Scan barcode
cmacler's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. The prose was absolutely breath taking. The stories told, the lives woven, absolutely beautiful.
As a writer myself, I’ve found very few books that still surprise me, but the ending to this one did. And it was a perfect ending.
There was a moment towards the middle I almost felt the book was taking too long, but it immediately picked up and kept me locked inside the tale until the end.
It is a dark tale, with many dark stories, but it covers reality well. Despite the magic folktales and mystical dreams, the darkness of life is laced throughout.
Truly a beautiful story. Thank you.
As a writer myself, I’ve found very few books that still surprise me, but the ending to this one did. And it was a perfect ending.
There was a moment towards the middle I almost felt the book was taking too long, but it immediately picked up and kept me locked inside the tale until the end.
It is a dark tale, with many dark stories, but it covers reality well. Despite the magic folktales and mystical dreams, the darkness of life is laced throughout.
Truly a beautiful story. Thank you.
raye_loves_reading's review against another edition
2.0
I have to be honest, not sure what to think of this book right now. I think I need a little more time to process my thoughts on it. Though, the voice of the main protagonist who we only know as Mouse is not as easy to sympathise with as I would have liked (and do tend to like in my lead characters).
Shifting between the lead in her present-day in New York and her past as a child in an English circus the story is told in a clever way that eventually becomes confusing - hence, not sure what to think right now.
Shifting between the lead in her present-day in New York and her past as a child in an English circus the story is told in a clever way that eventually becomes confusing - hence, not sure what to think right now.
grayroacegnome's review against another edition
4.0
(Content warnings listed at the bottom for those who find them helpful)
This is a wonderful story, though the circus life depicted is far darker than some readers may expect from the book’s description. This is not The Night Circus, and The Girl Made of Air depicts a lot of tragedy and pain between sporadic & vague descriptions of a handful of 1940/50s circus acts.
The characters are complex and flawed, but I still found myself sympathising with a lot of them - this book is a powerful lesson in how much “hurt people hurt people”. I really enjoyed the narrator’s journey, and that she didn’t shy away from describing her own flaws & mistakes throughout her life story.
There are also some Manx folktales & fairytales thrown in, and a hint of magical realism, that are a wonderful ‘palate cleanser’ between some of the more troubling events throughout the story. Though don’t get me wrong, it’s not all doom & gloom - there are some really loving, heartwarming moments woven through the main story as well.
Parts of the story are lovely, and Nydia Hetherington is a very good writer - I felt they also handled some very heavy subjects well. I just didn’t find the story as intoxicating as I expected, not quite hitting home enough for 5 stars for me; there were times I struggled to focus with the timeline-switches or with long-running descriptions. But I do think that says more about me than the book itself, since I can’t really think of anything specific I’d want to be changed.
It is difficult to say I ‘enjoyed’ this book given some of its more upsetting themes, but I did! It’s very engaging, it made me both laugh & cry, and I’m glad to have read it. I really recommend this book - just don’t expect it to be a whimsical & fantastical look at magical circus acts!
For those of you wanting to avoid *minor spoilers*, please stop reading as I will now provide some content warnings.
——————
Content Warnings:
- alcoholism;
- child abuse, neglect & abduction (throughout);
- drowning;
- hallucinations;
- racism;
- sexual abuse & rape (multiple instances);
- suicide (multiple instances).
This is a wonderful story, though the circus life depicted is far darker than some readers may expect from the book’s description. This is not The Night Circus, and The Girl Made of Air depicts a lot of tragedy and pain between sporadic & vague descriptions of a handful of 1940/50s circus acts.
The characters are complex and flawed, but I still found myself sympathising with a lot of them - this book is a powerful lesson in how much “hurt people hurt people”. I really enjoyed the narrator’s journey, and that she didn’t shy away from describing her own flaws & mistakes throughout her life story.
There are also some Manx folktales & fairytales thrown in, and a hint of magical realism, that are a wonderful ‘palate cleanser’ between some of the more troubling events throughout the story. Though don’t get me wrong, it’s not all doom & gloom - there are some really loving, heartwarming moments woven through the main story as well.
