Circus Books

I have read almost all of Hugo's novels and I feel he was a master beyond most as far as story telling goes. This particular books is ingenious with the various characters and the twists and turns and the tragedies and political statements. It broke my heart, while exciting me to cheer on the lead character in his efforts to right the wrongs of the parliament. I loved the characters of this books and the story line and I would strongly recommend it to any who are fans of "Hunchback" or "Les Miz" (forgive me). While I really loved Les Miz (and again, it broke my heart, as did the musical,which I thought was brilliant), this is the one that stayed with me. I read it many years ago and have a number of copies (some very old). When I bought this movie, I had no expectations, and I was amazed to see how much of the story was included. It was brilliantly produced, directed and acted. Even though it is a silent movie, it speaks volumes. I highly recommend the book and then the film. I also urge everyone to see the musical "Les Miserables" because it is all so wonderful. Hugo was a true master!

I come to the conclussion that The Man Who Laughs is the most descriptive, saddest, romantic and most beautifully written book that Victor Hugo has written. It is unfortunate that this book doesn't have the standing that Les Miserables or Our Lady of Notre Dame occupies. Also, it is a very hard to find book, specially in Spanish, which is my first language. The traduction is done extremely well (I have verified it with a Russian version I have). It is highly recommended.

This is a difficult and demanding read, but entirely worth it for those who want more from a novel. The story is of a confrontation of moral opposites set in England in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, as a deliberately disfigured outcast named Gwynplaine faces a powerful conflict between the simple life of a mountebank, with the love of a pure-hearted blind girl, and the power, glamor, and corruption of nobility, with the love of a depraved, self-loathing noblewoman. Gwynplaine's disfigurement hides his true identity from all, including himself; and out of the eventual revelation of this truth, Hugo constructs a magnificent and heart-wrenching symbolic drama that is as filled with meaning as anything you'll find in literature. Again, this is not light reading, and it is not made for those who prefer to breeze through an action thriller in an afternoon.

Hugo has much to say about the destructive nature of political power, as well as the envy and injustice that conspire to keep the high and low in their respective places. The Mohawk Club of the nobility exemplifies these themes through their vicious and destructive pranks, victimizing the helpless in the name of "fun."

Hugo's contempt for the period's institutions of power is evident throughout the novel; on the wicked Barkilphedro's rise to prominence, he writes: "He had crawled where he wanted. Flat beasts can get in everywhere. Louis XIV had bugs in his bed and Jesuits in his policy. The incompatibility is nil." Clearly this is a novel of ideas, written by one who had a great deal to say and knew how to express it. Even so, I must acknowledge that Hugo's expository passages, although witty, impassioned, and eloquent, occasionally become a distraction from the story.

Hugo's style is astonishingly lofty, in a way that just doesn't happen in the present day. It is an ambitious and demanding discipline, now so far gone that we scarcely even know to miss it. As such, it may strike today's readers as unnatural and overdone; or so it did to me, at first. But by the finish, I was fully seduced into Hugo's stylistic world, and left unable to choose what to read next -- for what is there today that is even conscious of this standard of craftsmanship? I can only imagine how much of the effect of this high language is lost in translation from the original French.

If you are interested in this book, I strongly recommend the Paper Tiger edition, with its afterword by Shoshana Milgram. This afterword was of great use in understanding the book's ending, which to me was difficult; it clarified how the ending was necessitated by the novel's overall theme -- and it made the extent of Hugo's achievement that much more evident.

I read this book as a teenager, along with "Toilers of the Sea," Ninety Three" and "Hunchback of Notre Dame."
I have re-read only "Toilers of the Sea" and found it as riveting now as were all of Hugo's book then. I can't imagine a library system not containing these timeless classics or their being out of print.

This is extremely well written and the story is easy to follow. The story had me smile and cry. The method that Victor Hugo collected the sections of this book is similiar to the style Ayn Rand used in writing Atlas Shrugged-my favorite book. The Man Who Laughs is one I think every Victor Hugo fan would want to read and read again--I loved it!

A friend recommended this to me when I expressed the desire to read a little more about elephants (after reading Philosophy Made Simple and Water for Elephants). It makes sense... elephants and the circus go together, yes?

