Has anyone else read this yet? (Obligatory link to Amazon) I finished listening to it on CD about a week ago, and I absolutely loved it. The two narrators they chose were perfect for the characters.
I was a little iffy on the storyline when I first heard about - it just didn’t seem like something I would be interested in. Yet I found myself drawn in almost immediately - Gruen does an excellent job of characterization and setting the feel for the times.
There were two parts that made afraid of where Gruen was taking this, but luckily she did well with both. I will put them in spoilers below…
The part where the nurse was explaining to Jacob why the other old man thought he had worked for the circus in his youth, she mentions that as people get older they convince themselves of things that never really happened. I just knew Gruen was going to use this to foreshadow the reader discovering that Jacob was “making it all up.” Thankfully, she didn’t! I think it would have really cheapened the emotionaly impact of the story.
And the ending…
I like they way she ended it. Instead of his death ending the book, it is left open. Jacob essentially runs off with the circus again, and I thought it was a nice touch.
So if you haven’t read it yet, get thee to a bookstore! It is a wonderful story with elements of historical fiction, romance, and memoir all wrapped up in one.