Parts of the story are lovely, and Nydia Hetherington is a very good writer - I felt they also handled some very heavy subjects well. I just didn’t find the story as intoxicating as I expected, not quite hitting home enough for 5 stars for me; there were times I struggled to focus with the timeline-switches or with long-running descriptions. But I do think that says more about me than the book itself, since I can’t really think of anything specific I’d want to be changed.
It is difficult to say I ‘enjoyed’ this book given some of its more upsetting themes, but I did! It’s very engaging, it made me both laugh & cry, and I’m glad to have read it. I really recommend this book - just don’t expect it to be a whimsical & fantastical look at magical circus acts!
For those of you wanting to avoid *minor spoilers*, please stop reading as I will now provide some content warnings.
——————
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
- alcoholism;
- child abuse, neglect & abduction (throughout);
- drowning;
- hallucinations;
- racism;
- sexual abuse & rape (multiple instances);
- suicide (multiple instances).
ws_bookclub's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. A Girl Made of Air is available now.
I’m always fascinated by the idea of stories being told through collections of letters or diaries. The fact that this revolved around a circus was also intriguing. Ultimately, though, while A Girl Made of Air had a lot going for it, I found some things rather problematic.
The book follows Mouse, a famous tightrope walker, as she recounts her early life and the events that shaped her. She’s an interesting protagonist because the narration matures as the character does. The older she gets, the more complex and adult-sounding the narration becomes. It was a great detail, one that mirrors how people really develop. The book is peopled with distinctive characters: Marina, Mouse’s mother, Manu…and Serendipity Wilson, who is something else entirely. She is the bright light that Mouse is drawn to, and the story is viewed in relation to her. All of the characters were vivid and, in some cases, larger than life. They became almost caricatures of themselves, which was fascinating. I also think that was intentional and it gave the book a fantastical feel.
So, what did I find problematic? First of all, parts of the book felt repetitive. Some bits just didn’t really add to the story or character development at all and I found my attention wandering a bit. Secondly, and this is what really bothered me, is the unexpected rape scene. It was graphic and, as someone who prefers to avoid books with that sort of content, I really wish I’d known it was coming. As it was, I was blindsided and it really upset me. That being said, this isn’t something that will have a big effect on everyone. It just was something that dimmed the enjoyment of the book for me.
A Girl Made of Air meandered a little, but it was an interesting trip. At the end of the day, I’m not the right reader for this book. It would be much more enjoyable to readers who don’t mind a bit of harsh content and like a story with well developed characters.
I’m always fascinated by the idea of stories being told through collections of letters or diaries. The fact that this revolved around a circus was also intriguing. Ultimately, though, while A Girl Made of Air had a lot going for it, I found some things rather problematic.
The book follows Mouse, a famous tightrope walker, as she recounts her early life and the events that shaped her. She’s an interesting protagonist because the narration matures as the character does. The older she gets, the more complex and adult-sounding the narration becomes. It was a great detail, one that mirrors how people really develop. The book is peopled with distinctive characters: Marina, Mouse’s mother, Manu…and Serendipity Wilson, who is something else entirely. She is the bright light that Mouse is drawn to, and the story is viewed in relation to her. All of the characters were vivid and, in some cases, larger than life. They became almost caricatures of themselves, which was fascinating. I also think that was intentional and it gave the book a fantastical feel.
So, what did I find problematic? First of all, parts of the book felt repetitive. Some bits just didn’t really add to the story or character development at all and I found my attention wandering a bit. Secondly, and this is what really bothered me, is the unexpected rape scene. It was graphic and, as someone who prefers to avoid books with that sort of content, I really wish I’d known it was coming. As it was, I was blindsided and it really upset me. That being said, this isn’t something that will have a big effect on everyone. It just was something that dimmed the enjoyment of the book for me.
A Girl Made of Air meandered a little, but it was an interesting trip. At the end of the day, I’m not the right reader for this book. It would be much more enjoyable to readers who don’t mind a bit of harsh content and like a story with well developed characters.
citypearl's review against another edition
This may be the hardest book I’ve ever had to rate. And it’s times like this when I wish the rating system was more fluid. Because usually my personal system is like:
Five stars: incredible, one of my favorites, blew me away
Four stars: really great! would read again! I enjoyed it!
Three stars: Ehh, ok. Maybe got a little boring at some places. It was a book.