In this collection, Cathy Day plays with the structures of stories. Each is constructed a little differently than the last, but all interweave to paint a portrait of a small town with a unique past and a distinctly midwestern present. Experimental structures can fall flat as easily as they work. I don't require a linear narrative, but I do require that a story be told. This book tells one.

True to the title, the circus performers are mostly shown during the downtime, weathering winter and waiting to get back on the train. The way that their lives butt up to the lives of ordinary folks is interesting to read about. Several stories deal with the ways in which men do not comprehend the longings of women, and Day handles this theme beautifully and without accusation, especially in The King and His Court and the very tragic The Lone Star Cowboy.

It's a beautiful book. But...

(spoilers)

...the elephants are only shown dying. I can't stand it. Their deep eyes, their hairy hides, their questing trunks, and then they die.

Since the stories are called "exhibits," the question of human oddity ("born" and "made") is called into question. Well, this was part of the circus. One of the stories deals with a young man who has dwarfism, and how he happily accepts the role of town mascot, and what happens when that role is inexplicably (to him) withdrawn. I've read too many stories in which a little person comes in to serve as a metaphor, a symbol, as if somehow a person who has dwarfism is not a person, just the condition that makes him short. Day does a nice job of portraying a person. He is an innocent boy, then a clueless young man, and then an angry young man. He is more than the sum of his bones.

Very highly recommended.

I've never liked the circus. But this book made me want to learn more about people who live a life tied to it. Day paints beautiful and poignant images of her characters and she weaves a mighty beautiful web in the process.

The first stories in this collection are small masterpieces. Cathy Day can take us deep into the secret, hidden hearts of her characters. There were passages that I read, over and over, just to enjoy the beauty of her writing.

It was close to perfect.

I was worried that a 'circus story' would be all about the freaks and geeks. Instead, it was about real people struggling against the loneliness of midwestern winters, coping with broken dreams, the constraints of small town lives, and the endless allure of life on the road.

Sadly, the seams started to show towards the end of the collection. There was nothing bad, so much as a sense of that, in a few of the later stories, she was repeating her best stories (or giving us an early, less polished version of them). One story could have been dropped with no loss ("Jungle Boolah Boy" didn't feel very integrated with the rest of the stories), and another ("Boss Man") felt a bit strained although it did help to tie some of the themes and characters together.

This is a wonderful,short book that I really enjoyed.
The author brings you into the world of circus folks. Sometimes funny,sometimes sad but always interesting. She gives us the story many different ways,which at times can be trying.

Her characters are well fleshed out making you want to know more. She carries thru with this by bringing you from the past to the future and back. A good fun read!

This book of interconnected short stories related to residents of the old circus town of Lima, Indiana (it's real life counterpart is Peru, Indiana) is just excellent. Great writing, great characterizations and great stories that seem like they could have really happened. Do yourself a favor and read THE CIRCUS IN WINTER instead of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS which is more romance novel than literature but for some unknown reason is reaping a lot of positive buzz.

A little bug sneezes and each consequence leads to a bigger one creating in the end total chaos in town, and all because a little bug went ka-choo!
This book is a fun way of introducing the idea that even our smallest actions can have important consequences. The story is funny, and the rhymes are catchy.
The book is by Dr. Seuss under another pseudonym, what else could we expect from the good doctor but a hilarious story that children will love???

I love this book and so does my toddler. We have read it many, many times and immensely enjoy both the story and the illustrations. I don't mind reading it over and over because I feel like I see some new detail in the illustration that I didn't see the first 50 times we read it together. It's a delight for anyone reading it.

The consequences were far reaching and wide ranging when one little bug sneezed - just what happens, it ripples out and are quite fun. The illustrations are rich and warm, soft curves and good colours with lots going on in each to maintain interest in repeated readings of it.

This has beautiful rhythm to it and is easy for children to get predictive about, learning to anticipate and the value of language, and rhythm.

As an adult I get a bit bored with it - it is quite fun but not for repeated readings, but it is high on the reading request list at home so it gets read repeatedly at the moment.

My [...] loves this book. You can have so much fun with it as the book builds from a little bug sneezing to a out of control circus parade. The rhymes are well-done. Good for all ages.

