I was initially drawn to this book because of the stunning cover. It starts out in Paris during WWII following main character, Michel, while he makes his way out the the city. He stows away on a train and later finds out it is a circus train. This story follows Michel’s journey through the struggles of WWII, love, and what being in the circus is all about. The book has several twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. I truly enjoyed this book from beginning to end and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I was a bit disappointed by The Ringmaster’s Daughter. It started promising. I liked the first chapters set in Paris, and then when Michel leaves and joins the circus. Then something shifted strangely, and it quickly started to bore me.
The story itself wasn’t anything new, it follows the more or less same plot as so many other books.
The writing style didn’t flow, it felt very stiff and that may be part of why I wanted to stop and not continue. I liked the characters though, they were interesting and that was what mainly kept me continue reading.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t a good book either.

The author of this book weaves a marvellous story together, set against the backdrop of the German occupation of France in WW2.
It is also an epic historical romance story that plays out subtly over time during the course of the book which is mainly set within a travelling circus. It is both a thought provoking and, at times, emotionally punching read.
All the characters are exceedingly well drawn and I will look out for more of this writer's work as I'm hooked.
I devoured 'The Ringmaster's Daughter' in two sessions.
Brilliant story.

The Ringmaster's Daughter by Carly Schabowski is a warmly-written WWII tale centering on Michel Bonnet, a young, driftless but kind Parisian who finds himself attached to a struggling circus as their horse handler. As Michel finds his place among the secretive and odd group of performers and outcasts, the circus stays just ahead of the Nazi invasion of France - until it doesn't.

I enjoyed this book. There was a little romance, a little intrigue, a little history and a little darkness. The author did a great job of fleshing out the main characters while surrounding them with a full stable of interesting sub-characters. The plotting was well-paced and complex enough to challenge the reader. That said, it was a fairly quick read, but one that kept my attention.

My only complain came at the end, as the author switched from the third-person to first-person voice, which i thought was unnecessarily jarring and skipped over large chunks of time. It felt like she'd run out of energy, like she wanted to arbitrarily extend the storyline out a few more years without putting out a lot of words or effort. The conclusion itself was satisfying, if a wee bit tired, but the change of pacing was disappointing and left me with a less-than-great-ending feeling.

This review is based on an advance copy read.