Two stars: Either incredibly boring or downright awful in some places.
One star: I’ve never given one star yet. I don’t think.
And then no stars is like either something like Beowulf where I don’t feel qualified to rate it or I legitimately didn’t have an opinion.
It doesn’t actually mean zero stars. Usually.
So where does this fit in?
Well, it fits in the category of “Ooh a circus!”
Fitting in with “The Trilogy of Two” this is a book that I saw the cover, read the description, saw traveling circus, whimsy, and wonder, and immediately had to get it.
But for the first time, I truly believe the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Because this cover is so beautiful. Five stars alone for that.
I kind of want to rip out the inside and just keep the cover. Because I am so legitimately torn right now.
I’ll say one thing, this book isn’t a light fantasy, or really a fantasy at all of whimsy and wonder and adventure. It’s really dark and gritty. The circus is an awful place. The people are all pretty awful. (Until the one character I liked in like the final fifth of the book, once Mouse had moved away from the circus.)
But the book certainly wasn’t boring! I certainly wasn’t ambivalent to it! Which is why it would feel wrong given it three stars.
But often, it gave me a really bad taste in my mouth, and I couldn’t tell if that was the intended effect or not.
Content warning! So much content warning! Off the top of my head, lots of sexual talk, frequently non-consensual, assault, really prolonged and terrible Holocaust sequence that like comes up, fits the time period, is used for abuse justification and then disappears, and major and minor self harm and death by suicide.
Now, dark and serious content doesn’t automatically take away stars. Especially if it’s done well. But was it done well?
Did it feel terrible because it was a terrible topic done well? Or because it was a good topic done badly? I honestly couldn’t tell you.
One thing I will say though, Serendipity Wilson’s sporadic stories, which could have been a good device, provided nothing. They weren’t unique. They were confusing and old-fashioned with like really contradictory kind of faux-feminist messaging that was just…not right.
But why am I not giving it two or less stars? Because I kept reading it and being invested. Maybe out of disbelief but I did. The imagery was…it was artful. Done well? Idk. But it certainly was there. Interesting framing device? Formatting of book? Certainly things that happened.
It’s not the next Night Circus. I might honestly need to re-read the Night Circus as a palette cleanser after this.
But I kinda do want other people to read it. I want to know other’s thoughts. Because it confused me. Not the plot, but how to feel.
One thing I will completely say though. The summary states “Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers.”
They’re not. They’re going to live long in my nightmares.
Five stars: incredible, one of my favorites, blew me away
Four stars: really great! would read again! I enjoyed it!
Three stars: Ehh, ok. Maybe got a little boring at some places. It was a book.
Two stars: Either incredibly boring or downright awful in some places.
One star: I’ve never given one star yet. I don’t think.
And then no stars is like either something like Beowulf where I don’t feel qualified to rate it or I legitimately didn’t have an opinion.
It doesn’t actually mean zero stars. Usually.
So where does this fit in?
Well, it fits in the category of “Ooh a circus!”
Fitting in with “The Trilogy of Two” this is a book that I saw the cover, read the description, saw traveling circus, whimsy, and wonder, and immediately had to get it.
But for the first time, I truly believe the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
Because this cover is so beautiful. Five stars alone for that.
I kind of want to rip out the inside and just keep the cover. Because I am so legitimately torn right now.
I’ll say one thing, this book isn’t a light fantasy, or really a fantasy at all of whimsy and wonder and adventure. It’s really dark and gritty. The circus is an awful place. The people are all pretty awful. (Until the one character I liked in like the final fifth of the book, once Mouse had moved away from the circus.)
But the book certainly wasn’t boring! I certainly wasn’t ambivalent to it! Which is why it would feel wrong given it three stars.
But often, it gave me a really bad taste in my mouth, and I couldn’t tell if that was the intended effect or not.
Content warning! So much content warning! Off the top of my head, lots of sexual talk, frequently non-consensual, assault, really prolonged and terrible Holocaust sequence that like comes up, fits the time period, is used for abuse justification and then disappears, and major and minor self harm and death by suicide.
Now, dark and serious content doesn’t automatically take away stars. Especially if it’s done well. But was it done well?
