Spellbinding fantasy with mystical tales of life behind the scenes of a circus in the post-war period.

A neglected young girl, trying to make sense of life and her roots, learns to becomes a tightrope artiste under the tutelage of a mysterious woman with glowing hair.

Against a backdrop of larger than life characters and a life of circus performance, the girl who is now an adult narrates her epic tale of trying to find a missing girl, interspersed with stories from her mother and the mysterious Serendipity which form the basis of her belief system and frame of reference, drawing her to New York and Coney Island.

This book has lots of amazing characters. Not all the characters are nice. The book is set a circus and this is such a great setting. I felt that the book was quite dark in places. I did find some of the chapters a little bit slower than others. However overall it was a good read

This was a beautifully written story, I am so happy I stumbled upon this little diamond of a book and author, this is simply a spellbinding read , full of magic and folklore, it has a lovely and whimsical romance , a thoroughly memorable story, I highly recommend to be read

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this debut book. It was a lot of fun to read, packs a punch but makes you want to join the circus

This was a beautifully written, exquisite little gem of a book and I do hope there is a sequel!! If you enjoyed the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth MacNeal then you will love this....

''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?''

Our nameless main character - known as mouse - is one of the most intriguing characters I have ever read about and I was spellbound from the first page to the last. Full of beauty, mystery and magic this was an amazing read and I highly recommend. The audiobook is also a treat to listen too and the story is read beautifully and really brings the characters to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read/listen to and review both the ebook and audiobook.

This book reminds me of Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal, and I didn't like that book, and somehow that affected my jusgement towards this book. It's so dark, so many sensitive topics lurking here and there, and I didn't care about the main character. Sorry. This book wasn't really for me.

this was marvelous, honestly. the main character's thought process reminded me a lot of Shirley Jackson's writing, which i love to pieces. the environment is tense and dark, for sure, but also magical - a fairytale only this child could create. the characters are lovable but flawed, terribly flawed, which only makes me love them more. it's a slow-paced read though, it takes quite a while for actual action, since a good part of the book is immersing the reader in mouse's world. I was bored at times, hence the 4 stars and not 5, but it was incredibly worth it. amazing job.

I'm a sucker for any sort of remotely circus-adjacent book but this one didn't fill me with joy. I don't know what it was - perhaps the pacing or just the overall plot but unfortunately it wasn't memorable and I would struggle to even summarise

This book was everything I needed it to be and more. The writing was beautiful and all the characters were flawed and interesting and intriguing. This review is going to be vague because there is no other way you should read this book other than going in blind. From the first chapter of this book, you will be hooked. Now it is important to mention that if you happened to get extremely triggered/affected by maternal abandonment then sadly this may not be the book for you. I have seen some find issue with the backstory of Mouse's biological mother, I did not find an issue with it though and it never felt like a cheap plot device. Though I have not said much, in an effort to preserve the sanctity of the reading experience, I implore you please please please read this book. It is whimsical and wonderful and once I picked it up I did not put it down.
Also if the author by any chance sees this I'm BEGGING you to give me a whole book of Serendipity Wilson's fairytales. BEGGING YOU.

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?
Loved this book

https://lynns-books.com/2021/10/13/a-girl-made-of-air-by-nydia-hetherington/
3.5 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Beautifully written, dark circus tale

I have slightly mixed feelings about a Girl Made of Air. On the one hand I think the writing is absolutely beautiful. Hetherington manages to give an almost whimsical feel to what is essentially quite a dark tale with some very deep and sometimes disturbing themes. However, I think the plot felt a little flimsy and I found myself liking the first half of the story more than the second half.

As the story begins we meet our pov – ‘Mouse’. Known as The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived. She is telling her story to a journalist following an interview and is using old journals and memories to bring the past back to life.

Mouse was born to two circus performers who basically had no interest in their child. She was left to her own devices and often neglected until another performer joined the circus and took her under her wing. Serendipity Wilson is the character with the flame coloured hair who became Mouse’s protector, teacher and mother-like figure and who eventually taught Mouse how to walk the tightrope and perform in the circus.

