realising it was over and I was back in the real world.  Highly recommended!

In the spirit of full disclosure I have to say, while I enjoyed Elizabeth Macneal's "The Doll Factory", it won't enter my "best top ten reads" list. So I was keen to see whether or not her latest novel "Circus of Wonders" would improve matters.

It's 1866 and in a coastal village in southern England, we meet Nell and her brother, to whom she is devoted. We also learn she has a drunken and slovenly father. Nell is shunned by the villagers due to her vitiligo-like affliction which leaves her marked and spotted, a bit like a leopard.

In true Dickensian style, when Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in the village, Nell's father sells her to the circus, where Jasper has aspirations to make it big in London with his new star.

However, despite the betrayal by her father, Nell's life actually picks up, as she is accepted by her fellow performers and her fame grows, She also forms a strong attachment to Jaspers brother Toby.

What follows is a tale of told by all three characters, in both the present and past tense, offering insights into family, loyalty, greed, jealousy, betrayal, loss and redemption.

The story is beautifully told, and reads well. A sort of rags to riches tale, told against the backdrop of a PT Barnum-like circus, the characters are well fleshed out, and the background to Toby's life during the Crimea war is especially moving. Readers will take different things from the books, be it the shameless exploitation of animals and people by circuses, or the effects of war on those who survive, or one person's ability to turn around circumstances and rise above the pain and anguish.

Ms Macneal has clearly done her research, always a good sign, and I have to say I definitely enjoyed the book much more than I did The Doll Factory. I was in parts sad, angry, happy and joyous. I have no doubt it will be devoured by fans and new readers alike, and they will not be disappointed.

After reading and loving The Doll Factory, I couldn’t wait to lose myself in Circus of Wonders... and wow! It certainly didn’t disappoint.
The story of Nell who lives a lonely life shut away in a village by the coast, kept away from people because of birthmarks that cover her skin.
That is until the circus passes through her village, and her father sells her to the owner Jasper Jupiter.
Set in Victorian England, this story stole my heart and literally captivated me. The betrayal, hurt and pain Nell feels, is soon replaced with relief, as she sees the benefits of being her true self, her popularity rises and she becomes the Queen of the moon and stars,

A dark, wondrous tale told from three points of view... Nells, the circus owner Jasper, and his brother Toby.
A delight to lose yourself in
Highly recommend

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read in return for a review

Set within a few years of the Crimean War, the Circus of Wonders follows the life of Nell, a young woman who is sold by my her father to Jasper Jupiter's Circus owing to the fact that she was born with birth mark's covering her body and is seen as a money making enterprise by the showmen if the time.

Elizabeth Macneal packs the novel with lots of historical facts about the lives of people who were seen as 'freaks' who were owned by men like Barnum. The novel is populated by strong, feminist characters whereas the male characters although on the surface have all of the power underneath are weak. The secondary plot which deals with the Crimean War was fascinating, I wanted more of this in the novel. Macneal has clearly done her research which makes the book a very dark read at times.
Thanks to Netgalley for offering me an early copy.

Nell is living with her father and brother, hiding away from the world due to her birthmarks which her father thinks are a curse. Until one day she is discovered by Jasper Jupiter (or rather his brother Toby) and brought, initially unwillingly to his circus of wonders. There she finds a place for herself where she no longer needs to hide away. But no one should be bigger than Jasper himself and when crowds gather to see Nellie Moon Jasper is less than happy.
Really enjoyed this book. It’s links to PT Barnum are really interesting...he is the yard stick to which Jasper measures success. I loved loved the characters and the relationships between Nell and the others acts as well as Jasper and Toby really drew me in.
I adored The Doll factory and was really excited to read this next Elizabeth MacNeal and wasn’t disappointed

A truly riveting look at the ‘freak show’ phenomenon in Victorian Britain. A lot of really interesting historical fact mixed with an interesting story about love, family and greed.

