Customer Reviews

The Invisible Circus

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Jennifer Egan's The Invisible Circus is a triumphant first novel. The riveting plot and fascinating characters make this book a page-turner, and the thematic reflections on memory and family ties keep the reader thinking of this book long after the last page. The gripping plot is at once a mystery and love story: Phoebe goes on a quest to understand her sister Faith so that she can begin her own life, free from the bonds of the unresolved family issues that Faith's life and mysterious death created. The portrayal of the relationship between Phoebe and Faith reflects more insightfully the bond between siblings than any other description I have read. Phoebe's impulsive trip to Europe results in a beautifully written adventure, filled with engaging vignettes and believable characters. Ultimately, however, it is not only the well wrought characters or carefully constructed plot that makes you love this book. Rather what makes this book a cut above are the stimulating reflections on the nature of memory, the search for transcendence, and the impact of even fleeting relationships on shaping everyday existence. The Invisible Circus will haunt you, leaving you pondering the elusiveness of memory and the ephemeral nature of experience. Faith's search for 'real life,' and the tragic consequences of her search prompts the reader to reflect on the nature of the ordinary versus the unusual, the struggle for balance between routine and risk. Ultimately this book helps the reader achieve a moment of transcendence, the highest achievement both in fiction and life.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down! While it is successful in exploring the feeling that most of us brought up in the 70's had of eating leftovers from the 60s party; it is even better at portraying the excitement, danger, loneliness, and naivite that are part and parcel of a girl's first trip to Europe. I too was there, at the tail end of the '70's, and Egan is absolutely on target. She has created a picaresque novel with a female lead character who doesn't die, have a baby, or suffer incestuous abuse. How refreshing!

Yes, some of the relationships seem improbable, there is some adolescent wish fulfilment in the relationship between Wolf and Phoebe, but I didn't mind. I thought the relationship was fun and romantic, and Wolf's dialogue and attitude was realistic enough to me to keep me glued to the page. Okay, I fell in love with him. I loved the scene where Phoebe meets Wolf in Europe for the first time! To me the extraneous stuff was in her mother's fantasy second marriage, and her brother's career. Admittedly, this book will appeal more to women than men.

I was surprised to read above that they were making a movie out of it. It's suitable material, but I can't help but anticipate that Hollywood will make a mess out of it.

Loved it, Loved it, Loved it. So go ahead and Buy it!

There is not a word out of place in The Invisible Circus; it's been a long time since I've read such beautifully crafted prose in a contemporary novel. But the portrayal of Phoebe is most amazing: She's an intelligent, troubled, and wholly sympathetic girl who comes right off the page. I was with her all the way, and with this wonderful novel as well.

I don't remember ever reading a better portrait of adolescent angst (or whatever that awful despair and loneliness that teens experience is called). Jennifer Egan truly remembers her teenage years well.

But Phoebe's is not your garden variety angst. She is marred by the deaths of her father and her older sister Faith. Her father she worshipped from a distance (as it was his choice). Phoebe also worshipped Faith, but especially after her death, to the point where she borrows the remains of her life: she sleeps in her room, she wears her clothes, she has no identity of her own.

After high school graduation Phoebe goes (escapes) on a journey across Europe, trying to figure out what happened to her sister. Along the way, she runs into her sister's old boyfriend, Wolf, and the pieces of the puzzle fall into place as if by magic.

Everything makes sense after the trip to Italy. Phoebe sheds her previous skin and embraces her new future. Wolf grieves and purges the regrets he had inside. There is a final resolution for everyone involved.

Some of the things i did not like so well about the book:

* At the very beginning, there were times where Phoebe was too adult (when in fact she was 5-6 years old). For example, she got so angry at Faith for diving from the highest board at the country club swimming pool. So young and already able to articulate her jealousy? Another example is when she witnessed her brother Barry ask their dad for help with a machine. The dad, who liberally ignored the two youngest kids, would seem distracted and in consequence disappoint Barry. Phoebe is able to express in her mind how Barry shouldn't even go there, as "she pitied her brother and wanted no part of his weakness".

* Why does Barry make a fortune in Silicon Valley about a decade too soon?

* Phoebe's encounter with Wolf is too contrived. Europe is huge for this chancy meeting to take place.

Some of the things i truly loved:

* Phoebe in all her awkwardness. She can be a total brat, she can be sensitive and pure in a way that only children can.

* I loved the analysis of the Hippie Generation of the 60s. What happened to the ideals? What happens when you grow older and look back? The loss of innocence was devastating for Faith.

* The cover, the tattered photograph of the two girls held together by tape.

* The end. It was perfect, it was devoid of sentimentality, and I loved it for that.

When i read Look at Me (which i really liked), i searched for the author on the web. I found her website. I wrote a note saying i enjoyed the book very much, and that hoped to attend any talks taking place in my area. Jennifer Egan herself replied (very cool!) and thanked me for the comments and said that as she's from the Bay Area she tends to stop by often. I was very surprised, but after all, writers write, so what's one e-mail more?

This book gets off to a slow start, and I initially didn't think I'd finish it. The story becomes much more interesting once Phoebe, the main character, goes to Europe. The high point of the story is when she travels to Italy with Wolf, the boyfriend of her deceased older sister. I think the story should have ended when she found out how her sister died, or shortly afterwards. The ending of the book is very weak, and almost seems as if it has been added on to fulfill a required page length for the manuscript. Despite this, it's a good book and I'd recommend it to others. I wouldn't put it on my list of favorites or classics, however.

The simplicity and honesty of this story thrilled me. The people are sharply observed; the language deft and graceful; the ultimate payoff immensely poignant. Phoebe and her sister struggle in a flood of history, captured with verve by Egan, that they can only begin to understand, reaching finally, each in her own way, a kind of transcendance.

But this is much more than a coming-of-age book for girls (I'm a man, f'rinstance). "The Invisible Circus" is a section of our culture, the sixties, and today, carved deep in the earth of history.

This book becomes a part of you. It comforts you and haunts you, follows you wherever you go in life. I've taken some very important lessons from between those pages and I will carry them with me throughout life. The author is extremely good at bringing all the elements of a good book (excitement, love, humor) together in one beautiful story. It is so well written, you don't even feel like you're reading...it's as if you are experiencing the tale itself. I was overwhelmed with anticipation for the end to come, but when it finally did, I was devastated that it was over

I have read this book, probably a total of 15 times from start to finish (and Part 3 an extra 10!) and every time, I'm amazed. I first got it when I was in my 60's phase and it popped up in my search at the library. I love this book! The detail, emotion and dialogue is incredible! Wolf's character is someone I would like to meet, only I feel as if I did at some point through the full and complete descriptions. The entire story is complete and without holes as well as entertaining and mesmorizing. Certainly amongst my favorite books!

I just finished Invisible Circus and I can honestly say that it's the best book I've read in ages. There was this part where Pheobe said something like " Everything I've ever wanted in life is something someone else already has" That just stopped me cold for a moment. I think all of us have felt like that at one time or another. Circus does more than tell the story of a girl in search of not only herself, but the world. It tells the truth about us all, whether you're a Pheobe, Faith, Wolf, Gail, Barry, or even their father. I've certainly known someone like every one of them in my life.

One of the best books I have ever read. It is a story of intense love, obsession, insecurity, and longing. The story begins in 1978 in San Francisco where Phoebe, who is haunted by the suicide death of her sister years earlier, attempts to "find" her sister by "following in her footsteps." Through the use of flashbacks, we are able to follow Phoebe on her path of discovery. The author's words are pure poetry, evoking images which are crystal clear; at times I simply had to sit back and catch my breath