Reviews

Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin

georgina27's review

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

Vladivostok Circus was a short easy read which follows Nathalie, a costume designer, who had just been hired to design costumes for a trio of circus artists who will be performing a Russian Bar act in upcoming festival. It had a fairly melancholic atmosphere, and I felt quite detached, like an outside observer looking in. While I enjoyed discovering what we did about each character's backstory and witnessing the interactions between them, what I liked most about this book was learning about the Russian Bar. Think trampoline skills performed by a "flyer" on an apparatus not much wider than a beam but springy since its made from poles used by pole vaulters and carried, often on the shoulders of the two "bases". Jaw dropping stuff 

reenis's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

don’t know how to feel about that, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes nice? quite often sad?? 

svetlanasterlin's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

‘How can people work on something when they know they'll never see it actually come to fruition?' Anna asks.‘I know,' I say. 'I couldn't work like that.’
I look past the black screen out into the night sky visible through the glass dome.
‘And to think that up there, we can see things that stopped existing a long time ago, like the light from dead stars.’

Moodboard: atmospheric, moody, brooding, introspective, ruminating, yearning, alienating, reflective

ana_sb's review

hopeful tense fast-paced

4.0

eunicek82's review

reflective

4.5

There’s something so hypnotic about Dusapin’s writing for me. This is a very quiet book and hardly anything happens, and yet, I could not put it down. She does such a great job of focusing on micro moments that lead to the push-and-pull of any relationship and that just works for me. Pachinko Parlour still remains my favorite of hers, but I really enjoyed this one too.

nzxhrx's review

adventurous dark hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

unbyronically's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

writtenontheflyleaves's review

adventurous informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

annadoe's review

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

0.75

It was boring and practically nothing happened.