Circus of Wonders

Elizabeth Macneal

09 June 2022
9781529002553
384 pages

Synopsis

Step right up for the most captivating read of the year . . .

Filled with the sights and sounds of Victorian England, Circus of Wonders is the instant Sunday Times bestseller from Elizabeth Macneal, author of The Doll Factory.

‘Intensely satisfying’ – Stacey Halls, author of The Familiars


England, 1866. When Jasper Jupiter’s Circus of Wonders arrives in a coastal village, Nell soon catches the showman’s eye. Shunned by her community because of the birthmarks speckling her skin, to Jasper she is a prize – she could be his very own leopard girl. But how to make her his?

Soon Nell finds herself the star of Jasper’s show. Suddenly she is famous. Crowds rush to watch her soar through the air. Figurines are cast in her image. Even Queen Victoria wants to see her perform. But is Nell free to live and love as she chooses? And when her fame begins to eclipse Jasper’s own, could she be in danger? After all, the higher you fly, the steeper the fall . . .

‘Filled with character and life’ – The Times
‘Utterly beguiling’ – Daily Mail
‘Brilliantly involving’ – Daily Express
‘Exhilarating’ – Sunday Times, Books of the Year
‘An immersive gem’ – Red
‘Joyous, frightening, heartbreaking’ – Independent
‘Deliciously vivid’ – Woman & Home

The Burial Plot
, Elizabeth's latest cat-and-mouse thriller, is available to pre-order now!

A glittering follow-up to The Doll Factory . . . a mark of Macneal's subtlety and originality
Elizabeth Macneal’s marvellous debut, The Doll Factory, was a bestselling success. This second book, beautifully written and filled with character and life, cements her reputation as a new talent
Elizabeth Macneal has done it again . . . Entrancing, tender, captivating. A marvel. I couldn’t put it down.