The Ringmaster's Daughter by Carly Schabowski is an enchanting story about love, betrayal, loss, and friendship. I was pulled in immediately. The characters were engaging and my heart ached with them and laughed with them and cried with them and rejoiced with them. It was very well written and researched.
The story follows Michel, a young man who is forced onto a moving train by a friend during WWII, in an attempt to get him away from Paris and the Germans who were coming to occupy it. There he meets Jean, a very tall man and Giordano, a dwarf. He meets Werner, a red faced man who seems very angry and Serge, a giant of a man with more muscle than one should have. then there is Kacper, a man who doesn't speak. But, most importantly, there is a black haired beauty, Frieda, with green eyes that Michel can't get out of his mind. After some trouble, Michel is given a job among this group of traveling performers, but he is instructed not to ask too many questions, not to get too close. But, when you live your life daily with people on the run and trying to survive, how do you not get close? When the war and all of the troubles it brings starts to bring them down, they must find a way to survive, holding each other and working together. A delightfully sad and beautiful story. At times I was so angry. I wanted so much for them to have their heart's desires. But that is not the way of war. It takes and it brings loss. But beauty can rise from it as well. The Ringmaster's Daughter does just this. If you enjoy a story about WWII and all that means, you will not want to miss this one!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book. All opinions are my own.

When I first read the description of this book, I was so excited to sit down and read. It took me a very long time to get into it and I found myself quite bored. Half way into the book it definitely started to pick up, but I wasn't a big fan of this one.

Unfotunately, I have to DNF this one at 39%. The premise was enticing and I really enjoyed the cast of characters, but ultimately it totally lacked emotion for me. There was no real pull to keep me invested, though it's easy enough reading if you're looking for something pleasant.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!!

"Circus people don't ask who you were before, or what god you believe in - when you join the circus, you are family, whatever your past."

What led me to read this book, apart from its cover, was the plot, because i particularly like stories that include a circus theme, also the fact that it's from the historical fiction genre, set in Paris, 1940.
Something I didn't know when I started reading it until I finished it was that, at the end of the book, Carly Schabowski says that she was inspired by a REAL story for the plot of this book, which was the one of an Austrian circus owner named Adolf Althoff and his wife, who they helped a family in distress during World War II. This fact was something that I found great and interesting, it gives more value to the book, which i think it would have been nice if it was added to the beginning of the book or when promoting it.

At first it's kinda slow and boring, in addition to being somewhat predictable that i thought about stopping reading it or putting it aside, but i felt curious about what happens next, so what entertained me and encouraged me to continue reading, something that I liked about this book is the mystery behind the circus and it's characters, and the curiosity to know what happened at the end.
Since the protagonist Michael, runs into the circus and it's people, it starts to get interesting, since they don't tell him much and he begins to suspect that something isn't normal, the circus travels and things happen as this happens, and we can learn more about these peculiar characters. I like how they open up to Michael, when he is finally to be trusted, the friendship between the characters. The relationship between Michael and Frieda is insta-love, but I liked it. The ending worried me, but it turned up to be nice and emotional. This book was entertaining, i recommend it for readers who like the genre of historical fiction and historical themes, also if you like books with a circus theme and some romance.

Aspects i didn't like:
-Slow at the beginning and some parts.
-Inta-love between Michael and Frieda.
-Some parts or aspects were kinda predictable, but it can pass since it's historical fiction?.

Aspects i did like:
-The characters
-Friendship
-Backstories
-Some funny parts in the dialogues
-Michael and Frieda
-The mystery and curiosity at first

#theringmastersdaughter #carlyschabowski #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview it’s taken me a while to read this one. The setting was WWII. And while I love reading about it and learning. I have needed a break because #covid anyway. I did it 🥳 this is a story of a boy whose a man. Forced to leave his home in Paris. As he stows away on a train he finds himself amongst circus people. He isn’t welcomed at first. But. They find their way back together. As we travel through the country. From act to act. We learn the stories of the characters. It’s a beautiful tale. One that will make you giggle and weep. If you need an emotional ride this is definitely a good pick. #bookstagram #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #netgalleyreviewer #readingismysuperpower #readingtime #reader #readwithme #booknerdlife #booksbooksbooks📚

What a totally brilliant book .. I absolutely loved it.