This is one of Dr. Suess's books written under his pseudonym Rosetta Stone. This book shows once again what an amazingly clever man he was. Each of my children love this book. And I just finished reading it to my youngest son's preschool class. They enjoyed it so much they asked me to read it a second time! It is a fun and extremely enjoyable book for everyone!!!

#9 of the Deborah Knott series- The "carny" comes to town and with it a murder. Deborah is the one to find the victim. A long lost relative appears in this one as well. This book is a turning point for Deborah and the series. A surprise to the reader! I am starting to really enjoy this series. It took several of them to get there but I am glad I did not give up. The most notable aspect of this series is the author's way of highlighting something distinct about North Carolina in every book and weaving a mystery along with it.

I really liked this one. It was clear that Maron had fun writing it.

i really like this book! it's great to discover a new mystery author.

this is a great book! i'm glad that i discovered margaret maron.

Cozy mysteries are really of two types: Novels in the traditional cozy style whose main emphasis is a mystery and its resolution (e.g., Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers) and novels in the more modern cozy format, whose main emphasis is on social interactions (primarily between family, friends, and coworkers) with the mystery being a smaller component of the exposition. This is definitely a cozy in the latter form. Remove the additional social interactions, and this mystery could be presented in a novella or even a short story, although not as interestingly.

If you find modern cozies appealing, you will certainly find this an interesting book. Here, self-assured Judge Deborah Knott finds a dead worker while visiting the annual Harvest Festival Carnival. The reason for this death and the identity of the killer is the primary mystery. The preface provides a family tree of the Knott family, which is absolutely needed, as the Knotts are a large family, many of whom are presented in this novel. Readers will find themselves frequently referencing this chart to keep track of Knott family members. Fortunately, the number of carnival workers and additional characters is relatively small, but it may still pay to keep some brief notes of who they are as you read. There is also an informative addendum with a glossary of carnival terms, e.g., "cutting up jackpots", "plush", "rake `em and scrape `em" that are used in the novel.

I felt the story started somewhat slowly, but it quickly caught my interest, and as events unfolded it became harder to put down. Although the story is told in the first person, in terms that will probably appeal mostly to female readers, and there are probably more descriptions of Judge Knott's clothing choices than would interest male readers, this novel should none-the-less appeal to both sexes.

The novel reads quickly and easily, and provides a very enjoyable way to relax.

This is a great book. The girls of my girlfriend love the book. As soon as I sit down, they grab a book and jump in my lap.

I stumbled on this with my daughter one night and she quickly fell in love with it.

It's one of the lessor known books but I think it's a great story. Dr. Seuss did a great job with with his words as it easy to get into a flow while reading and it also allows the story teller to play ring master and have fun.

This is a great bed time book and my daughter declared that only I can read it to her.

"If I ran the circus" starts off with a boy and an empty lot. I had a lot similar to this near my childhood home. This book played perfectly into my wild imagination of what one could make out of a seemingly uninteresting place. It made me see things in a different way, the possibility that was in every place and every thing. This book is wonderful. Calm Sneelock is worked into the plan. (Isn't it just typical that kids think of shopkeepers as friends?) This book is a big part of my childhood and now I am happy to share it with my kids to help them see the potential in everything. One just needs to use a bit of imagination -- a lesson for young and old.

My daughter and I love love love this book. It is so creative and everytime we read it (which is seriously twice a day) she finds something new in one of the pictures. The cadence and flow of the sentences is almost mesmerizing. Really delightful to read!

this book is great for kids because they get to see whats at a crcus. it broadens their vocablary. its an easy book to read with great pictures and fun rhyming!

by:
laura r.

The book was better than I expected, and arrived before I expected it to.
Great buy. Thanks. :D

This book is so much fun. I'm a digital artist and use Illustrator as my tool. I learned so many techniques from this book. The pictures are big and bold and the author teaches without making you feel like a novice.

I bought this book for my husband and he loves it. He is constantly drawing little pictures for me. It will certainly bring out the inner artist in you. This book is easy to follow along with.

A casual glance through this book originally made me think it looked too cutesy and not what I wanted. I'll still say that too many of his characters and examples are cutesy, and rather stilted. But there's a lot of excellent material here. I found several tips that I (so far) haven't seen in several other books. I've had several nagging questions: Exactly how do I get things done? How is a finished cartoon created? On what size and kind of paper, using what tools? Blitz walks you through all of that stuff. The section on drawing backgrounds and perspective was also really handy.

