As a lover and prolific reader of all things circus and World war II I was ecstatic to pick this book up. Well it didn't entirely meet my expectations it did provide a good and uniquely interesting perspective of war and what it meant to be alive then. I do think that some times the story got a little bit convoluted but the author did well to put all together in the end and the ending was very satisfying. Although the book was a slow burn it definitely is worth picking up especially if you love to cry like I do.

This was such a unique storyline and I absolutely loved it! I seriously loved how the author weaved historical events with such a magical storyline. I found myself so heartbroken at moments and smiling at others. This was a beautiful book

This is a phenomenal book. Probably one of the best I've read in a while. A rich plot with much magic between the pages. Beautifully written.. Descriptive, detailed, and highly emotionally engaging. I am grateful for Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read and review, as it may not have been a book I would normally run across in my search for books. But it was intriguing, and I will be recommending this to everyone now.

My thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroup #Putnam for the advance copy of #TheCircusTrain by #AmitaParikh. What a beautiful debut novel! The Circus Train takes the reader on a journey through Europe pre-WWII through the end of the war. Seen through the eyes of a young girl who has polio, and an orphaned Jewish boy who joins the circus, the story winds through Europe and several different storylines. The characters are deep and very well developed. This is a beautifully written historical fiction that incorporates innovations in medicine, education, and equality.

While I see the urge to connect The Circus Train to The Night Circus and Like Water for Elephants for its beauty, its circus elements, but this novel stands alone. It is not magical in the dream-like sense; this magic is real; the characters are real. I appreciate the comparisons; I just don't agree.

A wonderful book that really keeps the reader engaged. Many subjects - disability, circus, WWII, women and education and more. I so enjoyed this book and will recommend it to my book club.

I really enjoyed this debut novel - so much so that I read it in just a few days! I am a big fan of historical fiction, especially anything dealing with World War II. This story starts at the very beginning of the war and follows the characters through the war and the post war years as well. As the title suggests, the focus of the story is on a circus train that travels throughout Europe providing entertainment for many towns in multiple countries. The main character, Lena, starts the story as a young girl who suffers from polio and whose father, a talented illusionist, is the star of the show. He is also very over-protective of her, sheltering her from the harsh realities of the war until a young Jewish orphan boy ends up on the train. The story then follows these three characters as their lives are impacted by the war and what happens to them in the years after.
The characters are all well developed and the writing is excellent. There are some real, page-turning tense parts of the story which adds to the overall enjoyment of it. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc of this gem from Netgalley, and here are my honest thoughts:

This is a gorgeous read about found family against a WWII backdrop. I was immediately swept up in Lena and her father Theo's lives aboard the World of Wonders circus train. Lena is a lonely girl, constantly set apart from the other children due to her wheelchair. She finds solace in books and study but yearns for friendship. Enter Alexandre, a sweet Jewish orphan on the run.

The circus train takes in young Alexandre, and illusionist Theo trains him as his apprentice--until Theo and Alexandre are caught by the Nazis.

This story has everything: grit, friendship, grief, humility, acceptance and honesty. There are plot twists on plot twists, so don't open this book thinking you will put it down.

Trust me:
You will fall in love with Lena, Alexandre and Theo.
Will you despair over their plights and decisions? Yes. Absolutely, you will.
Will Amita break your heart a little? She's savage.
But, Amita will stitch your heart back together. I promise.

