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The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

Historical fiction

The Circus Train

Debut

We love supporting debut authors. Congrats, Amita Parikh, on your first book!

by Amita Parikh

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Quick take

All the world’s a stage in this moving WWII story about a traveling circus and finding your path in dark times.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, 400

    400+ pages

  • Illustrated icon, Inspirational

    Inspirational

  • Illustrated icon, International

    International

  • Illustrated icon, Underdog

    Underdog

Synopsis

At the World of Wonders, Europe’s most magnificent traveling 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.

Free sample

Get an early look from the first pages of The Circus Train.

The Circus Train

PROLOGUE

May 1929

Thessaloniki, Greece

“Twenty-four, maybe forty-eight hours.” Dr. Komninos delivered his diagnosis as though he were reciting a weather report or the answer to a math problem. He tucked his stethoscope in his black leather medical bag and snapped it shut, the shiny front buckle casting a shard of light across the room.

“Is there anything I can do?” Theo asked, grief cloaking his face.

Dr. Komninos hesitated. He knew Theo lived in a world of hope, of make-believe, of what could be. But there was no denying the truth about his wife.

“I’m afraid it’s too late for Gia. A cold towel will make the pain more bearable. Your daughter, however . . .” The doctor trailed off. Over the years, he’d learned that the most difficult aspect of being a physician was giving people false expectations. Pragmatic to a fault, he thought it was always best to err on the side of caution.

“Yes?” Theo asked, wringing his hands.

“Once the fever subsides, I’ll have a better idea of what her limitations will be. To be honest, I wouldn’t have expected her to survive,” Dr. Komninos admitted, stacking rolls of gauze on the bedside table. “Saint Demetrios himself must be watching over her.”

“So she’ll live?”

Dr. Komninos sighed, thinking about the paperwork waiting for him back at his office. “If her fever breaks tonight, as I expect it will, then yes, I see no reason why she won’t live. As for what kind of life she’ll have”—he picked up his medical bag, forcing himself to look Theo in the eye—“it’s too early to say. But take it from me. In these types of situations, expectation usually leads to disappointment.” He pushed open the bedroom door. “I’ll be by first thing tomorrow to check in,” he said, descending the white stuccoed staircase.

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Why I love it

Sure, I’m a writer, but I’m first and foremost an avid reader, so I still get a little thrill when I receive a pre-publication glimpse of a wonderful book by a debut author. It means the literary world I love so much is about to get a bit brighter. That’s how I felt when I read Amita Parikh’s The Circus Train last spring, sobbing my way through the final chapters on a flight home. “Good book?” the woman sitting next to me inquired as she inched away, looking a bit terrified by my tears. “I loved it,” I gushed, still sniffling.

You’ll love The Circus Train, too. It combines the tantalizing magic and captivating illusion of a traveling circus with the heartbreak of war in a truly fascinating, original way. The icing on the cake (or the flag on the circus tent, if you will) is the powerful love story at this glittering novel’s heart. Lena is the precocious daughter of a renowned illusionist, whose world at first remains small, despite the fact that she lives on a glamorous circus train that crisscrosses Europe. But when a young Jewish refugee with a talent for magic finds his way aboard in the early years of the war, Lena’s life changes forever as he shows her that she alone holds the key to building a better existence for herself.

The perfectly-drawn characters and rich language shine in The Circus Train and had me enthralled. This story of hope, family, and great love, which deftly touches on issues of disability and prejudice, is an extraordinary debut.

Member ratings (14,382)

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Historical fiction
View all
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern
The Women
The Lion Women of Tehran
Husbands & Lovers
Shelterwood
A Thousand Times Before
All We Were Promised
Spitting Gold
The Seventh Veil of Salome
The Mayor of Maxwell Street
The Great Divide
The Storm We Made
The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
Lessons in Chemistry
The Frozen River
What We Kept to Ourselves
Take My Hand
The Last Russian Doll
The First Ladies
The House Is On Fire
River Sing Me Home
The Attic Child
Malibu Rising
The Book of Longings
Hester
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
The Nightingale
Daisy Jones & The Six
The Lincoln Highway
The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?
The Circus Train
Peach Blossom Spring
Hang the Moon
Booth
The Good Left Undone
The Perishing
The Postmistress of Paris
The Family
Things We Lost to the Water
The Spectacular
Still Life
Send for Me
The Magnolia Palace
The Bookbinder
China Room
This Tender Land
Atomic Love
All the Light We Cannot See
The Vanishing Half
Outlawed
The Four Winds
Independence
The Fountains of Silence
Libertie
Queen of Thieves
The Great Believers
The Clockmaker's Daughter
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Great Alone
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Rules of Civility
Circling the Sun
The Moor's Account
Jacqueline in Paris
Don't Cry for Me
The Christie Affair
Bloomsbury Girls
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle
Bronze Drum