This is a new author for me which I enjoyed reading and look forward to see what is next for this author. I found this book to be well written and hard to put down. A story where the characters bring inspiration, courage and a determination like no other. I enjoyed how the author used details to make the story come to life on each page. They pull you into the story from the first word. They are connectable and took me on an emotional roller coaster ride. There is great growth throughout the story which made the story easy to read. This is a story where the characters keep the story engaging and had me coming back for more. I highly recommend this book.

This book has been hailed as a cross between The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, but I have to say, aside from all being about circuses, they don't have that much in common. The Circus Train has much to offer, but I can't say it's in the same league as either of the two books to which it is compared.

Considering this book on its own merits, though, is much more flattering. Beginning before WWII, Parikh weaves a story of a circus that might or might include actual magic, and the illusionist (Theo) and his daughter (Lena), who had polio as a baby and now uses a wheelchair. There's a lot of build-up and character establishing, but tensions build as WWII heats up, and the story really gets going when things explode between Theo and the circus owner. Theo and his protégé (Alexandre) are sent to Theresienstadt and forced to perform for the Nazi guards in their guests. Meanwhile, Lena, believing both to be dead, makes her way to England in the hopes of finding her former governess, at which point the real question becomes, will Lena and her father and Alexandre ever be reunited?

Parikh draws her characters well, and her protagonists will all be found sympathetic and writing brings the setting vividly to life. And yet, I still felt let-down by the marketing hype.

Plot:
* A magnificent traveling circus
* A star-crossed romance
* A coming-of-age story surrounding Lena, the daughter of a headlining illusionist in the circus
* WWII historical fiction


My Thoughts:

This was such a well-written and compelling historical fiction read. I absolutely fell in love with the characters here and coming alongside them in their struggles and strengths. It came to feel as if I knew them in real life by the end and I was sad to part with them after reading the last page. The setting truly came to life here on the pages as well and made for an atmospheric read that painted vivid images in my mind. The story itself was paced beautifully with the perfect amount of backstory mixed in to the current timeline. I always felt grounded to the plot. There was a lot I walked away with, which to me is always the mark of an excellent read. With elements of whimsy, romance, this powerful coming-of-age story really had it all. This is one of those books that sticks with you long after finishing it. It’s surely one I won’t forget my time with anytime soon.

Many thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy!

I had a really good feeling about this book when I requested it. I never read too much of a synopsis because I want a good part of it to feel like a surprise. Little did I know that this would become hands down one of my new favorites and quite possibly will end up being my favorite of 2023!

Where to even start...

The characters in this book are so realistic and relatable. Their flaws, strengths, ups and downs and their growth make you feel like you know them. The journey of watching Lena and Alexandre grow up through WWII was so emotional. I felt joy, sorrow and so much anticipation at what would happen to them and what choices they would make. Every character was so fleshed out and added something to the story.

The locations in the story were vivid, so this was a totally immersive experience.

I cannot say enough good things about the writing and this story. It was perfection. I love this book! So, stop reading my review and go out and get a copy!

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The comparisons made of this novel to The Night Circus and Water for Elephants are a bit overzealous. There is a circus involved, but curiously, I am left with very little sense of what that circus actually looked and felt like - for the most part, the circus became simply a conceit, a means to move the plot forward, rather than the immersive, imaginative circuses of the aforementioned comparisons. This is a circus that IS a train, and there needed to be a bit more detail, description, explanation, a way for me to believe that what was so inexpertly described could actually happen. There are a number of themes the author attempts to conquer in this story, important themes, which all eventually take a back seat to the love story and the “twist” in the plot - the life of a child with polio, gender discrimination, the education of women, religious persecution, the brutality of the Nazi regime, the horrors of war - pretty much all of it glossed over and sanitized. There simply wasn’t much meat to this book, and the writing was adequate, but lackluster.

This was my December @bookofthemonth pick, and I let it sit on my shelf for a month before picking it up (I have to be in the mood for historical fiction, especially when it involves heavy topics like WWII & work camps etc.).

The mood finally struck, and WOW 💥🤯

I’m shocked this is Parikh’s first novel. It is gorgeous and sweeping, covering decades of time from the 1930s to the 1950s. We follow Lena, a young girl born with polio whose father works for a traveling circus, visiting towns across Europe. Lena soon meets Alexandre, a Jewish boy who joins the circus as an apprentice under Theo, Lena’s father. Decades of love, loss, friendship, and adventure soon unfold.

This novel covers so many aspects of life - struggling with a disability, women in education in the 1940s and 50s, love and romance, growing up, and the time Theo and Alexandre spend in a work camp was devastating but so important to learn about. This novel balances the wonderful parts of life with the worst parts of life - and the reality of living through war - perfectly.

The characters, the fanciful, whimsical circus atmosphere, and the growth and relationships that evolve over time were beautiful and perfectly executed. A gorgeous novel that I highly recommend to lovers of historical fiction.

4 Stars!

This book is a great read. It's beautifully written and is an amazing story. I loved Lena and Theo and Alexandre. The historical aspect was intriguing. Living in a circus, traveling Europe during WWII was wild.

I feel that the pacing of the story is a bit off. There was too much back story and I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and it left me wanting more.

A special thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and Amita Parikh for providing me with an ARC.

Beautifully written book. I was very excited to get my hands on this one. The whole story kept me wanting to read more and I had a hard time putting it down. Wonderfully written!