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh was quite good. I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, life was very busy when I was trying to read it and I had to keep waiting for time to read. Once I got to sit down with it, it did not disappoint. It follows a young girl, Lena, and her father as they live on a travelling circus at the outset of WWII. Alexandre is a stow-away who gets to stay and train under her father. The two become best friends, but when the Nazis come and Alexandre and her father are forced to leave, everything changes. A story of hope and redemption, fans of WWII fiction will appreciate the historical details and accuracy, as well as an excellent story.
Thanks to NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was slow to get going but I did enjoy the description of the opulence of the train and circus at the beginning. There was intrigue, secrets and pure love throughout. There was a lot in the plot and sometimes it felt like the author flitted over big historical events, such as the war and how sheltered the train and performers were from the horror. I suppose that is why Lena was so naive and childish when the big event happened that changed the trajectory of her life.
This was an unusual book, covering many topics that seemed well researched. The horror of the ghettos weren’t really addressed and I didn’t feel the emotions and events like I do in other books. I was well aware I was reading about these characters and I think that’s why I started to skim read it towards the end. I was losing touch and interest in them a little.
Overall an interesting read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Ms. Parikh did a wonderful job for a debut novel.
This novel of historical fiction covers a variety of issues, the hardship of disability, friendship, love and the life of circus performers. At times there was a little too much going on that took away from the story, but I did find this novel enjoyable reading.

This was a good book, but it wasn't really what I was expecting. I was thinking it would be more of a WWII historical fiction, but that was only a sort of backdrop to the story as a whole. I really enjoyed learning about Theresienstadt. I knew that the Nazis often "held" high profile Jewish and other "non-desirables" to be used for POW exchanges, but I had no idea there was this whole village set up. It was also interesting learning about polio and the treatments that were used. The end notes contains information about how Lena's treatment evolved in real life. I also liked that we essentially got two epilogues with Lena and *name not revealed for spoiler* so we know where they both ended up.

I felt like the beginning was slow but by the end I couldn't put the book down! Lena's character was very inspirational. The setting of the story was magical, and the love story was my favorite part.

A riveting and beautiful tale set in ugly and trying times. The story was everything one hoped for and more, the twists and turns were heartbreaking which made the character development deep and thoughtful.

I will most definitely have my eye out for this author in the future.

I did enjoy reading this debut author's Historical Fiction! Thank you NetGally for my ARC e-reader copy!
I loved the main character: Lena, a young girl who has a disability from complications of polio. Her journey and resilience throughout the story are beautiful!

I was excepting a mix between Night Circus and Water for Elephants (based on other reviews)… Yes there is a train and yes there are circus performers but otherwise this book is not that. It's a WWII Historical fiction that takes you through Lena's journey of isolation, education, loss, and love with a train and a circus as the backdrop.
What I liked was the beautiful circus imagery, the characters and the history.
What I did not like was the unneeded lengthiness.
The book was probably 100 pages longer than it needed to be. About 1/2 way through the story takes a long drawn out and unnecessary turn. I found myself getting board during this part and skimming for the good bits. Hopefully an edit before its publishing day in December will cut some of the unnecessary parts out.

Thanks again NetGally for my advanced e-book in exchange for an honest review.

In the realm of Water for Elephants, this is great historical fiction book by a new author to me! I loved the storyline and was pulled into it from the beginning. I loved reading about how the main character overcame the negativity surrounding her due to her disability. Highly recommend!

As a baby, Lena contracted polio. As a young teenager she is still reliant on the wheelchair that defined most of her early years. Lena and her father, an illusionist, live and travel with a circus. When a young Jewish teenager, Alexandre, is found unconscious, the circus adopts him and gives him a job. Predictably, Lena and Alexandre develop a close friendship, bordering on romance.

Although I enjoyed this story, the child characters did not feel like children. They acted and talked like young adults. This was a bit off putting. I thought the story itself wa s bit predictable. The book covered a long period of time, however, it was hard to sense the passage of time. I had to keep reminding myself how old the characters were, and how long the story had been developing. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

I found this to be a very good historical novel which brought me into the world of a traveling circus in Europe in the middle of WWII. At times the story bogged down with too much narrative detail but I kept on reading to see how Lena, Theo, and Alexandre made out in the end. Lovely sensory description throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love WWII books, and this one was no exception. The book was well written and very interesting. I barely put it down - I finished it in two days!

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I can't wait to read this one! It has a different setting and plot than most books I read so am very intrigued!

I’m a big fan of both The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, so I was excited to read this book. I thought it was an enjoyable WWII novel. Thanks for letting me read it!