The Circus Train
A Novel
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The Circus Train
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Narrated by:
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Silvana Kane
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Written by:
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Amita Parikh
About this listen
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER
At the World of Wonders, Europe’s most magnificent travelling 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 overprotectiveness and the limitations of her wheelchair.
Lena’s 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, she must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible—herself.
A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-rending and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?
©2022 Amita Parikh (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.What listeners say about The Circus Train
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brandia
- 2023-10-31
Great story
Narrator reads super slow so I sped speed to 1.35 and it was perfect. Lovely story and very enjoyable
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Michael W.
- 2023-02-25
It’s a very different take on the steps up to WWII
A very interesting story about the lives of a few people before and after WWII. Lots of twists and turns right up to the very end.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ralf Zimmermann
- 2023-05-31
Interesting Topics Covered
I listened to this book over the period of a couple of weeks during my commute. Not many authors pick the topics of polio or the circus theme, and having had an aunt who lost a leg & spent time in an iron lung due to polio during the same time frame, found the story line very interesting. I found the narration quite dry and almost gave up a couple of times, but the story compelled me to finish.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephanie Madsen
- 2023-03-17
Loved it!
I heard Amita’s interview on Shit No One Tells You About Writing and knew I needed to read it! I decided to get it on audible to relax after a daunting NF book and it was so worth it. Great writing, great performance by Silvia. 10/10 recommend.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-02-07
okay book.
I struggled to finish the book. at one point there's a bit of magic? then nothing for the whole book. Plot was okay.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lidy Fraser
- 2023-05-28
Captivating Magic
I liked this book because the way they did magic and illusion and the descriptions of the costumes was so detailed it made it very visual for me.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Steven LEITH
- 2023-04-22
Weak story and blah performance
I tried so hard to like this book. I tried audiobook and paperback. In theory, I should love it - a circus trying to stay afloat during WWII under the direction of a shady ringleader while a devoted father does everything he can to protect his precocious but sickly daughter. But it is just poorly written with flat, boring characters who have over-the-top, unrealistic emotions.
It tries too hard to be a mystery, a coming of age story, a romance, and a historical fiction novel... and I only got halfway through the book so for all I know the author tried to throw in thriller and fantasy in the second half. It should have been narrowed down to just a couple of genres instead of 4 (or more).
It also tries to be an epic story, covering a couple of decades. But the author is so busy trying to force relevant historical facts, some irrelevant cultural references about the place the circus is currently in, and a solid dollop of "mystery/romance/teenage angst that you end up flying through the years without getting any solid character development. I honestly didn't care about the characters' growth or backstory at all.
Such a disappointment.
To make matters worse, it was read with absolutely zero emotional range and very little difference in voices for different characters so it was hard to figure out which character was talking.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-04-21
Worst Story Ever
So poorly read that it became unbearable to listen any longer. A simpletons story, The characters are so shallow it is impossible to care about them. I thought perhaps this was intended to be a junior youth book, but even so, I can't imagine it could hold anyones attention regardless of age. Disgusted!
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