The story follows Michel, a young, handsome, poor man who lives in Paris, just at the beginning of the German invasion in Europe. Michel has some good friends, especially an older man named Bertrand who has basically raised him. Bertrand tricks Michel and has him jump on a train that turns out to be a small circus train. They have some rough bumps, but Michel ends up working for them and falling for the ringmaster's woman. It isn't until much alter that he learns who she is. Europe has been unsafe for Jews for years and the circus people know it well. But they're smart and have good friends who are able to help them for awhile. The ringmaster takes care of everyone in the troupe, watching out for their survival. They are all misfits. As is typical in carnival life, relationships are complicated. It's interesting to see this play out - the story doesn't always go as expected. During this horrible time and place in history, relationships are what really mean everything. Sad and yet encouraging. Good read.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. #TheRingmastersDaughter #NetGalley

Carly Schabowski’s debut novel is a historical romance set during the Second World War, blending the worlds of the circus and Nazi-occupied Paris in a way that is both heart-breaking and hopeful. Not only this, but it is inspired by the true story of Adolf Althoff, an Austrian circus owner who hid four members of the Jewish Danner family within his circus during World War Two.

I’m really excited by this book, and by Schabowski as an author, now I’ve read it. I enjoyed it so much: it is a story of survival that is beautifully told, with characters that are achingly real and full of surprises, set against the background of war. The world of the circus also felt magical, colourful and intriguing, particularly when this period is known in Paris as when the City of Lights went dark.

The novel follows Michel Bonnet, a young man who works with horses, who quietly lives in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. His ambition is to be like his older neighbour Bertrand,

“well-read and travelled with bottles of the finest wines always in his kitchen.”

We begin with the panic of the impending arrival of the Nazis in Paris, and Bertrand declaring to Michel that they have to get out of the city.

The two men wander into the night down train tracks out of the city, and Bertrand persuades Michel to stowaway onto the first train they see. The train turns out to be four carriages carrying Le Cirque Neumann across France, led by a German man called Werner who seems incredibly mistrustful of Michel.

For much of the novel (which is split into four parts, set across the four seasons), Werner’s attitude towards Michel is cantankerous, and there are strange comings and goings of other members of the circus. Schabowski weaves together an incredible cast of characters that all have their own stories, with Michel trying to keep to the horses, but becoming increasingly drawn into the world of the circus and becoming part of the ‘family’ it has created. As the circus finds itself in towns now occupied by Nazi soldiers, desperate to see the circus, it becomes increasingly clear what the circus really is: a form of protection for Jewish people. The writing is so immersive and the sense of fear when these encounters with soldiers arise is so potent, that it had me gripped right to the very last page.

I couldn’t write this review without mentioning the titular character: Frieda. Werner spends much of the novel keeping an eye on her, leading Michel to believe the woman he is falling in love with from afar is actually the ringmaster’s wife, not daughter. The moment this discrepancy is cleared up feels like a watershed moment, as well as being a catalyst for Michel discovering more about the secretive ringmaster and his story. Frieda herself is confident, gentle, caring and clever, dancing through the pages of the book like she does upon her trapeze within the circus tent.

Alongside Frieda, my favourite characters were perhaps Lucien, Jean-Jacques and Giordano. Jean-Jacques and Giordano are best friends and a double act within the circus, one a giant and one a dwarf, and they are the first people to discover Michel hiding in the circus train as they ride through the French countryside at night. They constantly try to champion their new friends to the rest of the circus, and look out for him and each other, in ways that are really touching and show the power of friendship. Lucien is a man who takes Michel in when he is wandering, alone, through a French village outside of Paris, and who later takes in the circus too. Ever-generous and full of life, love and wine, with a spirit unbroken by the occupation of France, I loved Lucien’s constant positive presence. I also think all three of these characters highlight the fact that this novel isn’t just a love story, it’s one about the power of human relationships in all forms.

I would definitely recommend reading this novel, and I’m so excited to see what Schabowski writes next.

I was enraptured by Michel's journey into circus. While there were some predictable WW2 tropes, I was so satisfied by the ending that I could overlook them. A really strong historical novel.

I really wanted to give this 4 1/2 stars. It was a very good book. I liked all of the elements of it. The characters were very realistic. And I cared about what happened to all of them. I didn't realize when I started reading that this would be part of a series cause there was definitely room left at the end for a continuation. That was a little frustrating. We were led to believe that there would ultimately be a happy ending and then it was just like "the end". What???? NO! I hope I get the opportunity to read the second book to find out what happens next!

I wanted to like this book so much. The cover is stunning and the writing, at times, is whimsical, but the story fell flat for me. I was expecting it to be more circus and less political times of Hitler. The main character, Michel, was not as fully developed as other main characters in the genre and it left the story without as much substance.The love story also wasn't as prominent as I would have hoped for. If you love historical fiction, this may be right up your alley as there were some interesting key elements.

I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I had high hopes for this book but found it too similar to Water For Elephants. If you haven't read WFE, you will enjoy The Ringmaster's Daughter.