Michel has to leave his beloved Paris due the the German's stampede to take over Paris. He manages to jump on an commercial train, but gets caught on thrown off .. stranger still they were a travelling circus.

With no real plans, Michel decides to just walk, when all of a sudden a majestic beauty of a horse appears, and being trained with horses, he manages to calm the stallion down. Then over the hill, the ring!aster appears, the same man who had him thrown off the train. But on seeing how he's called his horse show , he decides to offer him a job to train him... Then the troubles begin

Highly recommended
Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the Arc
Options are my own

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review an advanced copy for an honest review.

The beginning of the book was VERY slow, unfortunately. I really liked the premise and the setting. However, it took me nearly 1.5 months to read as I wasn't invested initially. Towards the middle, when stuff started happening, I became much more invested and read it significantly faster. The end was a bit contrived but I thought it really interesting, and wound up rating it a 3.5/5. I would recommend it to folks who appreciate reading the WWII time period as long as they don't need the book to be a page turner from the get go.

I love stories that revolve around circuses, carnivals, and amusement parks so this was a book that I immediately wanted to read. The story reminded me of a mixture of Water for Elephants and a little bit of The Night Circus but wasn't written as well as the aforementioned books.

I was intrigued in the beginning and loved the sights and sounds of the circus but the story really lost steam for me towards the middle. I began to lose interest and found it to be a little slow.

Overall, this was a decent circus story but not my favorite.

I was sucked in in by the cover...ever since reading 'Water for Elephants' a few years ago, I have been drawn to circus themed books.
This however was a mild book, if I'm totally honest I really struggled to connect with it, and wasn't desperately wanting to pick it back up.
Set in France, during WWII the book follows Michel who escapes Paris around the time of the German invasion, and finds himself tacking along with a circus train, tending their horses and being drawn to the mysterious performer, Freida. He has however, been forbidden by Ringmaster Werner from mixing with the performers.
The story itself is pleasant enough, and the writing is easy - but it felt quite slow paced at times.

Thank yoy to NetGalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for a review.

I really wanted to like this book and i know others who do but it was missing something for me. It just wasn't my type of magical. I was seduced by the cover and got a bit of a shock that it became so emotional when i had wrongly assumed it would be more lighthearted. That being said i did like the way the author writes and would be happy to give another one of Schabowski's books a go.

Thank you to NetGally and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book caused my heart to race and my eyes to "leak" more than once. Set in WWII-era France, Michel Bonnet flees the city of Paris as the Nazis invade. With the help of his dear friend and mentor Bertrand, Michel hops onto a train leaving the city only to find himself aboard a circus train. His career as a horse trainer turns out to be a useful skill, and he joins the troupe on their journey. He befriends the company's dwarf and giant, and catches the eye of one of the performers. Not all is high-flying trapeze and juggling though. Michel is met by hostility from the ringmaster and finds himself falling for the one woman with whom interactions are forbidden. Carly Schabowski weaves a tale of friendship, family, betrayal, and love beneath the big top.

This book is such a thing of beauty in so many ways. The story of a traveling circus trying to avoid the Germans during WWII. An innocent and sweet love. Prose that draws you in immediately and you just melt into thIs story. I cannot think of a better way to spend a weekend than cuddled up with this story of sheer splender. My top book of the year thus far!

How gorgeous is the cover picture! ❤️ The cover picture of this book was what tempted me towards reading this book.