Did it feel terrible because it was a terrible topic done well? Or because it was a good topic done badly? I honestly couldn’t tell you.
One thing I will say though, Serendipity Wilson’s sporadic stories, which could have been a good device, provided nothing. They weren’t unique. They were confusing and old-fashioned with like really contradictory kind of faux-feminist messaging that was just…not right.
But why am I not giving it two or less stars? Because I kept reading it and being invested. Maybe out of disbelief but I did. The imagery was…it was artful. Done well? Idk. But it certainly was there. Interesting framing device? Formatting of book? Certainly things that happened.
It’s not the next Night Circus. I might honestly need to re-read the Night Circus as a palette cleanser after this.
But I kinda do want other people to read it. I want to know other’s thoughts. Because it confused me. Not the plot, but how to feel.
One thing I will completely say though. The summary states “Marina, Manu, Serendipity Wilson, Fausto, Big Gen and Mouse will live long in the hearts of readers.”
They’re not. They’re going to live long in my nightmares.
jordanlamagna's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In the beginning of this book, I was really unsure if I would like it. The format of the story is an older woman being interviewed about her life story. Typically, this is not a format I particularly enjoy. However, around 40% through, I really began getting invested in the story and where it was going. I'm honestly surprised at how much I liked this book. It's not very character driven, which is one of my first qualifications of a good book.
This book follows Mouse, a young girl born in a circus family. She is an outcast and a loner who later becomes a funambulist. She recounts her life story, detailing the history of her parents, as well as the woman who came to raise her. I won't go into to much detail about the plot so as not to spoil anything.
The plot of this story was captivating. I went into it thinking this was a YA book about a cute circus. Boy was I wrong. It is a very dark book, with a character laden with a dark past. The characters felt a little distant from the reader, which I think is due to the narrator, as well as the interview format of the book. However, that didn't make the plot any less poignant.
One of my biggest gripes with this book is the rampant fatphobia throughout. The narrator constantly brings up weight in regards to other characters, making it known how gross she thinks fat people are. It ended up being distracting and gross.
I would recommend this book to someone looking for a dark circus story about a woman trying to navigate life when she wasn't given much to begin with.
TW: alcohol, alcoholism, assault, blood, child abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, fatphobia, hallucinations, misogyny, needles, physical abuse, pregnancy, prostitution, rape (on the page), sexim, sexual assault, sexually explicit scenes, starvation, suicide (on the page), war
In the beginning of this book, I was really unsure if I would like it. The format of the story is an older woman being interviewed about her life story. Typically, this is not a format I particularly enjoy. However, around 40% through, I really began getting invested in the story and where it was going. I'm honestly surprised at how much I liked this book. It's not very character driven, which is one of my first qualifications of a good book.
This book follows Mouse, a young girl born in a circus family. She is an outcast and a loner who later becomes a funambulist. She recounts her life story, detailing the history of her parents, as well as the woman who came to raise her. I won't go into to much detail about the plot so as not to spoil anything.
The plot of this story was captivating. I went into it thinking this was a YA book about a cute circus. Boy was I wrong. It is a very dark book, with a character laden with a dark past. The characters felt a little distant from the reader, which I think is due to the narrator, as well as the interview format of the book. However, that didn't make the plot any less poignant.
One of my biggest gripes with this book is the rampant fatphobia throughout. The narrator constantly brings up weight in regards to other characters, making it known how gross she thinks fat people are. It ended up being distracting and gross.
I would recommend this book to someone looking for a dark circus story about a woman trying to navigate life when she wasn't given much to begin with.
TW: alcohol, alcoholism, assault, blood, child abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, fatphobia, hallucinations, misogyny, needles, physical abuse, pregnancy, prostitution, rape (on the page), sexim, sexual assault, sexually explicit scenes, starvation, suicide (on the page), war
talesofaliteraryaddict's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) Mouse is a funambulist born into a circus family, her mum and dad show her no affection but Serendipity Wilson becomes the sister she always wanted. When Serendipity falls pregnant Mouse becomes jealous. In a story of loss and desperation I struggled slightly to follow the story, the pace can also be quite slow.
Trigger warnings: death, rape, suicide, addiction
Trigger warnings: death, rape, suicide, addiction
myadventurewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
smatthew459's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tagger's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75