First off, thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
The Ringmasters Daughter is a historical fiction book about a young man named Machel living in France during WWII. He is forced to flee Paris as the Germanys start to invade, he ends up on a train that turns out to be a circus, where he meets a ragtag bunch of characters and falls in love with a beautiful woman named Frieda.
After finishing this book, I wasn’t completely sure how I felt about it. At times I enjoyed the story and then other times I found not much was happening. The book felt quite slow and a little tedious to read at times. While the troupe of performers we meet had the potential to make an incredible group of interesting characters it fell short for me. We hear a few background stories of some characters and while they are redeemable and show what tragedies the Nazis did cause, it always felt like the wrong moments for those stories to be shared. The romance between Michel and Freida seemed trivial, Michel sees Freida on the train for the first time and thinks she is beautiful and BAM he’s in love with her. Throughout the entire book, there is not much proof of them getting to know one another, just one day we find out who she is and just like that they are engaged and that’s that. In the end, this is a story about a circus, and while reading it I wanted to be able to see the sights, smell the circus smells but we only got small glimpses of those things. I was disappointed
In the end, this book isn’t bad at all there just doesn’t seem to be enough, I found myself wanting so much more. There is not enough whimsical circus descriptions, not enough war, not enough believable romance, and defiantly not enough plot twists to keep it interesting, I mean the title kind of gives something away. I want a historical fiction that will touch my heart and make me feel something, whether it be happiness or sadness, just something. This book didn’t do that for me. While I was surprised at the ending, we just needed more of that throughout the whole book. I think the writing felt a bit disjointed at times with irregular pacing. There were also a lot of characters which made it hard to form connections with them all. In the end, I think my opinion is there just wasn't enough; I needed more. If a lighter WWII story is what you are looking for, I say give this one a try, there is a touch of everything in this romance, tragedy, mystery, and war. But, if you are looking for a harder-hitting, deeper story this isn’t the story for you.

I was tempted by the beautiful cover and the promise of a circus story. It turned out to be a very sorry kind of circus though and the story was much too much like Water for Elephants only not told so well.

Paris in the 1940s. A rather frightening place to be especially for those who were "slightly different" even a wee bit. Hitler was on the rise, approaching Paris and anyone who wanted to flee had to do it now.

Michel takes refuge as a stowaway on a train housing a circus of all things and when discovered, with his aptitude for being a horse whisperer he is taken on to train a particularly skittish beauty and then tolerated by Werner the owner of the circus, despite his always taking a crack at Michel for no apparent reason.

Going further on the journey, we see that many of the performers hide secrets that they are terrified to reveal - past Resistance, Jews, Roma all enemies of Hitler. They are all fearful for their lives and this story takes on the vista of people on the run fleeing from one small village to another gradually losing their performers who either leave or are taken away by the German Army till finally Michel and Frieda the ringmaster's daughter both flee for America.

A story of a family because the circus becomes their family in the absence of any, and how people survive. A story of loss and sadness but also hope always for something better tomorrow.

The Ringmasters Daughter by Carley Schabowski is a historical fiction that set me in Paris, during the 1940s. With beautiful writing and descriptions, you are there along with Michel as he becomes a part of a traveling circus.

Umm, 1940s plus a circus? YES PLEASE.

As always, I want to read books with plots that I haven’t seen a million times before.

If you are looking for a good historical fiction story, get this right now.

Here is the official synopsis:

Paris, 1940. Twenty-year-old Michel Bonnet lives on the edge of the law, finding work where he can break in horses on the outskirts of the city. But when the Nazis invade, Michel takes refuge as a stowaway on a rickety train bound for the rural south. It’s a journey that will change his life forever.

The train is property of Le Cirque Neumann – a traveling circus owned by the troubled and irritable showman Werner Neumann. Neumann offers Michel a job caring for the company’s horses – a lucky break, but with an unusual condition attached. Michel must keep to himself and never speak of what he sees behind the glittering curtain of the big top.

But as Michel finds himself pulled into the strange and wondrous world of the great spectacular it becomes more difficult to keep his promise. Why does the man with the performing monkey never speak, and the sword swallower turn his face away? Who are the silent, shadowy figures who flit like moths between the wagons when the sun is down? It’s clear that Neumann is keeping his performers hidden away… but why? And how can Michel win the love of the beautiful and exotic trapeze artist Freida – the graceful, green-eyed star of Neuman’s spectacular – when he’s been forbidden to even meet her gaze?



Out now, this is the perfect book to read in a single afternoon! Get it here.

This is a new author for me to enjoy and is a different style of book i usually read.
This is a historical fiction book that takes place in Paris, France in 1940's. Michel Bonnet hides away on a train to get out of Paris when the war started to head to Paris, and the train turn out to be a circus train. I havent read many historical book with circuses as the plot, I really could not get into. It is was just ok I think. I want my historical fiction book to really touch my heart, or to move me in some way. This book did not do that. It was a good story overall. It wasnt what i expected however, this shouldnt stop you from reading it yourself.
I reveieved this ARC for a honest review

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I love a good circus read. I don't know what it is, but a circus setting will get me every time. In all honesty, just that atmosphere will add on an additional rating star for me. I also like WWII historical fiction, so this book was a perfect fit.