I liked, but didn't love this book. I feel like the author bit off a bit more than she could chew. The war, the traveling circus, the romance, the disability - each was interesting on its own, but when they were thrown in the story together, each felt somewhat incomplete. I wish the author had chosen one or two and developed them more. Still, the writing was lovely. Parikh can paint a picture with words, and I look forward to seeing more from her.

Published Dec 6, 2022 - Available now!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Book Putnam for the advanced copy.

As posted on Goodreads:

I am grateful that the publisher provided me with a copy of this book to read and review. This debut novel was unlike any other WW2 novel I have read before. There were so many different layers that were fascinating! I loved Lena and her determination to overcome the paralysis that polio caused her. I loved the traveling circus and the illusionists and wish there was actually a little more of that in the book! I feel like there could be a whole series just on the characters and their experiences. I had never heard of Theresienstadt before and it was fascinating. Again, I’d love another book about this concentration camp “spa town” and the people who were sent there. I also loved that this book took me from Greece to London to Paris to India…all in the span of about 7 hours. I’d highly recommend to fans of WW2 historical fiction!

I loved this book. I haven't read YA in quite a while, but I couldn't resist this one...and I wasn't disappointed. A wonderful story of first love, lasting love, and family love.

Thank you to NetGalley for this e copy of The Circus Train by Anita Parikh in exchange for a honest review.This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction- so well written that the words just flow..The reader feels like they are in every scene.This is a story set in the 1920s-1960s about a Greek girl named Lena whose mother died and she contracted polio as an infant leaving her an invalid.Her father Theo is an illusionist with a circus called The World of Wonders.She lives a privileged life as a child.One day she finds Alexandre a boy in one of the circus cars.He is injured and is Jewish so he has to be protected from the Nazis.The circus travels through all of Europe and Theo and Alexandre become famous illusionists and Lena with the help of her tutor becomes an excellent student but she yearns to get out of her wheelchair and lead a full life as a doctor. As the war starts and becomes more dangerous for Alexandre, Theo plans to leave the circus and journey to America with Lena and Alexandre.When the circus owner Horace finds out about their plans he betrays them to the Nazis..Arrested, they are sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp.How Will they survive and will they find their way back to Lena? Read the book and find out.You won’t be disappointed.A story that stays with you.

This book is magic!! I was absolutely sucked into this world! A historical fiction novel about a traveling circus during WWII, following a father, his daughter, and their circus community. I adored the mystery, suspense, love stories, and disability representation. This is a story of a strong female who stops at nothing to create a life she is proud of.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Circus Train was really fascinating and easy to slip into and not want to put down. The story mostly follows Lena who has been disabled since childhood after contracting polio. You get to essentially follow along as Lena grows up in a circus. Her Dad is a performer who negotiated that his daughter was part of the package deal so while Lena is not a performer she is a part of the circus.

While there have been talks about this being similar to Water for Elephants I felt that it wasn't at all and stands on its own. It's a fascinating journey not only along with Leno but Theo, who is an orphan they find during their travels set in the backdrop of the looming war, which eventually takes place.

I highly recommend this for anyone that enjoys a good story, especially within the WWII realm or just like circus type stories. There are no animals in this story so if you have a tender heart like me when it comes to animals you will be safe here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this novel.

Absolutely beautiful story! Weaving magical realism with WWII historical fiction, this traveling circus is full of magic. I loved reading each of the characters growth through the span of the novel. Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lena and Alexandre are very interesting characters, you're rooting for them the whole way. It is set in the middle of one of the most trying parts of history, but told from an original point of view.
I think any book club would love this book, so much to discuss!

Loved the premise of this book, but unfortunately the execution fell short. It took an incredibly long time for me to get invested in the storyline and characters, and too many subplots muddled my overall interest level.

this was really just okay. I enjoyed the first half but the second half really lost me. I didn’t really like any of the characters and the twist in the end felt pointless. overall, don’t necessarily recommend.

Now it’s advertised as a national bestseller, but back when I originally requested this off Netgalley, it was just a random debut. It had me at circus. I’ll read all sorts of things about circuses. Even (apparently) books I (correctly) suspect of being women’s fiction.
It’s easy to see how this would end up a bestseller: it hits all the right (emotionally exploitative) notes. I mean, it isn’t just a novel about a circus. It’s a WWII novel featuring a circus, with a tragic love triangle to boot.
And yes, it’s estrogen-heavy, strategically lachrymose, dramatically overwrought and all that, but it’s also vivid and engaging (especially the circus parts) and ultimately very readable.
The main protagonist is a bright young girl in a wheelchair who travels around with her father the magician in…you guessed it…the circus train. On the brink of and during WWII.
They meet and save a young Jewish boy, who becomes her best friend and her father’s apprentice. And then tragedy strikes…and their lives are ripped apart.
Can’t say more, really, without giving too much away. Don’t worry too much about the tragedy; this Lifetime movie of the week production is ultimately too sunny to resolve in anyfreakingthing but a happy ending. Like so happy. Like written by someone who might be in denial about how life really works. But then, of course, a lot of people want that in fiction.
Anyway, a decent read overall. Would have been good had it not been for its staunch insistence on being women’s fic. Didn’t care for the soap opera style twists and turns of the plot. Really enjoyed the circus elements. Thanks Netgalley.

3.5 stars, rounded down. Parts of this were enjoyable and gripping. Unfortunately the romantic plot line twisted on a wee bit too far for me.