Customer Reviews

Nights at the Circus

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw "Nights at the Circus" on sale at our college bookstore and was intrigued enough to check it out. As someone who grew up on Todd Browning's 1932 circus horror classic "Freaks," the idea of a novel centered around the foreign-yet-familiar animal trainers, sideshow attractions, and gritty wonders of London at the turn of the 20th century drew me in.

Sophie, or "Fevvers," is billed as "Is she fact or is she fiction?" Tall, commanding, and winged, this half-bird Amazonian captures the interest of Jack, an American newspaper reporter who initially tries to pick apart her story of being half-bird as a sham, but soon is mesmerized by Fevver's eloquent autobiography, macabre adventures working in brothels, and outgoing personality, enough that he joins her circus as a clown and follows them to Russia.

The novel is told from various characters' perspectives, which made it confusing for me the first few pages each time the narrator changed, until I knew who was talking. The novel feels almost schizophrenic at times, rapidly switching points of view and narration at the drop of a hat. The story itself is prone to flights of fancy, including homicidal clowns, bizarre sexual escapades involving a group of Sapphic convicts in the Russian wilderness, a high-ranking politician obsessed with the occult, a freak show brothel, a lesbian relationship between an animal trainer and an abused orphan, and the sex lives of the circus crew. The plot becomes more and more improbable and more fantastic towards the end of the novel, where reality was left behind for once and all.

Overall, an imaginative, enjoyable romp filled with unexpectedly elegant turns of phrase, plenty of (erotic) action, glittering descriptions of upper class life in Russia and the gritty reality of the working poor in London and St. Petersburg, and the timeless thrill of the circus: its exotic animals, collection of ragtag performers, and the illusion of the extraordinary.

"Is she fact or is she fiction?" This is the central question that drives journalist Jack Walser to join the circus in an investigative attempt to follow the source of his inquiry-the aerialiste Sophie Fevvers, renown for her uncanny ability to fly thanks to her seemingly magical endowment-a pair of wings. A fancifully imaginative tale, Nights at the Circus takes the reader on a journey from fin de ciecle London to St. Petersburg and finally to the wilderness of Siberia, as the tale grapples with such themes as love and female identity.

The story itself is altogether fun with a cast of charmingly eccentric characters ranging from the outlandish, entrepreneurial circus owner Colonel Kearney, whose companion is an oracular pig named 'Sybil,' to the character of Boffo the Clown, whose outwardly comical appearance belies the disturbing and tragic pagliaccio figure within. The most prominent aspect of the portrayals in the text, however, is found in the female characters who are presented as strong and triumphant, outshining their often emotionally infantile male cohorts. From the naïf turned musical ingenue Mignon to the main character Fevvers, whose wit and charm is balanced by her down to earth portrayal (a woman who eats!), the representation of females challenges the depiction of women by the male authorial voice that had dominated throughout the centuries. Smartly set at the tail end of the Victorian Era, the images of femininity in the text are made to break free from the restrictive representation of women in literature as either the goddess on the pedestal or the imbecilic whore.

Carter has an amazing ability to subtly incorporate philosophical and historical elements in her humor, ranging from existential musings on the nature of the self to a satiric portrayal of the impact of sensationalist journalism on proto-revolutionary peasants in turn of the century Russia. With the overarching structure of the circus setting, the tale is amusing and funny with its lively romp through the lives of its characters, while maintaining an awareness of the more darkly disturbing aspects of life and human behavior. Nights at the Circus is an enjoyable read that also delivers a more profound and intelligent assessment of society and culture.

The main story here is about Fevvers, a boisterous, flamboyant, captivating swan-woman with a big heart, who is the star of an (in)famous circus...as seen through the eyes of the besotted young reporter Jack Walser.

The book is a treasure chest brimming with thoughtful, dark, emotionally tinged vignettes with multidimensional (to say the least) characters...the sad stories of several "freaks," Buffo the Great, the manic clown philosopher, kind murderesses, lechers, posers for the dead...I cannot do Carter's creativity justice, and I don't want to ruin the story.

It is a bit graphic and kinky; I wouldn't recommend it to all of my friends. But if you're at all interested in Carter, feminism, magical realism, fantasy, circuses, unconventional fiction, the late 19th century, a rollicking good read...pick the book up now!!!

This story is a fable to be enjoyed on several levels. A journalist, devoted to the debunking of false claims, tackles the legend of Fevvers, the winged woman aerialist at the circus. But in the rarified air of the big top, things seem to be a little more complicated than just science can explain. Love and fascination bring him to a totally different way of thinking, and ultimately, he no longer cares how she weaves her magic spell, for he is caught up in it.

This book is a great read; poetic and evocative. It is one that will be a lasting favorite of any thinking and feeling reader.

This text is very eccentric. I had to read it for an English class, and there was a mix of different reviews. Some loved it, some hated. I myself could not get through all of it (though I did make it to page 223). I suppose that the best way to tackle this novel is to realize that narrative is a big part of it, as well as is magic realism. The line between fact and fiction almost does not exist here. Logic cannot be applied when reading this novel. What is fact, what is fiction? Try to not distinguish the two while reading it and you may find yourself getting through it much more smoothly than I did.

Most of the other readers here have gushed about this work. For the most part, I uphold the sentiment that this is an amazing piece of work--no pun intended. I give it four stars because most of it is genuinely impressive, but the story only holds up for the first two-thirds. Seems like I'm alone here, but I was profoundly disappointed by the last half of the third section, and ultimately that ruined the book for me. Despite the fact that it's all just one big fantasy, it got so far-fetched that I couldn't buy into it any longer. So be forewarned--it's not without flaws.

Only Angela Carter could have devised the coarse golden character of Fevvers, the Cockney miracle around whom this tale spins. Girl takes wing, boy flies after, girl loses and gets wing and boy -- that's mad enough, but it gives not the least taste of the crumbled, intricate, and ultimately wonderful world of this particular circus. Carter's ability to interlace sharp doses of political and intimate realities into the mix not only teaches you lessons unaware, but opens you to a larger definition of what can be. Once upon a time, or somewhere right now, chimpanzees condescend to humans, monstrosities speak with wise prophesy, a pig manages a business better than her owner. So open up another bottle of champagne, and surrender. It will be rough, it will hurt, it will be uproarious. It will ultimately be wonderful. So is this book.

Read this and The Infernal Desire Machines of Dr. Hoffman to get an idea of the depth of Ms. Carter's talent. A lovely, wise and witty masterpiece that will keep you thinking about it long after the book is done.

The book is still good although the story was not worth the trouble. I still have it even if I won't read it again.

I've heard good things about this book and was anxious to read another circus-themed novel after "Water for Elephants," which I really enjoyed. Well, "Nights at the Circus" is very different from "Water for Elephants." The story itself is fantastic: Jack, a young journalist, decides to do a story on a mysterious half-woman/half-swan trapeze artist (Sophie/Fevvers). Jack becomes smitten with Fevvers and decides to join the circus so he can be with her. The story chronicles the journey of the circus around Europe and revolves around determining whether Fevvers is everything she claims to be.

The book has a unique style and memorable characters. It's also surprisingly naughty, which I kind of love. However, it also has a very confusing narrative that is difficult to follow. I think the narrative detracts from the heart of the story, which was frustrating for me. However, it's worth putting up with the random shifts in perspective to find out how this whimsical story ends.