The historical content is good with some wonderful little details. The writing was flowing and engaging with great detail in terms of setting and action.

I loved the characters, though I felt that Michel could have been explored a little more. Something about him felt a bit more like telling rather than showing, as if we weren't really able to see inside him fully. I also would've liked more fleshing out of the interpersonal relationships. Those seemed to somewhat scratch the surface and I wanted more. I like to be fully immersed.

This was certainly something different in terms of merging two different types of storylines and I really appreciated that originality. I also liked that it was loosely based on a historical act. A good read with a bit of a surprising ending...which I liked.

I love a good circus story. Making it based in WWll is a plus.
This was a good book. For being historical fiction I wish there was more detail. It was missing something something for me. I wish there was more detail about that last night at the circus and what happens after.
All in all it was a good book and I have to admit that ending I did not expect that.

I was really, really excited about The Ringmaster's Daughter: when you love historical fiction as much as I do, finding a book about a mysterious french circus in the midst of World War II is literally all you could ever dream of.⁠
⁠
However, I had to DNF this at 35%. There wasn't anything specific that made me dislike this book; I just wasn't interested. I couldn't care less about the characters, I didn't feel connected to any of them, and I was bored from the very beginning.⁠ I could probably have finished this book had my reading mood been different, but unfortunately I couldn't bring myself to care too much about the story at this time.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the free copy!⁠

This book tells the story of life in France during World War II. Michel is forced to flee from Paris as the Nazi’s approaching and ends up getting a job at a circus where he falls in love with the beautiful Frieda.

This book starts quite slow, and after the initial chapter the war is not noticed at all to begin with, and the circus carries on travelling and performing as usual. But eventually the war catches up with them, and they meet more and more Nazis on their travels, which eventually builds to a climax.

I wasn’t to keen on this book. The first half gets a bit tedious, and it’s billed as having a huge plot twist secret, as if we cannot think why a troupe of ragtag performers with eastern European names might want to run from the Nazis. Also, the romance between Michel and Frieda seems shallow. Michel sees Frieda on the train, she has beautiful green eyes, and he is in love. Even throughout the book there is not much proof of them actually GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER. Just them being beautiful is apparently enough.

All in all is not a bad book, it’s just doesn’t seem like quite ENOUGH of anything. Not enough circus, not enough war, not enough plot twist and not enough actual believable romance. A redeemable feature is the backstories of the various circus characters, which are well-fleshed out and show some of the tragedy of what the Nazis caused.

Tricks. illusions, love.
Paris 1940, poor Michel , a young man left alone in Paris apart from his caring neighbour. As the Germans invade, life becomes more difficult and dangerous for everyone. Micheal leaves, jumps on a train not realising it is a circus. Kindness from some of the circus troupe, especially Jean leads Michel into many dangerous situations and travels especially when his falls for the ringmasters wife or so he thinks.
Book is well written with good descriptions of hardship, betrayal, loyalty and love. Paris, the countryside and the German invasion are realistic and well researched.
Enchanting story with secrets below the surface..

It will not be long before the Germans take over the City of Lights, the only home known to Michel Bonnet, barely a grown man,& his mentor and best friend Bertrand. Every day in #Paris, life was changing for the worse, &, no one was safe. When Michel suggests fleeing the city for the coast, Bertrand agrees at first. But, it is only Michel who lands up on the train 🚂 out of Paris, which belonged to a #circus 🎪 troupe.

Werner Neumann is the ringmaster, & his circus is the last safe refuge for its cast. Michel gets a position looking after the horses 🐴, (he loves 🐴). The circus life is not an easy one, traveling from village to village, hoping to provide entertainment ( to bring #smiles 😊 to the faces of the young and old), & a brief escape from the misery of #war. The members, misfits, (almost all Jews), are never safe, even in these remote villages, and are always one step away from being captured by the Germans. Michel finds love (romantic & brotherly), in the circus. But the war forces all of them to make life altering choices.

The Ringmaster’s Daughter is author Carly Shabowski’s debut novel. It’s about friendship, and survival against the odds. It’s about Paris and all the villages beyond the city, and how the people survived under the German occupation. I really enjoyed reading #theringmastersdaughter. I give it 5🎪🎪🎪🎪🎪, I absolutely love the #coverart as well. Who could resist a book with such a beautiful cover? Finally, the #audiobook is fantastic.

I was given a copy of the book by @netgalley and @bookouture in return for my honest review. #carlyschabowski #historicalfiction #ww2 @audible_ca @joeleat

After finally watching “The Greatest Showman”, I saw this title and knew I had to read it! I absolutely adored the setting. It is so clear and easy to visualize and makes the story all the more intriguing. The love that unfolds is beautiful and leaves you wanting to read part 2! Definitely worth the read!

The cover of this book is beautiful and really what drew me to the book in the first place. The story is good. The characters were likeable. The story was a little hard to get into but once I did I really enjoyed it.

I received this ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

LOVED this book!
Michel has to flee Paris at the start of the German occupation. He stows away on a train which he discovers belongs to a travelling circus. He has to earn the trust of the Ringmaster and many of the performers. Set against the back drop of the Nazi occupation of France.
I loved it!