I'd say this is the single best book I've seen to get started on cartooning. Even if you want to draw some other, very different style (like, some kind of dark Batman comic or something), if you have little or no cartooning experience, this book will be helpful.

I don't consider my self to possess any artistic abilities when it comes to drawing. I wanted to enter a contest on YouTube where I had to draw pictures of things. I got this book. Followed the easy to use instructions, drew my pictures, entered the contest and won the $5,000 grand prize. I would definitely say I got my money's worth from this book and much much more. Highly recommended.

There will always be one and only one Jacques Torres.I love this book actually made a few recipes from here.Its not everyday type of deserts but true masterpieces. Can you tell I am one of his biggest fans.I truly miss seeing him on food [...]

This book is autstanding. Although, the book that I was sent by your dealer is a black and white photocopy of Jacuqes original book since I've used his book before and I am great admirer of jacques.I love his book DESSERT CIRCUS BUT THE COPY THAT YOU SENT ME IS A CHIP COPY THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE ANY PICTURE OF THE ACTUAL DESSERTS AS THE ORIGINAL COPY HAS. WHEN I PURCHASED THE BOOK TROUGH YOU OVER THE INTERNET IT WAS STATED THAT IT WAS A USED COPY OF DESSERT CIRCUS BY JACQUES TORRES BOOK. I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE PHOTOCOPY THAT YOU SENT ME. IF YOU LIKE TO CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER QUESTIONS PLEASE DO SO @ HEBERESTRADA@HOTMAIL.COM

"Dessert Circus" is the companion cookbook to Jacques Torres' television series, filled with step-by-step instructions and photos to help you recreate all his delicacies at home. After flipping through the book, I had my doubts.

Every recipe I tried was delicious. My favorite recipe has to be his "Chocolate Cornflakes". Delicious and fun to make.

Things I noticed about these recipes: They seem designed for parties and less for home cooking. Yields were large, with servings for 8 seeming to be the magic number. If you want to impress, you'll love this book. There is a fair amount ingredients that may be hard to find.

To recreate many of the recipes listed will require: time, talent, and a little prayer to pull off. This is not to say that the results aren't worth it. Desserts like the impressive "Nougatine Basket with Fruit Sorbets" (three diamonds) can be accomplished, you simply have to take your time and be prepared.

If you've ever looked at an issue of "Chocolatier" or "Pastry: Art & Design" magazines, you have a good idea of what you'll be in for with this cookbook. Cooks looking for a challenge will find plenty of recipes to choose from.

The author clearly loves what he does. I love the fact that there is a picture along with each recipe. Very detailed. I would buy ANY book by this author!

Jacques is an excellent teacher who doesn't seem to try to omit an ingredient or a secret technique as some chefs do. He is eager to share his thoughts on how to make each recipe a success and even includes the decorative touches that make people ooh and ahh. I've tried, and with great success, the desserts involving Jacques' light puff pastry and the tender flaky tart shell recipes and they please both the eye as well as the palate. I entertain frequently, making twelve course Chinese meals and always ending with a French dessert, most of which now come from 'Dessert Circus' or is inspired by it. I especially enjoy watching my guests' delight over the desserts. Thank you, Jacques.

