teriboop's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, I am gushing over the latest Susan Crandall book. Like Whistling Past the Graveyard, Crandall tells a story of unlikely characters that come together through unlikely events to build an unlikely family bond. The Flying Circus finds Henry, Cora, and Gil, all running from their past and a broken family life. It is 1920s in America, a time when hucksters go from town to town making a living by entertaining the crowds. Henry is a mechanic, Gil a pilot, and Cora is a daring stunt woman on a motorcycle. They reluctantly form a barnstorming "flying circus" in order to make ends meet and survive another day. In a matter of a few months, they become a strong team and a close family. But they each hold a secret that rocked their past and if exposed, threaten to tear apart the family they have created. This book is a reminder that friends are often the family you pick and also that you really can never run from the past. At some point, it will catch up to you.
I really enjoyed this book and the colorful characters that Crandall paints. The middle of the book started to wane a bit for me, but it was needed story to help the reader understand the true spirit of each of the characters. For those that like a tidy ending, this has one. It will certainly make you go "Awww" at the end.
I really enjoyed this book and the colorful characters that Crandall paints. The middle of the book started to wane a bit for me, but it was needed story to help the reader understand the true spirit of each of the characters. For those that like a tidy ending, this has one. It will certainly make you go "Awww" at the end.
csemanek's review against another edition
4.0
This was more of a 3 1/2 stars than 4, but I did enjoy it. I'm not sure I can put my finger on what it lacked. I think the middle section just didn't move along well. It was all important for the storyline and character development, so it couldn't be cut. I think I just didn't like any of the characters very much in the middle. As we learned more about them, they became more sympathetic. Bottom-line, I did enjoy the story and would recommend the book.
marlo_c's review against another edition
3.0
To qualify, I loved Whistling Past the Graveyard by Crandall, so when I saw that she'd written another, I was excited. As I read, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment. While I liked Henry's character, Gil and Cora were only mediocre. The biggest turn-off was the amount of language. A little bit doesn't bother me, but I'm especially averse to the f-bomb and taking God's name in vain. There was enough of both to detract from the story. It's difficult for me to believe that omitting some of those words takes away from the authenticity of a story. I'm just rather sick of the whole slide in decorum in this area of the culture. As far as the plot, it was a bit predictable but still enjoyable, and I read it fairly quickly.
kdferrin's review against another edition
4.0
reminded me a bit of [a:Fannie Flagg|6125|Fannie Flagg|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1328803839p2/6125.jpg]
ioanaisreading's review against another edition
2.0
The Flying Circus was read at a too slow pace for me. I had a hard time getting the feel of this book, and maybe this is the reason I only gave her that few stars. It's a historical novel, so I should have been more captivated by the book from the very beginning, however this did not happen. Set in the middle of the 20s in the USA, you get the feel of a "road trip", rather than the roaring 20s everybody is used to read about when that time period is mentioned. It was a nice perspective, but not enough to save the book for me.
Henry Schuler/Jefferson runs away from his home county in Indiana because he is suspected of murder. He doesn't really know what happened, except that because he is German he is looked down upon and his future is too grim to stay put. As he runs away, he meets Gil and Cora, two rebels at heart, each deeply wanting to escape their present surroundings. In a predictable and very rushed way, Henry falls in love with Cora, Gil and Cora fall in love with one another, and this love story is ended in a very convenient and boring way. While I could emphasize with Henry, I didn't like the way his infatuation with Cora grew bigger and bigger as the novel progressed. It felt too stretched and fake.
And speaking of Cora - a young woman of merely 18, coming from a rich family, now ruined because of the war - she seems to be good at everything, pointing out there's nothing she can't do that she sets her mind to (paraphrasing here)... well, Cora is a very fake and selfish character, in my opinion, although this is far from what was aimed. She seems set on her idea to because an aviator, a rare thing for a woman, but despite her ambition, what ruins her image is the air of superiority that she presents. She's a good judge of character, she can even give Henry tips on how to try to remember what happened in Indiana, she has some detective skills that she insists on using and lo and behold! she actually succeeds in moving things along in Henry's case back in Indiana, of course in a favorable direction. Quite a catch this Cora!
As for Gil, the other important character - I liked him; I wish there were a way to save him. I was more interested in a future for him then Cora, mainly because she seemed all set and ready to take over the world, but in Gil's case there was a bit more to work with and on. Also, some more interest in him from the author wouldn't have hurt. For example: for about 2-3 chapters, while on holiday and away from the barnstorming season, we see Henry and Cora more than it was needed, while nothing was mentioned of Gil, except the implied idea that his presence would ruin what Henry hoped he had going on with Cora. I understand the author's desire to focus on Henry, since he's the main character after all, but still, tell me more about this character Henry claims is so important to him. I feel like an unnecessary void was left there.
