A review by jcbmathcat
The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall
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.