A delightful book covering some of the most unique and entertaining acts presented over the years in Side Shows,Circuses,Stages,and famous Rooms in Europe and America.Although I remember going to Carnivals,Side Shows and the Circus since I was a kid in the late 40's and after.I also remember many great Magic and Illusion Shows over the years ,brought right into our home via Television.I always had a preference for the side act,oddities,daredevils,illusionists,etc., over the animal acts.Yes,I can still see the Monkey Woman,the King and Queen of the Midgets at home in their Castle in Montreal. Then there was the World's Smallest Horse,The Alligator Boy ,whose body was covered in scales,the man without arms who drew portraits with chalk using his feet, A Flea Circus where real fleas did all kinds of things,even pulling a tiny carriage, and on and on.
What surprised me most about this book is that many,even most of the people and acts covered were new to me.I guess this sort of stuff was more popular in the 18th,19th and early 20th Centuries and more so in Europe than America.I really haven't seen much in recent years. I guess Political Correctness and activist groups have had a major impact on these acts and people. The media is forever doing a story about mistreatment of animals in the Circus etc. Maybe the diversions this kind of entertainment gave us did us more good than realized.I know as kids we waited with anticipation for the Circus to come to town and particularly the Side Shows that accompanied them. I can tell you one thing,there was no need to drug up the kids on Ridlin,then,like you see today.
For my money,I would far prefer to watch an act like La Roche climbing the spiral tower while inside a sphere;than any Olympic event.To me ,shaving one hundredth of a second off some record I've seen hundreds of times is pure boredom.It seems that the most excitement is created with announcers debating calls by referees ,judges or as a last resort;who has failed a steroid test or broke some rule.
So, if you ever saw a good Side Show, saw some great feat of magic or illusion;this book will give you some wonderful memories of how entertaining this all was.It is jam packed with photographs and wonderful illustrations ;both in color and B&W. You may have to make a bit of an effort to find this book.It is out of print, but thanks to finding books on the Net now,It is available at a wide range of prices and some even signed by the author.It is a "must have" for anyone who loved this form of entertainment that may become a thing of the past.All we can hope for is a revival.

"Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women" is a tour of peculiar performance through the ages by modern master and scholar of the magic arts Ricky Jay. Each of the book's 17 chapters is dedicated to a different type of performer that awed audiences with his or her unusual skill or expert illusion. These are not all practitioners of misdirection or deception. Many are people who possessed very real unusual mental or physical talents. And some were not even human. There are scholarly pigs and horses, slight-of-hand artists, hypnotists, faith healers, poison resistors, and mind readers. Also featured are painters who happened to be limb-less, a blind and dumb musical prodigy, daredevil divers, mnemonic sensations, sword swallowers, musical farters, a man who could grow 6 inches at will, and more.

The book does not attempt to be comprehensive on its subjects. Ricky Jay limits himself to "pioneers or refiners of peculiar performance". The truly extraordinary and inventive, not their many imitators. So many famous and impressive performers are not included. Ricky Jay's writing is precise, fluid, and conveys his admiration and awe at these human oddities and pioneering showmen. Jay's occasional references to his own experiences when they are relevant add interest. There are black-and-white reproductions of posters, playbills, and other illustration throughout. In the center of the book are 16 pages of full-color poster reproductions. "Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women" is an education in eccentric performance and the unusual, determined individuals who have created it. And it's great fun.

As a magician and card wielder Ricky Jay is fascinating to watch as well as listen to. As a writer Mr. Jay also brings his own fascination at the work of others to play and writes a truly well-written, very interesting and enlightening book about the arcane world of many sometimes downright odd entertainers.

Thorough in his presentation of details Mr. Jay's book is well-researched and his appreciation and awe for these unique people makes us quite enthralled as we read page after page about performers such as Le Petomaine, with his unusual ability to produce sounds of musical quality from a most unusual source on his body.

Ricky Jay, besides being fascinating to watch, is also fascinating to read.

This wonderful book profiles some of the most unusual entertainers of all times: calculating pigs and acrobatic horses, stone eaters, poison resisters, daredevils, and mind readers. The contents of this meticulously researched and lovingly presented book often boggle the mind, inducing, at times, a wonderment that is nearly stupefying. Profusely illustrated with contemporary broadsides, lithographs, and photographs, the book is also enlivened by JayÕs seemingly inexhaustible knowledge of each performerÕs antecedents, biography, and critical reception. Engrossing from start to finish, but particularly notable for JayÕs account of the controversial career and bizarre death of mind reader Washington Irving Bishop, whose story beggars imagination. Also not to be missed is the final chapter on Joseph Pujol, whose career as Le PŽtomane was based on his ability to create music and sound effects with the least reputable of bodily orifices. A treasure

In Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women, Ricky Jay takes on the history of oddball performers: men who claimed to cram their entire bodies into quart jars, armless ladies who could paint miniatures holding a brush between their teeth, gentlemen whose specialty was to enter large ovens accompanied by raw meat and exit (unharmed) with fully-cooked steaks, as well as mind readers of all sorts and species (human, pig, and horse).