I actually really liked this part of the story. It doesn’t particularly focus on the glamour of the circus so much as the grubby undertones that keep it functioning day to day. Many of the circus performers live poor lives, lonely and often a little sad. We see Mouse’s parents, no longer at their best, ageing and depressed, Serendipity herself experiences depression after an illicit affair leaves her with a baby and eventually this child is also lost which leads to the second half of the story where Mouse leaves the circus and instead becomes a performer at Coney Island.

To avoid spoilers I’m not really going to discuss the plot but discuss my thoughts and feelings instead.

As I already mentioned the writing is really a thing of beauty. It quite belies the true nature of the story which far from being a tale of whimsy or magical realism is more a haunting tale steeped in folklore and powerfully sad back stories. In this respect the book went in a direction I never foresaw, in fact I think I was expecting a little more fantasy amongst the pages than was the case but I didn’t feel disappointed in that respect. More that I needed to adjust my expectations and realise that the magic contained in these pages was much more illusory and contained more smoke and mirrors than anything else.

In terms of the characters. Mouse is a strange one. She had a very unusual upbringing being unwanted and unloved. Her parents desperate passion for each other left very little room for anyone else and she was frequently ignored becoming almost feral, sleeping with the circus animals and often going unfed. It’s little wonder that she’s not the easiest character to get along with and she certainly makes mistakes as the story progresses, in fact you can see things unfolding and going horribly wrong and you almost want to reach out and tell her to stop, but then this would have been a completely different story. So, things go wrong and the consequences are dire. Serendipity was actually my favourite character. She’s probably the only character who bought a semblance of humanity to the tale. She wasn’t as self absorbed as the others, she took the time to bring Mouse up providing her with some love and companionship and along the way she regaled us with fascinating stories from her own childhood.

In effect this is a tale of one woman’s search for answers, not just in relation to the missing child but also a voyage of discovery for herself.

In terms of criticisms I found myself less engaged in the second half of the story when Mouse’s fame and fortune really took off. If anything this part of the story felt a little lost and maybe even a little rushed. That being said I was equally as keen as Mouse to find answers and so pushed forward easily.

I think this is definitely a book that you need to be in the right frame of mind for. There are dark themes here that took the story in a direction I never anticipated and I would say this has a more ‘historical’ feel than anything else, especially given the period and the inclusion of elements such as WW2 and the holocaust.

Overall, whilst I didn’t absolutely fall in love with the storyline or the characters I was really impressed by the author’s ability to conjure such gorgeous prose and I will definitely look out for future books with anticipation.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars.

3.5 stars I found this book really hard to rate. Most of it felt like a 3.5 and dipping into a 3 near the end and then last chapter moved to a 4 so I'm going to average that out.

The story is told in a whimsical way but it was initially confusing. You didn't really understand the direction you were going in even when you were told that the story is being told in an attempt to find Bunny. It felt really meandery until Mouse got to New York. I loved the introduction to her relationship with Cubby, a true whimsical romance. But I was disappointed with how little detail there was in this part of the book compared to at the circus. It is explained within the narrative but it made the ending feel really rushed, especially when we barely get to hear about her life as a world famous funambulist.

The last chapter was fantastic and really brought the whole book together, I even reread the first chapter to get that different perspective. But I feel like a lot of people may be lost before they get to the payoff at the end.

I liked the inserts of Serendipity Wilson's fairytales, it really added to the slight magical realism and whimsical feel. They didn't feel totally necessary but make sense in context with the last chapter.

I wish we knew what happened after the story ends but that's usually a good sign for a book.

Unloved and unwanted by her circus star mother and stepfather, Mouse skulks around the circus mostly ignored until the day she comes to the attention of luminous-haired tightrope walker Serendipity Wilson and is taken in and taught how to be "the greatest funambulist in the world."

My trouble with this book was that it had potential to be an interesting story, but it was curiously disjointed and difficult to place when and where things were happening within the story. The narrator, Mouse, was unlikeable and it was hard to care over much for the pursuit of her "quest" when she had such a casual disregard for other people who help her. My favourite parts of the story were actually the retellings of Manx folklore.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Unfortunately I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would. Told in a disjointed way, it never really came together for me, the flow didn’t work. I loved Mouse, the narrator and the wonderfully named Serendipity Wilson, a foundling from the Isle of Mann. Her adaptations of traditional Manx tales were my favourite bits of the book. Some of the back stories of the various characters are very dark and certainly added depth to the stories.