Michel Bonnet manages to escape Paris with the help of his mentor and good friend Bertrand, before the Nazis attack the capital in 1940. Bertrand tells Michel to jump on a random freight train and go have an adventure, which in a sense Michel does since the train turns out to be a travelling circus troupe by the name of Le Cirque Neumann. At first the ringmaster, Werner Neumann takes an instant disliking towards Michel and has him thrown out of the train but later, is forced to hire him to train the circus's star horses when Werner comes to know about Michel's horse training abilities. However, Werner forbids Michel to interact with the other members of the troupe and keep solely to his horse training. Despite that, Michel ends up forming a close friendship with Jean Jaques, a giant and Gioranio, a dwarf and later is welcomed (by varying degrees) as being part of the team by the rest of the troupe... Neumann included. The circus troupe consists of an array of interesting misfits of performers who all are surrounded by a shroud of mystery, led by the trapeze artist Frieda for whom Michel develops strong, romantic feelings. During his year being part of this circus in the midst of the spread of the Nazis in France, Michel not only gets to know the sad, tragic story of this circus and its members but also comes to understand what true friendship, being a team player and being a leader means...what being a ringmaster truly means.

The book covers the period from 1940-1946 and is divided into four sections denoting the four seasons, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring. Summer denotes the promise of adventure which Michel has embarked on, Autumn the trials and troubles the troupe face as the Nazi invasion spreads in the country, Winter the bleakest moments of Michel's life when he thinks he has lost everything and everyone and Spring which once again brings promise and hope back into Michel's life. Michel is 20 years old at the start of the book and is 28 by the end of it and he not only grows in age but as a person as well. From being shy and timid at the beginning of the book, he grows into a confident and brave man--a person who, when the moment calls, is ready to become the leader and protector of the small community of people he considers family.

This book is a story with WWII as a backdrop. It's a story about a group of entertainers who, despite carrying their own personal tragic baggage with them, dealing with lack of proper resources and trying to escape constant danger, work tirelessly as a team to bring a smile, some entertainment and some normalcy to people living amidst the bleakest moment in time. I am still in two minds about the ending though...

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Carly Schabowski for the e-Arc of the book. 

Rating: 3.5*

Magical.

Difficult choices abound.

Paris.. on the brink of WWII.

And a mystifying circus.

I've always enjoying historical fiction novels about WWII and circuses. Believe it or not.. there has been quite a few. Water for Elephants and The Orphans Tale come to mind. This was a breathtakingly beautiful book with heart-wrenching moments.

Highly recommended!

I am a sucker for books set in or around circuses. The Ringmaster's Daughter was thoroughly engaging and the cover is beautiful! I enjoyed the historical component of this book as well. I am so thankful for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. It is one I will recommend and share with anyone willing to listen.

Another historical fiction read, offering a little escapism - ever been tempted to run away and join the circus?!

While this is set during WW2, and Michel has a rather accidental arrival in the lap of a touring group, I really enjoyed the author’s take on this specifically being set at a time of French Occupation in Paris. I thought she wrote well characters which were on both sides of the incoming political ideology , activism and resistance, and that gave the novel depth and a sense of realism. That realism, and the everyday struggles of the circus folk, contrasted brilliantly with the wonder and awe of the performance - it makes for an enticing read.
If you’re familiar with Water for Elephants, it’s a similar concept, but I felt the relationships and dependencies between Michel and his troupe were better written.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I had not heard of this author or title before coming across it on Netgalley. I found the cover, title, and summary all enticing and was happy for the opportunity to read it. It was not what I expected, but in a pleasantly surprising way. I thought it might be a story similar to Water For Elephants and was not expecting it to actually be a world war II historical fiction told around a circus. This was a really nice difference for me and made the novel so different then circus themed stories or other historical fiction about Hitler and the cruel treatment of Jews. Great read

The story follows Michel, a young, handsome, poor man who lives in Paris, just at the beginning of the German invasion in Europe. Michel has some good friends, especially an older man named Bertrand who has basically raised him. Bertrand tricks Michel and has him jump on a train that turns out to be a small circus train. They have some rough bumps, but Michel ends up working for them and falling for the ringmaster's woman. It isn't until much alter that he learns who she is. Europe has been unsafe for Jews for years and the circus people know it well. But they're smart and have good friends who are able to help them for awhile. The ringmaster takes care of everyone in the troupe, watching out for their survival. They are all misfits. As is typical in carnival life, relationships are complicated. It's interesting to see this play out - the story doesn't always go as expected. During this horrible time and place in history, relationships are what really mean everything. Sad and yet encouraging. Good read.