Organized into chapters by skill by oddball skill, Jay is sometimes able to document such performers back into the 1700s by tracking newspaper reports, handbills, etc., many of which are reproduced in color plates and black-and-white photographs.

Ricky Jay occupies an engaging hole in intellectual space between enthusiast and academic. He is comprehensive in the extreme, but his writing style is anecdotal and he does not go for any elaborate sociological explanation of why such performers exist or what they `mean' to society. He just wants you to have fun, and perhaps to freak you out just a wee bit.

The book is also very nicely designed; its large wide pages lie flat and there are loads of remarkable illustrations. Definitely worth a look!

I was thrilled to find that the story of Modac has been written as a children's picture book. I read the book Modac to my fifth grade class and they sat enraptured. My small grandchildren listen just as intently to the picture book.When they are older, I'll read Modoc aloud to them too. There are many lessons woven in this story. The love between a boy and an elephant, courage, faith, perseverance, and keeping a promise. I promise you won't be disappointed when you choose this book.

Fabulous account of a true story interpreted from the novel, "Modoc", for children of all ages with beautiful illustrations and a condensed but still touching story.

This story alone is incredible. Add the beautiful illustrations, and you have a truly wonderful book! EXCELLENT! I can't say enough good things about it. Everyone should read this story! Highly recommended!

I just read this for the first time yesterday with my daughter.
This is an amazing story with beautiful illustrations by Ted Lewin.
A wonderful book!

This was a wonderful "trip" through the lives of the two main characters. It is so awesome, you have trouble believing everything that happens to both of them on their life journey. You will not be able to put this book down. My husband, who hardly ever reads, would not put it down until he was finished. It brought tears to his and my eyes. Can't say enough.

When I don't want the book to end, I know I've read something special. I wanted "The Bearded Lady" to go on forever. For an all too brief time I cared about Jesse, Tweets and Marion as much as the "real" people in my life. Thanks, Sharlee for the wonderful tale and please don't let it end.

After reading The Catch Trap, I was hungry for another circus novel so I picked this one up. I fell in love with Jessie, her gutsy younger sister Tweets, and the mysterious, tormented Marion. This is a fantastic novel with an intriguing surprise towards the end of the book. What I liked best is the author's vivid writing style. She's a writers' writer, using words to paint a striking portrait. Here's a few sample sentences: "...it was hurricane weather as the dark sky drooped lower and lower, a gunmetal gray bag sagging to the bursting point over the humid landscape. Jessie felt as though she were underwater in a warm, shallow pond, no currents to speak of, no refreshing coolness at the muddy bottom, just cloying warm dampness and dead, rotting leaves pulling at her legs as she walked. The oppressive heat weighed down her dress and hair in a suffocating shroud."

Each sentence packs a punch like that. I love this book --- and I can't wait to see more from this author!

I CONTINUE TO GO BACK TO THIS BOOK AND LOVE IT EVERYTIME I READ IT. I WOULD LOVE THIS TO BE ON OPRAHS BOOK CLUB, EVERYONE WOULD ENJOY IT. WHEN CAN WE EXPECT ANOTHER?

I got hooked on circus novels after reading "Geek Love" (pick it up!). This is another marvelous contribution. Ms. Dieguez expertly recreates the south just after the turn of the 20th century. She also creates deep, tangible characters, especially in Jessie and Tweets, but in every one of the other characters as well.

This book is a marvelous exploration of love, desire, sisterhood, societal norms, and gender. Dieguez's narrative is a beautifully woven tapestry, and I lapped up every word. I only have a couple disappointments. First, the hardcover version was badly edited (there were a few misspelled words, and several paragraphs that were not indented). Second, a serious problem with Jessie is not wrapped up by the novel's end. This could be because Jessie is no longer worried about it, or it could be the case of a first-time author forgetting to tie up all the threads. With both of these problems, they were disappointing, but did not lessen my enjoyment of this marvelous book.

I want to tell all that this book by Ms. Dieguez is a show stopper. I actually read it 3 times in one. The characters are loveable and I feel as though I know them personally. Can't wait to read it again just before the sequel is on the shelves. The twists and turns in the plot really keep you from falling asleep, so if you suffer from insomnia and want to read yourself to sleep, go get a Stephen King tome instead. Come on, Sharlee, I hope that you're busy with your next exciting novel.