Publisher: 3rd September 2020 by Quercus Books
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: fantasy, historical fiction, magical realism
My Rating: 2 crowns
Synopsis:
A lyrical and atmospheric homage to the strange and extraordinary, perfect for fans of Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern.
This is the story of The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived...
Born into a post-war circus family, our nameless star was unwanted and forgotten, abandoned in the shadows of the big top. until the bright light of Serendipity Wilson threw her into focus.
Now an adult, haunted by an incident in which a child was lost from the circus, our narrator, a tightrope artiste, weaves together her spellbinding tales of circus legends, earthy magic and folklore, all in the hope of finding the child... But will her story be enough to bring the pair together again?
Beautiful and intoxicating, A Girl Made of Air brings the circus to life in all of its grime and glory; Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers. As will this story of loss and reconciliation, of storytelling and truth
My Thoughts
The debut novel, A Girl Made of Air, looked and sounded so promising. Beginning with the narrator reflecting on and sharing her life story as ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’, I was expecting a fantasy themed read along the vein of The Night Circus.
This was, however, not a YA fantasy novel - but a much darker read. I was looking for a circus read with that magical feel to it but it was much sadder and a hard book to get through. I had not been expecting this. Despite solid writing I found it to be slow, not drawn in by the plot or characters and it struggled to hold my interest.
A Girl Made of Air is a book for those seeking a specific read - sadly, that was not me. I am sure there are readers out there who will engage far more with what this book has to offer.
‘I was a silent child, standing in the shadows of my glorious parents, the pocket audience for the lives of my progenitors. As I grew, I became withdrawn from the physical world. I locked myself deep inside the confines of my mind, where I could pretend to be a spirit, a girl made of air and clouds.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
1 comment:
Hard when you looked forward to a read, for it to let you down. Thanks for the review.
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