Despite the strong feelings the characters arose in me (who knew this would happen from a slooow paced novel), I liked the idea of the novel, namely barnstorming. For starters, I didn't know this was what all those crazy acrobatics were called. It was nice to see a little bit of the beginning of airplane flying, too. Whenever I read books set in the past and they are talking about things we take as normal nowadays I can't help but think "Man, if you knew!" I can only imagine the amount of research that was needed for this book, and because of that I can say that as an inexperienced reader in all things planes and flying, the "technical" information provided was just right, not too much to overwhelm, but the right amount to give the reader an idea about the way things worked.
The book seemed stretched a bit more than necessary, the ending was predictable and in the same time lacking a strong emotional involvement. Just 2 stars for this novel.
This started with a desire to just write a few sentences about how I liked this book, but I guess I had some pent-up feelings about this book.
PS. I kept the rating constant - that is 2* both here and on Amazon. The general feeling: I didn't like, it was just OK.
Henry Schuler/Jefferson runs away from his home county in Indiana because he is suspected of murder. He doesn't really know what happened, except that because he is German he is looked down upon and his future is too grim to stay put. As he runs away, he meets Gil and Cora, two rebels at heart, each deeply wanting to escape their present surroundings. In a predictable and very rushed way, Henry falls in love with Cora, Gil and Cora fall in love with one another, and this love story is ended in a very convenient and boring way. While I could emphasize with Henry, I didn't like the way his infatuation with Cora grew bigger and bigger as the novel progressed. It felt too stretched and fake.
And speaking of Cora - a young woman of merely 18, coming from a rich family, now ruined because of the war - she seems to be good at everything, pointing out there's nothing she can't do that she sets her mind to (paraphrasing here)... well, Cora is a very fake and selfish character, in my opinion, although this is far from what was aimed. She seems set on her idea to because an aviator, a rare thing for a woman, but despite her ambition, what ruins her image is the air of superiority that she presents. She's a good judge of character, she can even give Henry tips on how to try to remember what happened in Indiana, she has some detective skills that she insists on using and lo and behold! she actually succeeds in moving things along in Henry's case back in Indiana, of course in a favorable direction. Quite a catch this Cora!
As for Gil, the other important character - I liked him; I wish there were a way to save him. I was more interested in a future for him then Cora, mainly because she seemed all set and ready to take over the world, but in Gil's case there was a bit more to work with and on. Also, some more interest in him from the author wouldn't have hurt. For example: for about 2-3 chapters, while on holiday and away from the barnstorming season, we see Henry and Cora more than it was needed, while nothing was mentioned of Gil, except the implied idea that his presence would ruin what Henry hoped he had going on with Cora. I understand the author's desire to focus on Henry, since he's the main character after all, but still, tell me more about this character Henry claims is so important to him. I feel like an unnecessary void was left there.
Despite the strong feelings the characters arose in me (who knew this would happen from a slooow paced novel), I liked the idea of the novel, namely barnstorming. For starters, I didn't know this was what all those crazy acrobatics were called. It was nice to see a little bit of the beginning of airplane flying, too. Whenever I read books set in the past and they are talking about things we take as normal nowadays I can't help but think "Man, if you knew!" I can only imagine the amount of research that was needed for this book, and because of that I can say that as an inexperienced reader in all things planes and flying, the "technical" information provided was just right, not too much to overwhelm, but the right amount to give the reader an idea about the way things worked.
The book seemed stretched a bit more than necessary, the ending was predictable and in the same time lacking a strong emotional involvement. Just 2 stars for this novel.
This started with a desire to just write a few sentences about how I liked this book, but I guess I had some pent-up feelings about this book.
PS. I kept the rating constant - that is 2* both here and on Amazon. The general feeling: I didn't like, it was just OK.
bequibuho's review against another edition
4.0
This historical fiction takes place in the 1920s. Three strangers come together to escape their past, present, and future. They seek adventures as they explore the beginning of aviation.
I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This novel captured the thrills and risk of the early years of flight. I found myself holding my breath as they described some of the stunts the characters performed.
I enjoyed the characters. There is a love triangle that is formed between our traveling protagonists. I thought Crandall wrote the romance beautifully. I never once felt that the love was forced or rushed. I thought the love developed slowly over time rather than all at once. I felt the deep friendship these three shared.
The book did have an odd start. It immediately jumped into the action and the background was slowly introduced as the book progressed.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, especially those based in the early 1900s. This book comes out July 7th.
