Cirkus: A Novel (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In Patti Frazee's astonishing debut novel, enchantment and illusion casually commingle with reality as the Borefsky Brothers Circus makes its way across the American Midwest in the summer of 1900.

Mariana, the fortune teller, makes herself invisible and drifts through the nighttime circus, listening in on conversations and watching over her beloved Shanghai, a fire-breathing dwarf who closely guards his secrets, even from Mariana's second sight. Conjoined twins Atasha and Anna cling to each other and weep for their home and for their mother and father who sold them to the circus. Jakub, the circus manager and husband to Mariana, fears his wife's gifts, grieves his own failures, and drinks to forget it all. The stories and closely guarded histories of the troupe of performers dance around each other until a love affair between Shanghai and Atasha destroys the delicate balance.

As secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened, the consequences are unbearable to some and liberating to others. Lyrically graceful and populated by vividly drawn characters, Cirkus is a haunting novel of devastating heartbreak and exquisite loveliness.

"For everyone who has ever dreamed about juggling fire, spinning in space, or falling in love with the girl on the flying trapeze."-Judith Katz, author of The Escape Artist and Running Fiercely Toward a High Thin Sound

"The 'freaks' of Cirkus are fully realized, poignantly drawn fictional characters. Conjoined twins Atasha and Anna, in particular, are so intimately portrayed that Frazee herself strikes me as a conjurer, a channeler of separate human experience."-Alison McGhee, Author of Rainlight, Shadow Baby, and Was it Beautiful?

"A feast of words and dreams.Frazee's women are passionate spirits as vivid as those in the best fairytales, and still are real-their experiences a raw truth."-Susan Power, author of Roofwalker and The Grass Dancer

Patti Frazee teaches creative writing at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. A native of Nebraska, she received her BFA in theater from the University of Nebraska/Kearney and her MFA in writing from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She received an honorable mention for the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice 2005 Emerging Lesbian Writer's Fund. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About the Author

Patti Frazee teaches creative writing at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. A native of Nebraska, she received her BFA in theater from the University of Nebraska/Kearney and her MFA in writing from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She received an honorable mention for the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice 2005 Emerging Lesbian Writer's Fund.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555839355
• ISBN-13: 978-1555839352
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #386,975 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is about our common humanity, July 21, 2006

By	Y. Bergquist (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The characters of this book are the side-show "freaks" in a circus traveling though the midwest of 1900 America. Patti Frazee has shown us that our wishes, dreams, problems, tradegies, make us all the same.
Cojoined twins love different men, disapprove of one-anothers choices. What sisters haven't?
Shanghai the dwarf, has a terrible childhood and carries a burdensome secret. Which of us doesn't have a tale of woe?
Mariana and her husband Jacob are living through betrayal and loss. Neither of them knows how to fix it. Sound familiar?
Once the strangness of these characters is stripped away this is a book about life and the toll it takes on us as we live it. I highly recommend it. And I am looking forward to her next book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book of the year!, July 19, 2006

By	Papi (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This is an amazing book! The author's style enabled me to join the cirkus myself with every page I turned. There is a character for everyone to identify with which leaves you cheering until the very end. I couldn't put it down. By far one of the best reads ever!

5.0 out of 5 stars You won't be able to put it down!!, June 15, 2006

By	Angel (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This is an amazing novel!!! The more you read, the more intense it gets. The author describes these characters so vividly that they become real. You will love it.