I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. #TheRingmastersDaughter #NetGalley

Carly Schabowski’s debut novel is a historical romance set during the Second World War, blending the worlds of the circus and Nazi-occupied Paris in a way that is both heart-breaking and hopeful. Not only this, but it is inspired by the true story of Adolf Althoff, an Austrian circus owner who hid four members of the Jewish Danner family within his circus during World War Two.

I’m really excited by this book, and by Schabowski as an author, now I’ve read it. I enjoyed it so much: it is a story of survival that is beautifully told, with characters that are achingly real and full of surprises, set against the background of war. The world of the circus also felt magical, colourful and intriguing, particularly when this period is known in Paris as when the City of Lights went dark.

The novel follows Michel Bonnet, a young man who works with horses, who quietly lives in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. His ambition is to be like his older neighbour Bertrand,

“well-read and travelled with bottles of the finest wines always in his kitchen.”

We begin with the panic of the impending arrival of the Nazis in Paris, and Bertrand declaring to Michel that they have to get out of the city.

The two men wander into the night down train tracks out of the city, and Bertrand persuades Michel to stowaway onto the first train they see. The train turns out to be four carriages carrying Le Cirque Neumann across France, led by a German man called Werner who seems incredibly mistrustful of Michel.

For much of the novel (which is split into four parts, set across the four seasons), Werner’s attitude towards Michel is cantankerous, and there are strange comings and goings of other members of the circus. Schabowski weaves together an incredible cast of characters that all have their own stories, with Michel trying to keep to the horses, but becoming increasingly drawn into the world of the circus and becoming part of the ‘family’ it has created. As the circus finds itself in towns now occupied by Nazi soldiers, desperate to see the circus, it becomes increasingly clear what the circus really is: a form of protection for Jewish people. The writing is so immersive and the sense of fear when these encounters with soldiers arise is so potent, that it had me gripped right to the very last page.

I couldn’t write this review without mentioning the titular character: Frieda. Werner spends much of the novel keeping an eye on her, leading Michel to believe the woman he is falling in love with from afar is actually the ringmaster’s wife, not daughter. The moment this discrepancy is cleared up feels like a watershed moment, as well as being a catalyst for Michel discovering more about the secretive ringmaster and his story. Frieda herself is confident, gentle, caring and clever, dancing through the pages of the book like she does upon her trapeze within the circus tent.

Alongside Frieda, my favourite characters were perhaps Lucien, Jean-Jacques and Giordano. Jean-Jacques and Giordano are best friends and a double act within the circus, one a giant and one a dwarf, and they are the first people to discover Michel hiding in the circus train as they ride through the French countryside at night. They constantly try to champion their new friends to the rest of the circus, and look out for him and each other, in ways that are really touching and show the power of friendship. Lucien is a man who takes Michel in when he is wandering, alone, through a French village outside of Paris, and who later takes in the circus too. Ever-generous and full of life, love and wine, with a spirit unbroken by the occupation of France, I loved Lucien’s constant positive presence. I also think all three of these characters highlight the fact that this novel isn’t just a love story, it’s one about the power of human relationships in all forms.

I would definitely recommend reading this novel, and I’m so excited to see what Schabowski writes next.

I was enraptured by Michel's journey into circus. While there were some predictable WW2 tropes, I was so satisfied by the ending that I could overlook them. A really strong historical novel.