An ounce of courage. A leap of
faith. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life—one that’s
reimagined from what they might have become.
In turn-of-the-century America,
a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet
life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of
treasures, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels
of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny—a
life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.
A quarter of a century later,
Lady Rosamund Easling boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her
arranged marriage. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous
gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it,
the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the
enigmatic Mable Ringling.
When Rosamund’s path crosses
with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering
decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety,
choosing instead the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.
A novel that is at once
captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of
a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife
will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic
animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the Greatest
Show on Earth!
The Ringmaster’s Wife is the
first book in Kristy Cambron’s Jazz Age
Entertainers series, and is also the very first book I have ever read by
her. I’ve been really excited to read Kristy’s novels because I’ve heard so
many good things about them, so I was so glad when I was chosen to be an
influencer for this book. I have to say, I definitely wasn’t disappointed with
this novel, because it was extremely enjoyable, and now I know I will most
certainly be reading more of her books in the future.
Mable
was by far one of my favorite characters. For starters, I just loved how Kristy
weaved Mable’s story in with Rosamund’s, because it gave the story so much more
life, meaning, and ways to captivate me. As for Mable herself, I love her
dreams most of all. I was so inspired by how she left her humble life on a farm
in Ohio in order to live a life full of all the things she’d been dreaming
about for years. Plus, I just love her relationship with John Ringling. It’s so
deep, and open, and beautifully different, and I just couldn’t help but love
them both.
Rosamund
Easling is also a wonderful character. Inside and out. I absolutely fell in
love with her fire and determination from the first moment I was introduced to
her, and my love only grew as I saw what she could do on a horse, and how she
put aside her fears and the expectations placed upon her by her parents so that
she could live out her own dream: a dream of a different life. She most
certainly got that, thanks to Colin Keary (who by the way is another fantastic character), who gave her the
chance to have her name up in lights.
All in
all, this was an absolutely wonderful novel, and I’m super excited to see what
else Kristy does with this series. For right now, I give The Ringmaster’s Wife all five bookshelves, and a place on my
all-time favorites list, because it was an absolutely fascinating novel that
gave me a glimpse at something I’ve actually never really gotten a chance to
read about: the circus. It was so interesting to me to be able to get a glimpse
behind the scenes of life with the Ringling brothers and their circus, so I really
can’t wait to see what I will learn about from the next book in the series, The Illusionist’s Apprentice. I’m so
glad I have been able to discover that I absolutely love Kristy’s writing!
Happy reading!
I received a copy of this book through the Litfuse Publicity
Group in exchange for only my honest review.
To see where I’m linking up, check out my Where I Party
page.
Photo credits go to my fabulous sister, Allie, whose blog
you can visit here.
All credit for the italicized synopsis goes to Kristy
Cambron and Thomas Nelson Publishing.
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