The Circus in Winter

The Circus in Winter

2004 • 304 pages

Ratings2

Average rating4.5

15

For 50 years, the Great Porter Circus makes the unlikely choice to winter in an Indiana town called Lima, a place that feels as ordinary as Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, and as wondrous as a first trip to the Big Top.

Over three generations, the circus transforms this small town, providing a magical backdrop to daily life. In Lima, Indiana, meeting an elephant can change a man’s life or the manner of his death. Jennie Dixianna entices men with her dazzling Spin of Death and keeps them in line with secrets locked in a cedar box. The lonely wife of the show’s manager has each room of her house painted like a sideshow banner, indulging her desperate passion for the young painter. And a former clown seeks consolation from his loveless marriage in his post-circus job at Clown Alley Cleaners. In Lima, legend and lore outlive the circus itself, luring contemporary inhabitants to far away places in search of the adventure that has moved on.

The connected tales of The Circus in Winter display the rise and fall of an American circus. Cathy Day follows the performers and their progeny into history, vividly bringing the everyday lives of circus people to the page.
([source][1])


[1]: http://cathyday.com/writing/circus-in-winter/

Become a Librarian

Tags

Genre


Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

I love the circus genre but this was bleak and depressing and didn't do it for me. Not recommended.

March 7, 2022

Top Lists

See all (2)

List

358 books

A Adult

The Honjin Murders
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Troy
The Heart Principle
Turning Point: 1997-2008
P.S. I Love You
The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray

List

68 books

G Historical

Divine Rivals
Troy
I Survived The Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
Portrait of a Scotsman
The Beautiful
The Chosen and the Beautiful
The Davenports

Related Books

Books

9 books

Readers of This Book Also Enjoyed

If you enjoyed this book, then our algorithm says you may also enjoy these.