I give this book a B
I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This novel captured the thrills and risk of the early years of flight. I found myself holding my breath as they described some of the stunts the characters performed.
I enjoyed the characters. There is a love triangle that is formed between our traveling protagonists. I thought Crandall wrote the romance beautifully. I never once felt that the love was forced or rushed. I thought the love developed slowly over time rather than all at once. I felt the deep friendship these three shared.
The book did have an odd start. It immediately jumped into the action and the background was slowly introduced as the book progressed.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, especially those based in the early 1900s. This book comes out July 7th.
I give this book a B
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
I received this from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This novel manages to be a character study, an adventure story, and a piece of historical fiction all at once. The stories of the main characters take place during the Roaring Twenties, when barnstorming was a form of entertainment.
The plots revolve around three people: Henry “Schuler” Jefferson, Charles “Gil” Gilchrist, and Cora Rose Haviland. Henry is a son of German immigrants who is hiding his background and running from a terrible secret. Gil is a veteran pilot from WWII with his own emotional issues that keep him in the air rather than on the ground. Cora is a headstrong girl from a family that has lost its fortune; rather than marry into money, she prefers to run away on her motorcycle and join up with Henry and Gil who are traveling together with Gil’s airplane, stopping to perform for folks in small towns and rural areas. Gil also offers rides in his plane as a way to earn cash to keep the plane in fuel and the trio fed.
As they travel throughout the countryside, they expand the show to include Cora’s motorcycle, eventually adding air racing and daredevil stunts to their repertoire. As their act evolves and becomes more difficult, their lives intertwine, secrets emerge, and their makeshift family is threatened.
It is easy to lose oneself in this story. There were moments where I would think, “Just say or do this, and it will be okay!” However, people are flawed, and Crandall does not take the easy way out with her trio. Henry, Gil, and Cora were well fleshed out, although it would have been nice to know a bit more about what made Cora do some of the things she did.
I highly recommend this book! I have not read anything else by Crandall, but plan to read Whistling Past the Graveyard.
This novel manages to be a character study, an adventure story, and a piece of historical fiction all at once. The stories of the main characters take place during the Roaring Twenties, when barnstorming was a form of entertainment.
The plots revolve around three people: Henry “Schuler” Jefferson, Charles “Gil” Gilchrist, and Cora Rose Haviland. Henry is a son of German immigrants who is hiding his background and running from a terrible secret. Gil is a veteran pilot from WWII with his own emotional issues that keep him in the air rather than on the ground. Cora is a headstrong girl from a family that has lost its fortune; rather than marry into money, she prefers to run away on her motorcycle and join up with Henry and Gil who are traveling together with Gil’s airplane, stopping to perform for folks in small towns and rural areas. Gil also offers rides in his plane as a way to earn cash to keep the plane in fuel and the trio fed.
As they travel throughout the countryside, they expand the show to include Cora’s motorcycle, eventually adding air racing and daredevil stunts to their repertoire. As their act evolves and becomes more difficult, their lives intertwine, secrets emerge, and their makeshift family is threatened.
It is easy to lose oneself in this story. There were moments where I would think, “Just say or do this, and it will be okay!” However, people are flawed, and Crandall does not take the easy way out with her trio. Henry, Gil, and Cora were well fleshed out, although it would have been nice to know a bit more about what made Cora do some of the things she did.
I highly recommend this book! I have not read anything else by Crandall, but plan to read Whistling Past the Graveyard.
imamandajulius's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.
See here for entire review.
The Flying Circus follows three people in the early 1920s. They meet randomly on a rural Indiana road and decide to form a traveling circus. All three of them are running from something and they would all prefer not to tell the others.
This book is a delightful story about the meaning of family set against the time period of the roaring '20s. But instead of the glam of the city, we get to see the rural Midwest. I feel this is an area that's not often written about, especially in the 1920s, and I thought it really added to the story.
I particularly enjoyed the pacing. Crandall took the right amount of time to reveal everyone's secrets and rolled them out gradually. I would like to read more historical fiction by her.
See here for entire review.
The Flying Circus follows three people in the early 1920s. They meet randomly on a rural Indiana road and decide to form a traveling circus. All three of them are running from something and they would all prefer not to tell the others.
This book is a delightful story about the meaning of family set against the time period of the roaring '20s. But instead of the glam of the city, we get to see the rural Midwest. I feel this is an area that's not often written about, especially in the 1920s, and I thought it really added to the story.
I particularly enjoyed the pacing. Crandall took the right amount of time to reveal everyone's secrets and rolled them out gradually. I would like to read more historical fiction by her.