⭑⭑ 2 stars

themes:
- circus
- family trauma
- set post WW2

"If someone somewhere is reading this notebook, if it is many years into the future and I am long since dead, all I ask, dear reader, is that you pity my ghost."


Goodreads Synopsis:
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?

Plot
I really enjoyed the first chapter of the book which was in an interview format between the main character, Mouse, and the anonymous interviewer. Unfortunately, that was all I enjoyed. The plot was good, but took such a long time to be executed that I was left feeling bored.

Characters & Dynamics
Another disappointment for me. The perpetual intense introspection of Mouse was overwhelming. Again, I had to keep putting it down for some air. All that introspection and I'm not sure I learnt anything about the main character except how she is treated in the circus and how she feels about her circus fellows.

Writing
The writing is indeed very atmospheric but extremely slow to the point where I kept losing interest. I did however love the format of the writing which made the story seem more realistic. I see why the writing is compared to Angela Carter and Erin Morgenstern as it is extremely beautiful. I suppose I needed more reason to like the main character to really get invested in the story.

World Building
The descriptions of the circus, those who reside in the circus and perform, the animals, the dirt, the fun moments, the sexual tension, the intrigue, was perfect.

Likes
- The world building
- The first chapter

Dislikes
- The pace
- The overwhelming introspection

Final Thoughts
I hate that I'm disappointed by this book because the premise is so intriguing. I think that I will come back to it in the future and hopefully be able to give a better review.

Beautiful book. Lyrical and mesmerising writing, a fresh take on fairy tales and storytelling. Recommend.

A Girl Made of Air was a swing and a miss for me. I disliked the protagonist and found the storyline unconvincing and strangely disconnected from time and place. The best bits were the Manx fairytales told by Serendipity Wilson which just about kept me going until the end.

I’m sure this book will have its fans, but sadly I wasn’t one of them.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Nydia Hetherington has chosen a largely anonymous narrator, who is known to a few as ‘Mouse’ for her novel A Girl Made of Air. This unusual concept gives the story an immediacy and intimacy as it’s obviously narrated in the first person. Born in a circus Mouse is more or less abandoned by her mother and is taken in by a high wire artiste, the luminous Serendipity Wilson. This is very much a tale centred on personal relationships and the repercussions caused by the behaviour of the many flawed characters. Mouse, who isn’t a particularly likeable character, reveals her story through memories, letters and journal entries as it weaves between the present in New York to the past in England. She becomes the greatest funambulist who ever lived but true happiness eludes her. I particularly loved the folklore tales of Serendipity Wilson which were interspersed throughout the book. It is a memorable and beautifully written story albeit an uncomfortable one at times. Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for the ARC.

A Girl Made of Air follows the story of Mouse, ‘The Greatest Funambulist Who Ever Lived’. She recounts her life story through a series of memories, old journal entries and letters. It is well written with some vivid descriptive writing and sprinkled with dark folk law adding an interesting layer to the tale. The story goes back and forth between past and present filling the reader in with lots of historical background. For the most part it’s set against the backdrop of the grim and unforgiving reality of circus life and it is not quite the fairytale adventure I had imagined. Expecting a magical tale set against the hustle and bustle and bright lights of circus life it fell short of my expectations.

The characters are well drawn with some extremely insightful back history giving them depth and feeling. However, this is a weird world full of strange people and there aren’t many likeable characters amongst them. The main focus is on Mouse with the lives of others being drawn in. Mouse has been raised in the circus, she was rejected by her parents and has had a hard life coping on her own often resorting to sleeping with circus animals for company. She’s done some unforgivable things and is now plagued with regret and the author did a brilliant job of portraying her inner turmoil. Some of her actions are quite shocking and also frustrating and you desperately want to re-write some of the pages. It is because of the repercussions of Mouse’s actions I couldn’t empathise with, or even like her character.

Although this is a book which I will no doubt remember and be mulling over for some time to come, it is not one which I particularly enjoyed. There is no doubt it is beautifully written and the author showcases her brilliance at story telling, but because of the bleak storyline and distasteful characters it sadly was not for me and left me feeling a little out of sorts.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC to review.

Loved the mix of historical fiction, magic and the circus. After reading Caraval I wanted another book around the circus and A Girl Made of Air was a great book to read. I loved the characters and the world.