Captivating from the start, with beautiful rich prose. The story of Nell, a young woman with skin speckled with birth marks, who is sold to a travelling circus by her father.
This is a story about love, hate, loyalty and obsession. With a great cast of characters, like Stella the bearded lady. You'll soon find yourself drawn into the world of the exciting and often macabre circus life.
I loved this.
Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for the ARC.

A richly detailed and sumptuous novel by the author of The Doll Factory. She writes Victorian times well as her research is impeccable and this time we delve into the inner workings of the Victorian circuses. I've never understood or liked circuses so it was interesting to find out about how they came about and why Barnum etc were so celebrated. Only now do we see how wrong they are, but I was interested to learn how people of that time say and appreciated them. This feels so authentic that I think the author must have transported herself back to the times of such a circus and met someone like Nell. It's all so vivid and colourful with a overriding darkness.
There's more scene setting than plot as far as I see it, but the book is still a strong read and an immersive experience.

Circus of Wonders is a captivating historical novel about the spectacle and the dark underbelly of the circus world in the Victorian era. The novel takes us behind the tent of magic and wonder, showing instead the aspects to the era sanitised by the Greatest Showman. Here, the reader finds themselves in a cruel, cold world of caged animals and an exploited collection of 'freaks'.

The story follows Jasper Jupiter, the ambitious and power-hungry showman behind the Circus of Wonders, his overshadowed brother Toby as they try to create the show of their dreams. At the heart of the novel is Nell, whose birthmarks and performance give her the show-name Nellie Moon. Despite being sold to Jasper by her father, among other outcasts in the circus, Nell comes find power in her difference and her moment in the spotlight gives her a sense of belonging and worth. I loved the way Nell embraced her found family of performers and I thought Elizabeth Macneal handled the topics of being an outcast and bodily difference among the circus troupe very well. Their conflict between the circus exploiting them, yet giving them purpose was a delicate balance and one which came to a satisfying resolution.

I'm a newcomer to Macneal's writing but reading Circus of Wonders makes me even more eager to read The Dollhouse and her future work. Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This books has bested The Doll Factory (not an easy task). The vivid sense of setting and time, the memorable characters, the dissection of siblinghood, the bloody backstory of Jasper, Toby, and Dash... any reader who once dreamed of running away with the circus will find that dormant desire awakened. This was a truly escapist read, something to sink into and enjoy, and I'm cross with myself that I read it too quickly and didn't draw it out for longer. Thank you #NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and Elizabeth Macneal #CircusOfWonders

‘There’s more than one way to tell a story’.

South of England, 1866, and Nell has always felt different due to her skin condition and has tried to hide, wear clothes to cover up and be invisible to avoid stares. One night when her father is drunk he sells Nell to the owner of a visiting circus, Jasper Jupiter, who is intrigued by her unusual appearance and takes her from her village. Although a prisoner at first, Nell soon realises that the circus celebrates her differences, and she comes to view the others working for Jasper as friends and family, and enjoys her act as a flying wonder.

‘There is a freedom in her movements, as if she is unmooring herself from something, as if she has left her body behind.’

The public and press however will always view the circus folk as monsters, and Nell notices papers advertising the circus as a ‘Hall of Ugliness’. Finding love with Toby, Jasper’s quiet and shy brother, doesn’t come easy at first, but they learn to accept each other for who they are.

Although this is Nell’s story, Toby and Jasper have major roles in the novel, and we are told a lot of the story through their viewpoints and memories.

‘I snatches whatever I sees.’

An interesting character is one who only features through other characters’ memories but shapes the story through loss, lingering fear and resentment. Dash, a society gentleman and comrade from Crimea haunts the thoughts of Toby and Jasper, and years later still affected their lives.

‘All of history is a fiction.’

This novel delves into the darkness of the circus, into the troubled minds of the powerful and the powerless, and emerges as a story of growth, empowerment and acceptance. Although character driven, the setting in the Victorian golden age of the circus is almost a novel in itself. Avoiding lengthy descriptions, the discovery, innovation and technology of the time is alluded to through location and observation. We know where and when we are without being told.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this arc.