From the #1 internationally bestselling author of the "lush, evocative
Gothic" (The New York Times Book Review) The Doll Factory comes an
atmospheric and spectacular novel about a woman transformed by the
arrival of a Victorian circus of wonders--"as moving as it is deeply
entertaining" (Daniel Mason, New York Times bestselling author).Step up,
step up! In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. Crowds
jostle for a glimpse of the lion-tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists
and, most thrilling of all, the so-called "human wonders." When Jasper
Jupiter's Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the
life of one young girl changes forever. Sold to the ringmaster as a
"leopard girl" because of the birthmarks that cover her body, Nell is
utterly devastated. But as she grows close to the other performers, she
finds herself enchanted by the glittering freedom of the circus, and by
her own role as the Queen of the Moon and Stars. Before long, Nell's
fame spreads across the world--and with it, a chance for Jasper Jupiter
to grow his own name and fortune. But what happens when her fame begins
to eclipse his own, when even Jasper's loyal brother Toby becomes
captivated by Nell? No longer the quiet flower-picker, Nell knows her
own place in the world, and she will fight for it. Circus of Wonders is
a beautiful story about the "complex dance between exploitation and
empowerment, and the question of what it really means to have control
over your own life" (Naomi Ishiguro, author of Escape Routes).
